The Biggest Kid on the Block

After Alexander made an appearance at the neighbors’ Navarati celebrations, he became extremely popular among the local children. “ALIX!” they yelled up to our window from the street below. Every night a group of eight or nine boys knocked on our door. “Hi Alix! Can you play with us?” they asked in unison. When I answered the door, they made no attempt to mask their disappointment. “Where is Alix? When will he be back?” they inquired. “He is tired,” I would tell them while Alexander hid in the bedroom.

After several days of harassment, Alexander caved. In a desperate attempt to end the constant knocking he consented to a game of cricket. Near noon, when the hot sun was at its peak, he put on his small tennis cap and set out for the concrete “playing field.” Hours later he returned to our flat, sweaty and dazed. “I think I played well,” he said, choking down our filtered water. It took no more than fifteen minutes before we heard a loud knock from the front room. As I expected, a small boy was waiting for me when I opened the door. “Can Alexander come play?” he asked.

The boys were not satisfied with just one game. They continue to visit us daily in the hope that their new American friend will join them for another afternoon of play. Alexander is running out of excuses.