Nowadays

I spent a lot of yesterday with my cousin in Lund. We strolled around in the sun, toy-storehopped, and then sat outside for lunch. Later, I came along when she picked up her boys at their preschool.
 
When they dropped me off a short drive later, I opened the car's back door to cash in on good bye kisses from two sun-blushed, band-aided, and sand-dusty blonds in the back seat. As I leant over the soon-to-be four year old, my cousin asked him to invite me to his birthday party. He kindly did, and looking straight into my eyes added.

"Then you need to bring a present."

"A present?" I asked surprised. "Am I not allowed to come without one?"

He shook his head, seriously.

"Okay, then what would you like for your birthday?" I wondered.

He tilted his head and looked at me with those big blue wells of innocence.

"Just a little cow transport," he said.
 
Now, It just so happened to be that I had spotted the "little cow transport" earlier and for sure knew it was not very little at all.
 
"Well," I said. "Cows are sort of big to just pack up like that. Especially with a transport and all. Is there nothing smaller you would like?"
 
He thought for a while, then smiled and nodded.
 
"A wolf. And an ostrich."

"I thought you guys already have a wolf and an ostrich," I said, somewhat confused.

"Those are his," he answered and pointed at the two year old in the car seat next to him. "I want my own."