February 28
The older boys are back! Adriel, Carlos, Hilario, and Wilfredo are well in their teens, attend high school, and just returned from summer internships and soccer camp. It’s great seeing them again, but I just can’t believe how TALL they’re getting! A few might be taller than me in a couple more years. They just tower over the other children.
They may be tall, but they are still children. That much is clear. They totally crack me up. “Let’s go Tia!” they called to me today. “Come with us to the stadium! Pleeeease!” “Why?” I asked. “I can’t play soccer. You know this.” “You can watch and take photos!” They insisted.
I went.
They LOVED the camera. I think this is their real reason for inviting me in the first place. They spent a good half hour posing for me and shouting at me when I snapped photos of them laughing or getting ready. They want to look “cool,” not like they actually have fun. Kids!
Hilario was especially entertaining. He told me all about his soccer camp . They woke up early in the mornings and ran every day. They ran and ran and ran. They ran from Plaza de Armas in Cusco to Sacsaywaman and back. He got tired. It was crazy running. Still, one day, he ran hard and beat the other 60 kids. “All sixty?” I asked in amazement. “Of course,” he said nonchalantly.
Then he posed for picture after picture after picture. “But Hilario,” I complained. “I have about eighty pictures of you already!” “I know. Just one more Tia. Please!” Good grief! He wanted to get his kick just right in a photo, get a photo of him kicking in a different style, and of course there were lots of photos of Hilario just sitting or standing and looking “cool.” I got one shot of him laughing. “I wasn’t ready!” he complained. How funny!
Finally, the game began. The boys played against some friends in town. It was nice to see the boys play with other kids in town. They played hard, but were losing when I finally got cold and left. It was raining at that point, but the boys smiled. “Bye Tia!” It’s good to have them back.
