I truly that being Jewish meant that I would be able to avoid unpleasant conversations about whether Santa or the Easter Bunny was real. Yes, we have the Tooth Fairy to contend with, but she seems so benign. And I do hedge it, never actually committing to her existence, but following Doodles lead on it.
But that girl. And her Eloise. Oh, does she love her Eloise. Last trip to New York, Pie demanded we visit Eloise. It went well. The doorman apologized that Eloise was out with Nanny, but he invited us into the Plaza to see Eloise’s painting and he gave Pie a postcard from Eloise.
So, of course, this trip back, Pie wanted to return to see if Eloise is around. My parents live in Chelsea. The Plaza is on Central Park South. Not too far, but really a pain in the ass and not near most of where we go. But the girl wants her Eloise. “Let’s go see Eloise! She’s near Central Park! Let’s go see Eloise before Central Park!” How many times can we have Eloise out shopping with her Nanny? But this time I got clever.
“Adam,” I suggested, “why don’t you phone Eloise and see if she’s in today before we go all the way over there?”
“Great idea.” He took his phone and “called” the Plaza. We heard. “Hi, is Eloise available for a visit? Oh! Uh huh. Uh huh. Paris, huh? And when will she be back? Oh, okay. Thanks, we’ll try again then.”
And then, reporting back to Pie, “I’m sorry, honey, but she’s in Paris. Paris in the springtime. She won’t be back till late summer.”
Such disappointment! “But we’ll come back late summer, right?”
So I have till late summer to get her off of Eloise. Or else Eloise might end spending summer in Moscow. And since we haven’t planned our summer vacation yet, I can easily hear requests for a summer in Russia…..
