Three stages of a bus trip …
A freckled, red-haired seven-year old turns sideways on the bus seat, eliminating his mother and brother from view, and presses his pale cheek against the seat back. He scratches a private message there.
The red-haired boy’s younger brother kneels on the seat in front, facing backwards: ‘No-o-o! I go first, Kris-tin.’ Their game of Scissors Paper Rock is doomed from the start.
The red-haired boy is relaxing now, ankle on knee and collector’s album open. He’s browsing his Pokémon cards.