I am Eloise. I am six.

I am Eloise. I am six. I am a military child. That means I live wherever I live, and sometimes I move. I am usually moving. Isaac is my most favoritest person in the whole wide world. We have two cats named Noel and Cadeau because we got them for Christmas, so you can imagine. Our parents are rawther fond of us. Everyone forgets about the hamster.

I live in Brussels, which is rawther manageable as cities go. But once there was this pandemic and we all had to stay at home, and then go back to school but in masks, and then stay home and quarantine when the bus driver got sick, then go back to school but then quarantine again. And before borders even reopened bam bam blammo, Mommy booked us tickets to see all these extra family members and cousins in Alaska.

I said, “Mommy!” And Mommy said, “Yes, Eloise?” and I said, “MOMMY!” and Mommy said, “YES, Eloise?” and I said, “MOMMY!” and Mommy said, “ELOISE! WHAT?!” and I said, “Oh, Mommy, I was just wondering if the airport we’re flying out of has a lounge,” because a lounge is essentially room service except in an airport, and what else do you need in this life for heaven’s sake.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Mommy went to check our flight and THAT is how she discovered it was cancelled, and no one had told us, and why should they when it’s only halfway around the world we’re talking about. The airline was absolutely awful. So one week before our trip we had to rebook those tickets and sting sting stinger the only flights left had these monstrous layovers. Mommy was crying and rawther despondent but I was just ME, ELOISE. I usually am.

Sometimes I play Monopoly Deal with Isaac. Sometimes I play tag with the cats. Sometimes I climb the apple tree and pretend I’m all alone in this life, and maybe when I come down someone will have noticed I was gone and give me an award or maybe a piece of chocolate. This is Belgium after all. So there I was, minding my own business and thinking about how to get a present, when Mommy says, “EL O ISE!” and I said, “Yes, Mommy?” and she says, “ELOISE!” and I say, “YES, Mommy?” and she says, “ELOISE!!!!!” and I say right back I say, “MOMMY! WHAT?!” and she asks, “Eloise, would you like to have tea at the plaza while you are six?” and I say, “OF COURSE!” because just a few months ago I asked Mommy if I would get to go to the Plaza while I am six and she said NO because we live on another continent for heaven’s sake.

So after a terribly long flight to Alaska and jet lag and cousin time and birthday parties and more cousin time and jumping on the trampoline and whispering to my cousin late at night and moose and fish and sliding down mountains and baking and lots of people at dinners and walking the bunnies and fighting with the cousins and picking berries and chasing the cats and chasing the cousins and ever so much fun fun fun, it was time to fly back to Brussels.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Mommy and Isaac and I weren’t even sitting together but I looked sad and kind of limped and a nice man switched seats with Mommy and Mommy made me try to sleep. Absolutely no one slept. It was rawther fluzzery. But bim boom zinger, we got off that plane and the sun was shining on my first day in NEW YORK CITY at the Plaza. There’s a revolving door with a double P on it and a glassed in courtyard which was enormously large, with all these ladies in it.

Mommy ordered me the Eloise Tea. Obviously. And also one for Isaac, and the Manhattan Tea for herself, because if she’s going to have to cope she’d like to do it awake for heaven’s sake. Someone asked if we were celebrating anything, and Mommy said, “YES, this is ELOISE and she is SIX,” and she was talking about ME, ELOISE, and all these people were just delighted to see me. It was rawther stunning. They brought me a pink tea cup and a pink napkin, and would you believe the tea service came with COTTON CANDY perched on top like a balloon. Then all these people brought me a candle and macarons covered in glitter and sang Happy Birthday to ME, ELOISE. It wasn’t my birthday, but I’ll never admit it. Then they brought me a lollypop with my name on it. Even Isaac said, “This is Eloise’s lucky day!” Which is true, but every day I’m Eloise is lucky for me. And I usually am.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We ate the cotton candy in the park and walked through the city in the sunshine before heading back to the airport so I could rest my feet and fly back across the ocean again to Daddy and the kitties.

Oooooooooooo! I absolutely LOVE the Plaza!

Now to see about getting an encore.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•