(to find part 1 of the story, click here)
When Friday evening came, it took Thorson quite a while to figure out why the lyrics to the song Baby Beluga kept running through his head. He finally decided to look up the song on YouTube.
He had been determined not to let Bertha’s date bother him, but that was proving rather difficult for him. He felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under him. Maybe looking something up on the internet would help…but when he typed “Baby Beluga” into the YouTube search bar, he realized that even his sub-conscious was out to get him. The song was was written and performed by Raffi. Of course! Raffi had been his favourite children’s entertainer when he had been a kid. Raphael must have triggered his mind to remember lyrics to his favourite Raffi song. Of course, to be fair, Bertha’s date was from somewhere in Central or South America…and he discovered that Raffi was a Canadian who had been born in Egypt.
Despite the similarity in names, though, Thorson quickly found that listening to Baby Beluga, and then Willoughby Wallaby Woo, and then more and more Raffi songs brought back some great childhood memories. These memories helped him to forget…at least temporarily, that the love of his life was on a date with someone else. He didn’t realize that he was singing out loud until his mom came into his room and said, “I haven’t heard you singing those songs for a few years!”
“Mom, Bertha’s on a date with some guy named Raphael right now.” It took all of Thorson’s will-power not to break down as he said that.
“Ah…hence the Raffi music?”
“Yeah. It seems to be helping a bit though.”
Thorson’s mom came and sat on the edge of his bed and put her arm around him…hugging him close. “When you were about 2 or 3 years old, sometimes when you hurt yourself or got upset about something, the only thing that seemed to help was Raffi. Glad it’s still working for you. You need anything?”
“Maybe some hot chocolate? Oh…and…Thanks Mom.”
“For what?
“For understanding. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, honey.”
Thorson hadn’t been called “honey” by his mom in years. Any other time, he would have bristled at being called that, but today it seemed OK.
Thorson continued to listen to Raffi while he drank his hot chocolate. His mom had put some mint syrup in, just the way he liked it. The music, talking to his mom, and the hot chocolate had all worked together to lessen the emotional ache that he was experiencing, and after a few more hours, he started getting ready for bed. He was just about ready to turn out the lights when he heard the phone ring. A few seconds later, there was a gentle knock on his door and his mom said, “it’s for you.”
~~to be continued~~
**Raffi is a children’s entertainer, singer-songwriter, author, and founder of the Centre for Child Honouring. You can find his music on YouTube and iTunes. He has entertained (and continues to entertain) countless children. If you are unfamiliar with his work, please check him out!
Quest for Whirled Peas 