待ちに待ったななこちゃんがくる日。お昼ご飯の焼きそばのキャベツを鮮やかな手つきで刻むななこちゃんの目を捉えたのはひとつのりんご。
「私、りんごのデザートを作るわ!」
そう宣言するや否や、素早い手つきでりんごを切り、砂糖とバターでおいしいデザートをつくってくれました。
あまりの美味しさに家族全員幸せ気分。
聞けば、児童養護施設の保育士の早瀬さんが子ども達を集め
「いいか、お前たち、料理ってもんはな…」
と教えてくれたんだそうな。
食事を満喫したあとは、
「ちょっとだけね。」
と床にごろんとお昼寝。
ふと目が覚めるとななこちゃんが私のお腹に寄り添うようにくっついていました。
子どもって温かくて、気持ちいい…気がつくと一時間も寝てしまった!
りんごとバターのやさしい香りに包まれて、幸せな夢見心地の昼下がりでした。
Nakako-chan was coming ! That's the exciting day for which
we waited on tiptoe. While Nanako-chan was expressing her skillfulness in slicing cabbage for our Yakisoba lunch, her eyes have somehow set on apples neaby. She said " I....I am the one to make a dessert out of those apples". Soon after her declaration, she started cutting apples
swiftly and added sugar/butter. Here we were with the delicious dessert. The taste was fantastic and we were hilarious. She told us that Hayase-san who is a child-care
specialist there at the infant facility once gathered children there and started teaching them... like..."Hey, kids, you know what..what it takes in cooking
is...I'll show you right here....Look!"
----------------
After the dessert, I said "I'm having a little nap" and I
put her body on floor.
All too soon, I woke
up to find Nanako-chan attached close to my abdomen. One hour, without noticing, was easy to let it lapse so fast as children are warm and cozy enough to touch and feel
with.
----------That was one happy and dreamy afternoon with
the scent of sweet/gentle apples and butter around......