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Pinata

Pinata

There was an 80th birthday party for a dear friend's mom.  We went.  There were lots of food, all savory.  Goodbye low fat low carb diet for us.

There were also alcoholic drinks.  Lots of these, Cognac, Irish whisky, and beer.  After filling my belly with roasted pig, noodles, rice, and Shanghai egg rolls, I went to sit at the table where the heavy imbibing was taking place.

There were the familiar faces, drinking buddies I only get to see in my friend's parties.  And there were new faces as well.  They were mostly ex-US Navy and were exchanging sea stories, vividly relating their glorious, funny, and happy sailor days.  After two bottles of Corona, I was also sharing my sea stories.  I was pretty sure I had shared my stories to them before in previous drinking sessions.

Then I saw my daughter's two boys, Jeremy and Zane, running into the yard where the eating and drinking were taking place.  The boy's parents were chasing after them.

There was a round pinata hanging by a basketball pole.   There must be plenty of kids in the party that a pinata event was included in an 80 year old's birthday celebration.  I saw my son-in-law taking charge of the event holding the rope to pull the pinata up and down.  The kids were asked to form a line.  Jeremy was third in line to hit at the pinata.

In between drinks, I glanced towards where the pinata event was taking place wanting to watch my grandson, Jeremy,  hit the pinata.  Must be his first time.  In one party one month earlier, there was also a pinata but he was yet embarrassed to participate.

The pinatas sold in stores were known to be hard to break, especially by toddlers.  So, the tiny tots were not blindfolded for this event.  The first kid went, he appeared to be 3 or 4 years old.  He gave it his best, a couple of good whacks.  The pinata only swayed a little.  The next one to try was a girl, must be 6 or 7 years old.  She walked towards the pinata and swung the bat.  She hit the pinata very hard.  It made a thud.  She tried again several times.  Thud, thud, thump, but it remained unscathed.  Jeremy was excited, wiggling too much in the line.  He was told not to get closer to where the girl was swinging the bat.

Then it was Jeremy's turn.

He was handed the long slender bat and was positioned to approach the pinata.  He was ready.  He held the bat with ease, squeezing the handle with both hands.  He walked a couple of steps toward the pinata, raised the bat over his head and hit it with several slicing and cutting moves as though the bat was a katana, and poor pinata, some bad guy.   I can't help but smile, he was doing his mutant teenage ninja turtle moves at the pinata.   The pinata did not budge, of course.  The other tots looked puzzled, some wondering what was that strange way of hitting the pinata.   Jeremy was proud afterwards, smiling, and handed the bat to the next tot in the line.

Eventually, someone broke open the pinata and assorted candies showered from it.  There was frenzy afterwards as the kids and their parents went after the candies on the ground.  Jeremy and Zane were in the commotion emerging with handful of candies.

I wished I had my camera on to capture Jeremy's ninja moves at the pinata.  (3/29/2014)