Who's gonna drive you home, tonight?

My high-tea ritual at work consists of rushing to the loo, at exactly 4:30pm and calling Nino at home.
Who, by the way, guards the phone as he does his toys, and rushes to it, everytime it rings, with a 'hellow, mama?'. No one is allowed to answer the phone, but him, even if it's hours away from Mama-time, that is 4:30pm.
The conversation is short - and always insightful. If he has fussed over having milk, he always says he gulped it down real fast. If he's had a great day, he's likely to say that he played, talked, ate, slept and played. If its been a bad one, he says 'Come back mama' - and it breaks my heart if this happens on days when I am unable to get work home. His last question is always 'what am I having for dinner' :)
Today, I got caught-up in work and ended up calling an hour late, worried that he might have left to go to the park with the caregiver. The phone rang for what seemed like forever, before the familiar voice wheezed through and said, 'hello, mama?'... Before I could ask him what he was doing, Nino said he was taking everybody at home to America and that he's checked that they're wearing seatbelts. I smiled and asked him how his day was, and he said 'I can't talk on the phone mama, I'm driving.'

If you read this when you grow up (if this is around till then, that is), Nino, you love to drive - ever since you were a year and a half, you would beg, plead, cry and then wham mama to let you drive - parked cars, cars in motion, anything on four wheels. I remember we did a trip to meet your aunt when you turned two and you would attack the steering wheel everytime the driver parked it for a transit stop. He would give you really dirty looks, and you would just give him a baleful stare, but not let go of his seat. Even today, though you've understood that you can't actually drive like an adult does, the parking lot, ah, that is another matter! We go to his freinds houses, my friends houses, his school, my office, Nairobi (Nino's Dad once went there on a trip, and the name's stuck), the grocers, the fruit shop, to his Nanan's place. It's always 'Sit, mama, I want to take you somewhere.' - you've already brought me to where I want to be, Nino - that floating island that is unmapable - happiness.