Daddy found the boys in the upstairs part of McDonald’s. They had found seats at a little counter that faced a window, through which you could see people walking on Third Avenue. Nathan had taken one chair, and Lewis had taken another. They had put their backpacks on the chair between their chairs, to save it for Daddy.
“This is a good spot,” said Daddy, as he put down the tray he was carrying. “Good work!”
“Did you remember to get us Egg McMuffins?” asked Nathan.
“Of course!” Daddy said.
“What took you so long?” asked Lewis.
“Did you see the line, Lewis?”
“Can I have mine?”
“Yes. But I’ve got bad news for you, Lewis.”
“What?”
“There’s a . . . big bite out of your Egg McMuffin.”
“There has to be bad news about Nathan’s Egg McMuffin, too, Daddy!” protested Lewis. “It isn’t fair.”
Just a second later there was bad news about Nathan’s Egg McMuffin, too, because Daddy was a little hungry and very fair.
“Can I have another drink?”
“I can’t wait on that line again, Lewis. Did you see how long it is?”
“Can I have a small drink?”
“Do you think they have smaller lines for small things?”
“Why do they call it ‘fast food’ when getting it is so slow?”
“That is a question that has confounded the rabbis, Nathan. . . . By the way, did you know that today is the Ides of March?”
“What does that mean?”
“Today is March 15th, and the 15th day of March is called the ‘Ides of March.'”
“So?”
“It was considered an unlucky day by the Romans. Do you know about the Romans?”
“The people who came from Rome?”
“Right. . . . You know, March 15th was a really unlucky day for one famous Roman, Julius Caesar. Did you ever hear of him?”
“No.”
“Did you, Lewis?”
“No. Never.”
“He was a famous emperor of the Romans. In fact, he was so famous that his name became a word . . . in fact, a title. Do you know what the word ‘Caesar’ has come to mean?”
“Salad?”
“That’s excellent, Lewis! There is a kind of salad called ‘caesar.’ But Julius Caesar was such a famous emperor of Rome that his name became a title—you know, like ‘chief’ or ‘king.’ In fact, the titles of the rulers of other countries, many years after Julius Caesar lived, came from his name—like the Czar of Russia, and the Kaiser of Germany. Both of those titles mean . . .”
“Salad!”
“Ruler.”
“Don’t sit so close to my Egg McMuffin, Lewis. You’ll get lice on it”
“Lewis doesn’t have lice, Nathan.”
“How do you know? A kid in my class did.”
“Do you know what the singular of ‘lice’ is? You know—when you are referring to just one of them.”
“Will you give us a hint?”
“Well . . . What’s the singular of ‘mice’?”
“So is it . . . ‘louse’?”
“That’s right! Now—what is more than one ‘house’?”
“Daddy!”
“It’s a confusing world, isn’t it, Nathan?”
“Only when we’re with you, Daddy.”
♥ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NATHAN! ♥
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