First day - Outtakes

1. On Kindergarten Eve, he asks me, "Am I allowed to toot at school?"

2. We pack his backpack - a purple hand-me-down from Dad's college days - with his lunch and Mrs. Giraffee, his comfort stuffed animal.

3. I wake up to an alarm for the first time in years. The house sleeps as I creep in to wake him without disturbing his roommate-brother. We eat breakfast together and head out the door moments after Dad and Baby Brother wake up for goodbye kisses. On the ride he says, "I wish Eli was up. I didn't even get to say bye to him."

4. We drive the two miles to school and as we're rounding the last curve, I realize that the song playing on the radio is The Verve's 'Bittersweet Symphony.'

5. They sit in a circle on the bumblebee rug. The teacher asks them to say their name and favorite thing. One child says 'Boxing and killing strangers' and then clarifies, 'Mean strangers!' My child speaks softly, "Owen. Cows."

6. I leave. I am fine. Eli misses Owen and decides we should take Owen's imaginary friend, Chinky Minky the squirrel, with us wherever we go all day. I agree, and his company seems to help.

7. I pick him up and feel slightly distressed by his seemingly shell-shocked demeanor. He tells me later that he fell asleep during rest time. And woke up right before I picked him up. I feel much better about the day.

8. He tells me, "Dad can take me tomorrow. But the next day, I'm taking the bus."

And he's off, with colors flying.