Reported conversations No. 25 : Morning similes

The usual morning dash for school has Mama, AJ (age 6), B. (age 4) and Jakob! (the canine teenager) belting down the hill to make up the time spent looking out and rejecting a heap of summer clothes before finding something that works.

Safely belted in with Jakob! sitting in the hatchback, and cruising the curves in fourth, Mama lets out a sigh of relief:

Mama: Thanks, guys, for coming down so fast today. Now we won't be late for school. I couldn't believe how fast you were! You were as fast as a rocket!

AJ: Fast as a ... racing car!

Mama: Fast as a ... bullet!

AJ: Fast as a ... speedboat!

Mama: Fast as a ... racehorse!

B.: Fast as a ... salami!

Howls of demented laughter from the back of the car. I catch Jakob!'s eye in the rear view mirror. His expression says, "You can keep the similes ... but I'll take the salamis..."