A New Friend / Eine Neue Freundin

Nikolas was dragging this morning after a late night (for a three-year-old) out on the town having dinner at the Augustiner Brewery with the students, a wakeful night with a cough, and rainy day blues on a very grey and rainy day. He insisted on taking his blankey to school and plopped himself down forlornly on the bench by his cherry coat hook with blankey bundled on lap in his wet raincoat and muddy boots when we got to school. It didn't look like a good start to the day.

And then, Celina came out of the classroom and started rummaging in her snack bag. Celina is a girl in his class who has sparkly cherries on her Hausschuhe (shoes to wear indoors that are not slippers) and has the hook marked with a pony directly across from Nikolas'. Celina turned six on one of the first school days, bringing cupcakes for snack. She arrives at school at virtually the same time as Nikolas, and so we have politely said hello to Celina and her mother almost every morning for a few weeks. Nikolas is always shy when we remind him to say hello to Celina, and Celina has been a little hesitant as well.

Celina finished rummaging and came up to us, holding out a tiny little wrapped package. "Ich habe ein kleines Geschenk für Nikolas," she said. ("I have a little present for Nikolas.")

Nikolas' eyes lit up. "Dankeschön!" he said and took it, looking at it wonderingly. Celina showed him where the pieces of tape were so that Nikolas could carefully open the wrapping without tearing the paper. From within the wrapping emerged a little butterfly, brightly colored and made of plastic beads which Celina and her mother had put together. Nikolas beamed and flew the butterfly around in the air. "Danke!" he breathed, still smiling.

And then Celina held out her hand and Nikolas took it. They walked off to their classroom together, smiling, the ice broken by a brightly colored plastic butterfly.