What Time Is It?

David is a clock watcher. Several times each hour, he will peer around the corner into the kitchen, scanning the clocks to see what time it is. Often he will prompt one of us to ask, "What time is it, David?"

We have an obscene number of clocks in the kitchen by the time you include the clock on the intercom, microwave, stove, CD player and then, of course, the clock that hangs above the sink which, for the moment, I am going to discount because it is not a digital clock and I do not think David can read it. And I say I do not think he can read it, because he often surprises me with new skills like yesterday, for instance, as we were driving home from school. I could hear him repeating a phrase under his breath, but it took me a moment to realize that he was saying, "One dollar equals four quarters, equals ten dimes, equals twenty nickels, equals one hundred pennies."

It probably really irritates David that our clocks never read the same time, especially since the clock on the intercom is always about seven minutes slow. And I think it is one of the mysteries of the universe that we can reset that clock, only to have it lose seven minutes almost immediately and then seem to be able to keep perfect time minus seven. Two of the clocks normally correspond with each other, however, so that is the time David relies on. He especially loves to announce the time on the hour, although instead of three o'clock he would say that it is "three year-o year-o."

So last night David rounds the corner to the kitchen, eyes gleaming and looks at the clock. "What time is it, David?" I asked as I glanced at the clock, confident the answer would be "seven year-o three." But this time his answer was different. "Time to go get ice cream," he announced, smiling. And if it hadn't been three degrees outside, we probably would have made a quick trip to the Dairy Queen.