Alice's Tooth Fairy

The internet went out again this afternoon.
I went downstairs to ask the landlord, and it turned out the system needed an update.

Yes, the optical modem's system needed an update, and it had to be taken to the service station to have the system flashed. This is quite different from my previous experiences.

The landlord said she was heading out to the Spectrum service station right away and would be back in about two hours.
I said I couldn't work in the meantime, so I might as well go to Costco and stock up on 10 days food.

The landlord said, "Great! I need to go to Costco too, let's go together! You can also try out my new car!"

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The landlord usually drives a Toyota Sienna, I've seen a lot of these at Google headquarters ---- they’re work vehicles, used for transporting people or goods, with a big number in circulation. It's a standard North American MPV. The landlord just bought a new model of the Sienna, a hybrid.

I have to say, this car exceeded my expectations. The acceleration is no worse than the Lexus IS I test-drove yesterday. The brakes aren't too firm, just right for a family car.
It’s fuel-efficient too, 33 mpg.

I mentioned these to the landlord, but she didn't seem to understand. I said I had underestimated the Sienna ---- it actually has a good handling feel, comparable to the Camry.

The landlord then said, "The Honda Camry is also good." I was a bit taken aback ---- turns out she's almost completely car-blind. She even asked me if the Camry sells well. I told her, "Don't you know that out of the six cars parked here, five are Toyotas? Three of them are Camrys. Even the Lexus I looked at yesterday is actually belongs to Toyota."

"Oh, from the Longo dealer? I bought this car from there, you can get a discount!..."

We continued chatting casually along the way, with her older daughter, Alice, occasionally chiming in from the back seat. It was a pleasant drive.

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The Spectrum service station is temporarily closed and won't reopen until 4 PM at another location… come on!!... Alright, let's head to Costco first.

We ended up spending two hours inside and bought over $500 worth of food and Christmas gifts. The landlord kept saying, "No big deal, let Alice pay for it."
Alice also said she would pay.

I was surprised and asked her, "You already have a bank account?" The landlord replied, "It's government assistance, every child gets it."

The Costco store near our house. We wait for pizza in front of the entrance.

After checking out, we went outside and got a pizza, which took another half hour.

I noticed the mountain tops in the distance were white and asked, "Is that the snow mountain you mentioned the other day?"

The landlord suddenly got really excited: "Yes! Tomorrow I'll take you both there ---- let's go together!"

"No, no! I haven’t finished my work today, let's get the internet fixed so I can get back to work… It's already 3 PM!"

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On the way home, we stopped at the dollar store to buy gift bags, and she took another 20 minutes for just a few bags!

I stayed in the car chatting with Alice.

The little girl went on and on about: how her mom bought several houses and how much they cost… the monster she dreamt about last night… how it takes her 12 minutes pooping… how it takes her grandma 30 minutes pooping… how her brother plays with water for 30 minutes after pooping… I couldn’t take it anymore and tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.

She said she wanted to be an Uber driver when she grows up (parents in China scold their kids for this kind of dream), or maybe a math teacher.

That reminded me of some Uber interview questions I experienced, so I shared them with her, and she excitedly offered different ideas.

Thank goodness the landlord came back. She said, "Alice must have talked your ear off. I don't dare leave her with other people now…"

Back home, we quickly opened the pizza and had lunch. I didn’t hold back ---- we ate half the pizza between the three of us.

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After lunch, it was time to go to the service station. The two of us headed out again.

Damn service station was right next to JCPenney, and it took another 15 minutes to find a parking spot! I swore yesterday that I’d never come back here!

(Am I about to break both of the swears I made yesterday?)

Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and we were done in 10 minutes. The landlord suggested, "Longo dealer is nearby, do you want to check out your car again?"

"I'm begging you! Let's just get home and fix the internet! Do you want me to work all-nighter?"

Home fiber optics in the US are not quite the same as in China, but it's quick to figure out.

After bringing the modem home, I spent a while setting it up. It's quite different from what I'm used to in China. 

While troubleshooting, I had to answer Alice's endless curious questions, including how to set a secure password (though I'm not sure a seven-year-old can really grasp that concept)… 

Finally, by 7:30 PM, the internet was back up and running.

When you make a wish, paint one eye. When you fulfill your wish, paint another eye.

Borrowing a marker from Alice, I painted the eye of the Daruma doll I bought in Japan for making a wish.

Alice asked what it was, and I explained that it’s for making wishes.

She asked, "Is it like the Tooth Fairy?"

It took me about two seconds to remind the term "Tooth Fairy." I hadn't heard about it in so long.

When I was little, when a tooth fell out, we had to put it either on a beam or under the bed, and then make a wish that would come true. If you didn't brush your teeth well and got cavities, the Tooth Fairy wouldn't take them... Later, I found out that Japan has a similar legend.

I said, "Yes, we had the Tooth Fairy when I was a kid too."

At that moment, I saw the landlord winking at me behind her daughter, so I understood.😃

Alice said, "The Tooth Fairy is so nice. Last time, I made a wish to the Tooth Fairy, and she gave me a set of watercolor pens."

I couldn't help but smile. I said, "Yes, the Tooth Fairy can grant your wishes. Next time, be sure to make a good wish, and it's best to tell your mom too, so she can help you make the wish."

Alice replied, "Yes, last time, my mom helped me make the wish too."

As the landlord and I shared a knowing smile, both immersed in the wonderful fantasies of a child...

Alice suddenly said, 

"Next time, I want to wish for the Tooth Fairy to give me a hundred dollars."

The landlord and I nearly choked on our breath. The landlord asked, half-laughing, half-crying:

"What do you need a hundred dollars for?"

Alice replied, "If I have it, I can buy lots of things."

The landlord said, "But the Tooth Fairy... she doesn't use dollars, she uses magic to make things!"

"Oh." (Looking disappointed) "Uncle Shawn, what wish did you make with your Daruma doll?"

"Uh... my wish, huh..."

"Alice, Uncle Shawn wished to become more beautiful!"

"Uh..." (What a lame excuse), "Yeah, you can help me wish for that too."

"Okay!"

So, we three making a wish together, for me to become more beautiful, wished by an innocent little girl and a grown woman who was holding back laughter with a red face.

This is the first time in my 40 years. Tooth Fairy, did you hear that?