Boy Talk

It was an overcast Wednesday, the sky bordered by heavy rain clouds kept at bay by the cool strong breeze. MJ's and Kyle's Mom picked me up on her way to get the boys from school. At the right end of the grounds were Jeimax (MJ's and Kyle's first cousin) and Kyle, playing who-knows-what game on a bench.

On opposite end of the yard was this group of boys competing in a game of fot. The point of the competition is to outstand your opponent(s). Jeimax's Dad was an island-class handstander.

Here's Kyle. He's such a big boy already. Last time I saw him he was barely two years old, crying big crocodile tears because his Mama had reprimanded him for biting a little girl's arm.

That's MJ, a sptting image of his younger brother, only taller and more aggressive. MJ cried big tears too, in the middle of the night. I cannot count the times I've ran into MJ's Dad cradling him in his arms, cooing comforting words at the crying babe. 

And there's Miko with the striped sleeves, the oldest of the cousins. He normally takes the school bus, but today he and I are hitching a ride with MJ, Kyle, their Mom, and Jeimax.

"I've played in the snow!" Miko boasted.

A powerful squeaky voice chimed in "I've seen snow too!"

"Where, Jeimax?" challenged Miko.

"In my book!" replied the little pipsqueak.

On the way home we pass Miko's school bus.

"Miko, there's the bus!" commented MJ. "Hah! It's supposed to be a taxi, but it's a bus!" See, the school bus is really a "taxi" vehicle, a public transportation vehicle. Public transportation in Truk comes in the forms of sedans, pick-up trucks, and in this case, a school bus.

"What kine!" [What kind.] Kyle commented with this hoarse raspy voice. Met sokkun! It's a Trukese phrase to express disagreement. As in, a school bus is not supposed to be a taxi.