Resting Quietly

Word of the Day Friday, January 22, 2010

prevaricate

\prih-VAIR-uh-kayt\ , intransitive verb;

1. To depart from or evade the truth; to speak with equivocation.

I couldn't help but watch the single dad on the bus. He was clearly a professional, always appearing on the bus in neatly pressed button down shirts and carefully coordinated ties and shoes. The overly conservative look, and the leather briefcase lead me to believe he was probably an attorney. However, it wasn't his professional appearance that caught my eye, but the little blonde haired four year old that he toted along in the hand without the briefcase.

Like every other woman on the bus, a swift glance at his ring-less left hand left me secretly glancing his way whenever we happened to be on the same bus. I mean, he was attractive, but there was something about watching a man in his thirties carefully arrange hair into a ponytail while balancing a traveling mug of coffee between his knees that will cement an attraction.

However, on this particular evening bus ride he was all business. "Did you take a nap today?" he asked his daughter. She looked up at him, hesitating a moment too long, "Yes, da-da," she replied. "You did? I've been hearing from your teachers that you tend not to take naps anymore," he said to her. "Nope, I rested quietly," she prevaricated, her large brown eyes innocently peering up at him. "Hmmm," he replied. You could see the sharks starting to circle. "That is great, you must have had a good day," he continued. The little girl nodded, the blonde curls bouncing adorably. "So, what books did you read during nap time?" he asked nonchalantly. "Um, Green Eggs and Ham, and Elmo Goes to School," she immediately replied.

I glanced away tried to stifle my giggle into my book, but not before seeing the gleam of victory in her father's eyes.

Definitely an attorney.