From the north windows of our rooms we can see Exeter Cathedral, one of the most beautiful cathedrals in England. You can see the cathedral from any street corner in town, it stands at the top of the hill off the High Street.

Because of the disjointed English streets, set at anything but right angles to each other, the cathedral tends to move around, to not be where you expect it to be, but off to the right, or left.

But it's always there somewhere.

Our eastern windows are over Alphington Road, on the second floor. It's one of the main roads of Exeter and like the others leads, more or less, over the canal and to the cathedral. The other way heads south, to the Cornwall coast.

***

SCENE: Alexandra (recently turned 8) and I are talking and casually looking out the window.

Time: late afternoon, mid-November, 2001.

ALEXANDRA: We have a good view of the road, don't we papa?

PAPA: Yeah, we sure do...it would be really cool if there was a parade down there sometime...like at Mardi Gras or something...a room over Bourbon Street like this would cost you more than a thousand dollars a week during Mardi Gras.

ALEXANDRA: That's a lot. That's too much isn't it papa?

PAPA: Yeah, it is.

(we look out the window and Alexandra mentions that it would be nice if it snowed [as it is at 5 a.m. as I'm writing this])

ALEXANDRA: Do they celebrate Christmas here like in America?

PAPA: Yeah, pretty much. They have Santa but he's called Father Christmas. Everyone gets presents, there are midnight church services, the Christmas carols tend to be a little more religious here...it's a little bit different but pretty much the same. They have Christmas Eve, Christmas, and Boxing Day.

ALEXANDRA: What's Boxing Day? I heard something about it, but I don't know what it is.

PAPA: Well, Boxing Day is the day after Christmas when...(he stops, half realizing that he isn't positive of the integrity of his answer but diverted by a shiny concept on the periphery)...HEY! That's when this window is going to be great!!

ALEXANDRA (excited): Why? Why papa?

PAPA: Well, you see, Boxing Day is the day after Christmas. And everyone runs around in the streets boxing!

ALEXANDRA: What?

PAPA: Yeah they, you know, run around in the street hitting each other...we can watch them from up here!

ALEXANDRA (suspicious): What do you mean, hitting each other?

PAPA: They walk around on the streets, you don't go out if you don't want to participate, no one has to, and they walk around and if they feel like hitting someone, you know punching them, they do.

ALEXANDRA: Are you sure?

PAPA: Of course, I was born here wasn't I? We can watch them from up here, and if there's anyone we want to hit we can run out and hit them! (Alexandra frowns) Well, obviously you don't hit anyone smaller than yourself, a little bigger usually, but much bigger if you feel like it. It's an old English tradition, I mean obviously you don't hit someone if they're already hurt.

ALEXANDRA (who probably thinks that she's heard of stranger things, what can this possibly have on bullfights?): You want to go down there and do this....(papa shrugs)...what kind of people would you hit?

PAPA: Well, there are basically two ways to decide who to hit. You can either hit people you don't think you would like, or you can hit people you think you might like to be friends with.

ALEXANDRA: Why would you hit someone you think you might like to be friends with?

PAPA: It's a way of meeting them, of introducing yourself, you know like a John Wayne movie...you know how he always hits people and then they become friends...

ALEXANDRA (very thoughtfully):...yeah....

PAPA: I don't know if I'm going to go hit anyone or not. We'll just stay up here in the window and I'll see what it looks like out there. It's probably a lot of fun in its own weird way. Explore different cultures, that's the thing. Do you think you might like to come down and hit someone?

ALEXANDRA: I don't know. Probably not...can I hit anyone I want?

PAPA: Sure, we can both-

(he is interrupted as Kasmira (12) and Amelia (6) come blowing in from the other room)

KASMIRA: Oh, papa! Captain Scarlet was so funny today-the Mysterons turned into this girl, who was a model, in Italy, and then when they had the fashion show they tried to take over the world, so Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue, they were dressed up like boy models, and they all started shooting everything and making a big mess -

ALEXANDRA: Papa was just telling me about Boxing Day. It sounds (wrinkles nose and eyes) really funny.

KASMIRA: What's Boxing Day?

PAPA: Oh, Kasmira. You know what Boxing Day is...it's when the British run around in the streets hitting each other!

AMELIA: What?!

KASMIRA: They hit each other?

PAPA: Sure, they box. I thought you knew that...

KASMIRA: Well, I heard of it...

PAPA: Sure, you know how traditional everything is here. They've been boxing for centuries. They day after Christmas, as good exercise, they run around on the street boxing.

ALEXANDRA: They don't hit people smaller than themselves, and sometimes they hit people so they can get to know them.

AMELIA: Wow! That sounds great!

KASMIRA: Is that really true papa?

PAPA: Of course it is. What did you think Boxing Day was?

KASMIRA: Well I don't know, I....

ALEXANDRA (now excited): We can watch them from up here. We can go out if we want to, but we don't have to.

KASMIRA: I don't think I want to. .. But I'll watch for awhile and see what it's like.

AMELIA: I'm goin'. Are you going papa?

PAPA: I think so. I'll take a look at it first, then I'll probably-

AMELIA: I'm going.

(Mama and Myles (2) breeze into the room)

ALEXANDRA: Papa was telling us about Boxing Day!

MAMA: That's nice. (to papa) Can you help me bring the carriage up the stairs? I got food for a week and there were some killer clothes on sale at the thrift store.

ALEXANDRA: -It sounds really weird.

PAPA: Sure, did you get me anything?

(the cart is retrieved and they move on to making dinner, most everyone has a part besides papa, who runs a verbal counterpoint to the news, pointing out who's doing a good job and who isn't, who knows what they're doing and who doesn't, etc. Boxing Day is forgotten)

*******************

SCENE: Papa is waiting outside Exwick Middle School. The school bell rings, children emerge through doors, some explosively, others casually like a cat. Alexandra runs out with a hop and a skip, eyes narrowed and with a look of determination on her face...

PAPA: Hey Boo, did you have a good-

ALEXANDRA: PAPA PEOPLE DON'T REALLY BOX ON BOXING DAY!!!!! I WAS TALKING TO SOME OF MY FRIENDS AND THEY LAUGHED AT ME AND SAID....(fade)

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