I accidentally told a six year old on the bus about the concept of death. (Patreon)

My phone froze on the bus, it wouldn’t even allow me to force it off by holding down the power button.

I was gunna spend the forty minutes sulking out of the window but then a summer camp troop of wee bitty children boarded and a tiny kid with a cloud of soft blond hair sat down next to me and I decided, against my better judgment, to strike up a conversation with him. Kids that age should have already been taught not to talk to strangers but I’m a white woman who dresses like a preschool teacher so I figured I wouldn’t be seen as a threat by his teachers, and I was right, they kept an eye on me but didn’t intervene.

Arlo is six years old and his group was on their way to the skating rink. I missed about a quarter of what he said because he’d slip into this low-volume child babble that was imperceptible to my 36-years-old ears. He referred to me as a “grown-up” and asked if I had any kids. I told him about Flapjack and we unintentionally had a conversation about mortality as I explained that nine is old in cat years and he asked how old are they when they're kids and I said one and he asked how old are they when they're two and I said grown-up and he wanted to know how old are they when they're fourteen and I said ancient and he asked what comes after that and I realized I had painted myself into a corner and had no idea if it was okay for me to introduce the concept of death to this child I’d only just met but I didn’t want to lie to the little fucker so I said after that cats go to sleep and they don’t wake up. “Why?” Because they reach the end of their life cycle, I told him and then immediately changed the subject.

Arlo’s mom is going on a trip next week so it’ll just be him and his dad. They’re going to go swimming. He’s just graduated from the Penguin level at his swim class to the Otter level, which means he can float on his back without arm floaties and he can dog paddle all on his own. 

When I got off the bus I turned around and saw he’s slid over to my window seat. I smiled and waived at him and he smiled and waived back at me.

I found the Apple store on my own without the use of my phone -a miracle!- or a scheduled appointment and the door greeter showed me how you have to hold down both the power button and that round center button at the bottom of the face to force it to reboot. It's working fine now.

I wonder if Arlo'll tell his dad about how cats go to sleep and they don’t wake up? If his dad asks where he learned that, will he say the lady on the bus told him? Will his dad ever permit him to take the bus without parental supervision again? Will he finally teach him "DO. NOT. TALK. TO. STRANGERS"? Questions I'll never know the answer to.