Play Day in the ‘hood
I said, “Mom, Can I go outside and play with my friends?”
“May I go outside and play with my friends,” she replied.
“You can do whatever you want with your friends. I just want to know can I go out and play with my friends?”
“You have the ability to go out with your friends, but it should be, May I go out with my friends?”
“Why do you keep bringing your friends into the conversation? I know that I have the ability to go out with my friends. I’m not stupid, but you have to let me go first. So I repeat, “Can I go out with my friends?”
“That’s not the correct way to ask,” she said.
“Sorry,” was my reply. “Can I go out with my friends, please?”
My mother looked like she was getting a bit flustered. “Thank you for being more polite, but you are still saying it incorrectly. It should be May I?, not Can I?
“May I what?” I asked, quite confused.
“May I go out and play with my friends, please?” was her reply.
“Why are we talking about your friends again? It’s fine with me, you can go out and play with your friends or anyone else you want to play with, as long as I can go out and play with mine.” I thought for a moment and thought I figured it out. “Wait a minute I think I got it. It’s fine with me, you can go out and play with your friends or anyone else you want to play with, as long as I may go out and play with mine.”
My mother just threw up her hands and said, “I give up. This time you were okay the first time, it is acceptable to say as long as I can go out with mine. Yes, you may go out with your friends.”
———
So I went down to the park to play with my friends. I still had no idea what had just happened. But at least I got to go out. Of course, you can guess which street game we decided to play…Giant Steps better known in my neighborhood in the Bronx as “Mother, May I?”
I did not do well in that game. Every time I was told to take a step, whether it was a tiny step, an umbrella step, a scissor step, or any other kind of step I either forgot to ask if I was allowed to, or when I did remember, I said “Can I?” which for some reason was not considered correct, and I got sent back to the starting line.
I can’t wait until I get back to school ware I hope their going to teach me what I’m doing wrong. I think it has something to do with language.
