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I am in Lido Park with Elisa when she says she says "babi, I want to pee pee" which isn't great news since I suspect wherever in this park the restroom is, it won't be clean. This doesn't bother Elisa at all; she just wants to go on the grass behind the trail that circles the lake. I ask her if she can wait and she says no. Then I notice her "boyfriend" mao zaheng is being led by his ayi to the area Elisa wants to pee. The boyfriend drops his pants, squats, and takes a dump. I now know why Elisa wants to pee. It is a sympathetic pee. I ask her to wait and she agrees. I mean, Yang and I have been married for almost 12 years and I don't think she ever wanted to pee when I took a dump. At least not with me.

Yang's mom took Elisa to Lido Park earlier in the week and it is her new favorite place. There are two parks by us, Lido and Side. Side is larger and more well-known with soccer fields, kid's areas, and fishing while many residents walk past Lido Park without even noticing it is there. Naturally, I've always liked Lido Park better. When I worked from home for 14 months I often took Elisa to Lido Park even if she doesn't remember much of those days. The typical pattern was a hot summer afternoon and she was too active in the home for me to work or for her to take a nap. I would take her out in the stroller and Elisa would fall asleep before we reached the corner and then I would find a shady tree to listen to my podcasts under while she napped. When she woke up we would explore the park a bit or just go buy some ice cream. It was those 14 months that my bond with Elisa was really formed and I would not trade them for anything.

On this day, Elisa was they park guide leading me, her boyfriend, and the ayi to all corners of the park. I would suggest a small dirt trail and she would march up it and explore. She would venture across rocks over polluted water with the vengeance of joy. There was a wedding going on in one of the enclosed meadows (parks are seldom just parks here) and put Elisa on my shoulders so she could see over the hedge and watch the wedding. I noticed several wedding attendees watching Elisa and smiling.

We left the park and headed to a playground where Aidan and Yang joined us with Lydia content to skate board downstairs. Home with Elisa and hour later, she finally peed.