Sudoku and swords

People bond over the strangest things. Take, for example, my foster daughter and my ANT* Elizabeth (AE) who met for the first time on Sunday. The night AE arrived with my cousin, Carson, the two of them sat at the dining room table pouring over the kid’s artwork (which really is good). Then the next morning they discovered that they both enjoy Sudoku. After that number-arranging connection was made, the two of them spent time each day curled up on the love seat talking about the awesomeness of the puzzles whilst working on their own books.

Sadly, it all ended yesterday morning when the kid had to say goodbye to her new friend who would be leaving before she returned home from school. So, the kid handed AE her puzzle book and asked if she would do a couple of the puzzles for her so that she had a memory to keep forever – a request that AE was very happy to oblige.

Oh! And the kid was so thrilled when we returned home and she saw that not only did AE complete two puzzles in her book (complete with a thoughtful inscription noting their eternal Sudoku bond) but she also left behind her own Sudoku book for the kid to complete. Let’s just say that AE has a new fan club!

Of course, other people bond over things that aren’t so strange. Take, for example, the enjoyment my cousin and I took in sharing our common interests. It was Braveheart this and BritLit that and UK-related reference the next thing, followed by pretentious references to one geeky thing or another, as you do.

But Carson didn’t leave me a puzzle book. Instead, I sent him home with a parting gift: Three of Paul’s reproduction swords – two of which were Hollywood versions of the Braveheart sword. Yes, Carson will be showing off to his Braveheart-loving friends for quite some time with those things!

I think it’s fair to say that the four of us had a lovely visit. Too bad it had to come to an end.

* Aunt Elizabeth prefers me to call her Ant Elizabeth. Apparently, she’s not a fan of the rhymes-with-flaunt pronunciation. And since I love my Ant Elizabeth, I am happy to oblige – right down to the spelling of her name, which she now uses in correspondence with me.