（写这一篇还挺难的，照片少，字又多。。。感想倒是挺多的，只是无从表达。已经太习惯，想了就算了。）
说实在的，小时候的事我都不怎么记得了。我想，靖恒将来也不会对现在的事有印象吧。两，三岁的小孩，我怎么也想不到他会交到一个好朋友。。。
怎么结交的，趁我还没有完全忘记时记录下来吧。那是在礼拜三我常带他去的联络所。两个小孩都各自有一辆车还是脚车骑。靖恒还是不会踏脚车，只是脚已够长，可以在地上拖。两个小男孩都喜欢拿东西藏在车子里，而且奇迹般的不会互相抢玩具。就这样，小男孩带头，靖恒跟着他跑。小男孩玩腻了，就去长长重重的窗帘布后面躲起来，靖恒也兴奋地躲在后面。于是，一个小时多的时间，他们两个玩在一起，好不开心。之后，我带靖恒去礼拜一，礼拜四的教堂和礼拜三的联络所玩，小男孩看到他，总会叫他一起玩。只是，靖恒不是每次都高兴地跟他跑。有时，一个人有车，一个人找不到空着的车，就这样不了了之，散了。有时，靖恒戴着消防员的帽子，手上拿着一大堆东西，小男孩也很难靠近他。靖恒不肯自己玩，赖在我身边的时候也有。小男孩也有一两个玩伴，不过礼拜三联络所里那些玩伴没有来，所以靖恒和他在星期三时玩得最开心。也可能是因为那天玩具当中没有帽子给靖恒戴吧。
靖恒跟他玩，不抢他的东西，还会保护小男孩拿过而丢下的玩具，不让其他小朋友动。我得插手叫他让给其他小孩，他还跟我解释那是‘boy-boy’的。对了，我知道小男孩的名字，可那不是很普遍的名字，靖恒似乎也不怎么记得，提起他时总爱说‘boy-boy’（那是我知道他的名字之前用的）。小男孩要拿靖恒的东西，靖恒甚至会给他。如果他不肯给，也不会打他，而小男孩也不会坚持。他们在一起玩的时候，没有哭闹，只有笑声，除非是一起欺负别的小孩（通常是因为别的小孩要拿他们放在一边的玩具或是‘侵犯’了他们的小圈圈）。带靖恒去跟其他小朋友玩这么久，我最头痛的就是他会因为争玩具，抢‘地盘’等跟别的小孩动粗。可是唯独这一个小男孩他从不会如此，而是很愿意跟他分享。
小男孩大靖恒两个月，个儿比靖恒小一点，长得俊俏。父亲是罗马尼亚人，在爱丁堡作工。母亲是瑞典人，在爱丁堡读书。小男孩由姑姑照顾。之前我都有注意到他们，因为他的姑姑跟我一样静，不大爱主动跟人打交道。她总是在看那些放在地上的儿童书本。只有最近，因为靖恒和她的外甥好起来，才跟她聊了几句。她也没问回我什么，只是问起靖恒的名字。看她是挺喜欢小孩的；因为不怎么需要陪她的外甥玩，有时候会去逗其他婴儿。已经有两个十多岁的女儿了，真是看不出来。
小男孩七月要回去瑞典了。他的姑姑也归心似箭，迫不及待回罗马尼亚，她说她很想念她的孩子。我想，他们都会很向往回家吧，而靖恒也不会舍不得。就剩我，觉得一点可惜。我在这里记下这一段小插曲 - 这份也许对靖恒不会有什么影响的友谊，总觉得还是应该写下来。照片里只有小男孩的背影，因为毕竟不认识他的父母，不想公开他的样子。
I feel compelled to write about this, because in an unexplained way, it has touched me. And even though it will probably cause nary a ripple in Ethan's life, I still think it's a wonderful thing to have happened.
If you have no idea how a 2-3 year-old, and in particular, Ethan, behaves, just as I once had no idea at all, let me tell you the part that pertains to what follows. He has a strong sense of territory and 'my' things (even if the thing is not, technically speaking, his, but just something he manages to get hold of) and will retaliate anyone - kids, babies, even adults - who tries to upset this sense. So hitting, shouting at other kids, snatching toys, pulling hair (if the unfortunate victim has enough hair to be pulled) become very common and pose sickening situations for the parents to resolve. 'Sorry's, 'oh, never mind's, 'no's, 'can you share?'s, 'wait your turn's are being re-played countless of times at playgroups. And for small things the taxed parent just ignores.
So, one day, when Ethan found a friend at the Wednesday playgroup, I was pleasantly surprised. A friend, because for once, he does not hit back if the boy wants to take his things. Instead, he is willing to hand them over to him (provided he still has some on his already very full hands). The start of their friendship was born of Ethan's obsession with having things to hoard or carry. Both had either a trike or a car. The boy would lead in his trike, and Ethan would follow him, always with his baggage on the vehicle. Ethan still does not know how to peddle and was rather clumsy and slow, but the boy did not mind and waited for him. They played behind the curtains when tired of the vehicles. And when tired of the curtains, they sat and laughed on the steps with their toys about them.
And so from then on, the little boy would approach Ethan whenever he sees him at playgroup, though Ethan is a slow-warmer and his invitation to play is not often successful. On Mondays and Thursdays I also see the little boy at the church playgroup. Sometimes Ethan is too pre-occupied with wearing his helmet and holding onto his motorbike and toys to run around with the little boy. And the little boy also has other children he can play with at the church, so they don't interact that much then. But on Wednesdays, there are times when I am really amazed by the 'chemistry' between them. It happens most often after snacks, I observe.
When they are playing, if any younger kid tries to take their toys or approaches them too closely for comfort, they will bully the kid together. If it's an older or same age kid who tries the same, they either get away from the child, or stand by one another in preparation for ... battle? I do not get their stance, but it is something Ethan does not do alone, for he always ends up pulling at the other child's hand / hair or something and then one party will cry first if parents do not intervene fast enough. On a few occasions, if the little boy drops a toy, Ethan will pick it up for him (even if he may not want it any more), and guard it from other children who 'covert' the toy. Really embarrassing for me sometimes.
The little boy's father is a Romanian, his mother a Swedish. They are in Edinburgh for a year, the mother is studying and the father is working. He is being looked after by his aunt, whose family is in Romania and who misses them very much.
He's about two months older than Ethan but smaller in built than Ethan. From my observations, the little boy seems more mature mentally. He seldom flares up or fights with other children, and is happy playing either by himself or with a few other children. He usually leads when playing with Ethan, but not always so with other children. When he sees Ethan, he would approach him, and say, 'Come on' - about the only English I have ever heard him say.
The family is leaving in July, his aunt told me. And she is eager to go back to Romania, while the little boy will be back in Sweden. Alas, I think I am the only one among them, including Ethan, who feels a little sad about the departure.
