The Moments - Chapter 11: Art of Heartbreak

          Ok, maybe "Art of Heartbreak" is a little deep of a title for this Joey tale, but I think this one deserves a touch of Hall & Oates.  Joey and I had our first (very brief) chat about his love life recently.  Here's the tale...
          A few days ago, Krista and I took Joey and Krista's nephew to the Bounce Palace.  The boys had a blast.  Honestly, it was one of those places that made me wish I was a little boy again too (they don't let 30-year-olds on the bouncy things at some places - discrimination!).  Throughout the morning, Joey moved around from one bounce structure to another.  The crowd wasn't too bad there, either.  However, at one point, I noticed my son near a cute little girl who is probably a few months older than him.  For the next little while, I simply watched their interaction in fascination.  She asked Joey, "Do you want to play with me?"  He quickly replied, "I think so," with a smile ("I think so" or "I don't think so" have become very common responses from him lately). For the next several minutes, one would follow the other to the different bounce castles.  But, very soon after they met, I noticed something else - the mysterious blond held Joey's hand!  At two-and-a-half, should I assume that my boy is already a player or that this little girl moves fast on a first play date?  Haha!  In any case, it was cute and they got along very well for the minutes they were together.  I could tell that the little girl's mother was watching them from across the room with joy and fascination as well.  They were ready to leave a while before we were, and the girl's mom told her to thank Joey for playing with her.  It was so sweet.  She stepped toward Joey and said, "Thank you for playing with me."  And Joey replied back, "Uh huh. Thank you for playing with me too."  The girl and her mom left, and we never knew their names.  But, it had been a good rare random interaction with another child around Joey's age.  He smiled as she left and quickly went back to playing on the bounce castles. 
          A few minutes after the departure of the mysterious blond, Joey was standing at the end of one of the larger bounce castles where Krista and I were watching him and taking pictures.  He had a tired look on his face.  I asked him, for fun, "What's wrong, Joey?  Are you missing your new girlfriend there?"  He gave me a half grin and replied, "Yeah, I am."  I laughed a little before I followed up with, "What was her name, son?  I don't remember hearing her name."  A confused pause came upon Joey, followed by, "Ummmm, Girlfriend."  Krista and I laughed again.  "Her name is Girlfriend?"  Joey picked up that maybe her title wasn't her name.  He came closer to Krista and me and asked, "What's she's name, Daddy?  What she's name?"  I couldn't help him.  I said, "I don't know, son.  I'm sorry."  He simply said, "Ok," and went back to bouncing.  In a flash he was over her, and the mysterious blond remained a mystery.
          So, maybe there's no real "art of heartbreak" here, but I know one Hall & Oates chorus that might fit the moment (click this).  I also keep hearing Alan Jackson in my head when I think about this.  Oh well, name or no name, Joey made that little girl smile and kept her from ruling the bounce castles alone.  Can't hate the player.  And, when hanging out at the Bounce Palace, you can't even hate the game.