Metal Meredith

Phil is always taking Vivienne on adventures. He loves to take her to the river to jump on the rocks or to the park to walk around or bike ride. He wants to take her to the beach or the zoo or an apple festival, the Smithsonian, an aquarium. I can’t say that I am all that interested in taking her lots of places, especially now that depending on her mood, she will be a lunatic about having fun or complain the whole time that she just wants to be at home. I can fully admit that I never had a ‘thing’ with Vivienne that I had to share with her. Until now.

My parents took me to see a lot of plays when I was in my late teens. I enjoyed the time spent with my parents but was captured by the plays I got to see. I was so excited when I was able to go with Vivienne to see her first play. On Sunday, my mother took us to see Cats. I tried to explain going to the theater a few times in advance to Vivienne, but she never quite got it. I told her we were going to see “people dressed up in costumes, that get on stage and sign and dance and tell stories”. Then she caught me telling Phil that we were going to the theater and she decided that we were really going to see a “Cat Movie”.

When we walked into the theater, she was confused at the set, the lights and all of the ‘stuff’ on the stage. Mom spoiled us with front row seats. As we waited for the lights to go down, she kept asking me where the cats were and why the people weren’t on the stage yet. When they finally went down, Vivienne was so excited, she just smiled and stared. She told me which cats she liked, asked me continually what was happening and why this person was doing this, why that person was saying that. She hummed, sang and giggled. At times, she clapped loudly and enthusiastically.

She sat on my lap almost the whole time. I listened to her hum the songs. She clapped when I clapped. I really did have the best time with her.