Mr. Afi Koman

Following in the tradition of Christmakah, this Passover we have continued with our practice of incorporating the fun parts (and only the fun parts) of various religious holidays into our secular household. Milo had made an afikoman cover at preschool which I thought it would be a shame to let go to waste. So tonight, during our dinner of matzah ball soup (ok, so we do the food, too), I wrapped up a piece of matzah in the cover and made a big deal of hiding the afikoman in the next room for the boys to find after dinner for a prize (money). The boys were psyched, at first. But excitement grew to boredom for Milo and fear for Calder. In Calder's mind, "afikoman" became the name of a person who was hiding somewhere in the room and was going to get him "with a sword." His personification of the matzah, along with his pronunciation, led me to think he might have been worried about this guy showing up. Sounds similar, no? In the end, Milo found the afikoman, and negotiated some shekels for him and his brother as a reward. Only afterwards did he realize he forgot to get some for Zola. He refused to share his prize with her, but Calder offered her a dollar. All she needs now is a bank. Now, all is quiet, though I wonder if Calder is upstairs, awake in bed, wondering when Mr. Afi Koman is going to pop out.