Pizza Party

I rush out of the office and head to the subway. It is Friday night in Beijing and in an hour the party will begin. I listen to music and podcasts and think I should walk the length of the train to increase my daily step count.  Except there is no space to move. There is barely space for me amongst the distractions.

I unlock the door. I’m home. “Hello babi” comes Elisa’s still little girl voice. “Hi there” comes Lydia’s maturing voice. Somehow I ended up with lock key kids, at least for the 30 minutes when the ayi leaves and I get home. They don’t seem to mind. I do a bit and I compromise a bit.

I ask them if they want to play with fire, this is something I heard you should let kids do. They say “no”. Definitely my kids. When I light a candle they and and ask if they want to try they say “no, no, no”. Clearly I have work to do.

Friday night is “pizza party” night. When I started it two years and a half ago it was just me and the kids, eating pizza and pasta and watching a movie. I had an idea that friends would come, both friends of the kids and friends of mine. That part was problematic at first since we don’t have many (nearby) friends. One friend of mine started riding his bike across town to join with another friend. Over the past year the “pizza party” has become an institution with the kids, something they look forward to as much as I do. An artist or two have been known to show up on their way to other events. Coworkers with kids have started to stop by. My idea of a mini open house of fun and connectivness begins to take shape.

On this Friday night, Aidan is away at snowboard camp which seems odd in the middle of summer. The small apartment is a mix of adults and kids with Lydia playing Youtube DJ. Elisa breaks out into dance with her new friend.

The kids draw and when they get bored they turn towards their iPads. The adults have a glass of wine or two.

The adults leave, the kids turn in for the night and I clean up. Dishes washed, leftovers stored, trash tossed I sit back. I put my feet up. I toast a toast alone. It was a good night.