The Reunion

Entering the leisure centre
I turned smartly into reception
And stopped
Before me was a tableau
Frozen
On the left Yummy Mummy in floaty dress
Bending and beaming
Behind the desk a young chap
Smiling affably
To the mother’s right
Astride his scoot-along bike
Was a helmeted boy
Perhaps three years old
His face ferociously squashed
Into a small soft toy monkey
In a passion of disbelief and relief
At the Reunion
He glanced at his mother
The desk chap
And the cupboard behind him
Still ajar
Looked back again to his mother
I could hear the chaos of his silent questions
Monkey was in there
How did monkey get in there
Who else was in there
His mother soothed
The tableau fractured
I checked in for my swim

23 June 2023