The Splinter

It is our second to last night with Molly and Saint Bob. They have come over to take the boys tubing  on an inflatable thing called a Skibob. Butter and iMac help Saint Bob prep the boat. I am to be the spotter, the person who will let Bob know that a kid fell off or what have you. Butter, who rarely wears shoes, alerts me to a splinter on the bottom of his great toe. I removed another splinter yesterday and figure this one will be the same. He walks over to show me the splinter which is huge and tightly lodged in the bottom of his calloused toe. Butter and I trek back to the house looking for splinter removal supplies. Molly provides a needle, a precise and tiny pair of fine point tweezers and some neosporin. Butter and I set up on the sofa on the screen porch. The splinter won't come out in one piece. It would be better if I had a blade to slice open the callous, but I don't, so I have to use the needle to break the skin that lies over the length of the splinter. It is tedious and painful, but no bleeding. Halfway through the procedure Melanoma Man comes out on the porch with fatherly advice about wearing shoes on the dock and a touch of "I told you so" in his voice. Butter starts to cry, which could easily be due to the tugging and tearing I am doing, but. I know it's not. I cut the excess callous off with some elementary school style scissors, wash the wound and apply neosporin and a bandaid that I know will fall off within the minute. Butter and I walk to the end of the dock, awaiting the return of Saint Bob, Molly and iMac in the boat.

"Why did Dad say that!!" He demands. Initially I reply,"I don't know honey." He repeats his question twice.

This time I answer," Because he's jealous that I am such an awesome surgeon, working on short notice with inadequate tools to save the day! It's like this, he came upon the scene and thought , what value can I add to this situation? I know, helpful advice, that's my specialty." All this was said in my "pretending I'm your Dad" voice, which caused Butter to erupt into laughter. Butter boards the Ski Bob smiling, curls blowing in the wind, and singing at the top of his lungs.

Later at the house both Butter and Melanoma Man report to me separately that Butter had revealed his hurt feelings to MM and that MM has apologized.