"Because I'm a Chimp"

Lawrence came back to see Bow yesterday, after an absence of a week. Bow was glad to see him, and even said he had missed him.

They played together outside, and around three thirty Bow asked to have an apple for a snack. Lawrence brought in two apples, one big and green, and one small and red. Bow asked for the red one.

Lawrence wanted to make sure that Bow really wanted the smaller apple. "Do you want the big apple or the small one?" he asked.

Bow took his hand and spelled: "The small one."

Lawrence went and  got it, but before he gave it to Bow, he asked: "Bow, why do you need my hand? Why can't you spell without my hand?"

Bow took his hand and spelled: "Because I'm a chimp."

Lawrence laughed and gave him the apple.

This is not the first time Bow has made that excuse, but it was the first time he'd said that to Lawrence.

Excuses, Excuses

This morning, while Sword was having breakfast in the pen, and I was getting the grapes for Bow from the kitchen, Bow peed in the potty, but got off too soon and dripped a lot on the floor. Sword told me about it when I came back.

When I asked Bow why, he spelled: "She shouldn't have told."

"Do you think I wouldn't have seen the drip if she hadn't?"

"Yes." Completely unrepentant.

To Lawrence, who came later, he explained in English: "Sword lied."

This is the typical behavior he engages in to distance himself from what he has done. On other occasions the excuse I get is: "They didn't give you a chimp who doesn't pee on the floor." "Because people are eating chimps in Africa." And my all time favorite, one from a few months ago: "Some other guy did it."

"What other guy?" And when he didn't answer, I asked: "Bow, do you expect me to believe that some other guy broke in here while I had my back turned, peed on the floor and left?"

"Yes."

Today, much later when I was still going over his excuses in an attempt to find out what he was really thinking, Bow took my hand to spell: "Everybody lies."

"That may be. But your lies are so obvious, Bow."

"Yes."