I took Maj to the library this morning so she could check out some books to read on the airplane tomorrow.
Here we are on the drive back home . . .
“I will miss you, Maj.”
“Mmm hmmm. I will miss you too.”
“Three weeks is a long time.”
“It is a long time, but I will be busy, and we will be seeing a lot of people. Daddy will be with me. Kallan will be there for some of it. It will go quickly. When I get back, it will be almost time for school to start.”
“You promise to call me or text me?”
“Not every day, Mother. Don’t be silly.”
“Maj?”
“Yes, Mother?”
“I know you’ll be fine. But if something comes up. If Daddy doesn’t understand, or if there is an issue you can’t resolve. If you need help . . . you know I am here, right?”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Not that I think you will have problems, because you are a big girl. But if you need to talk to me, I am here. Always. I just want to make sure you know that.”
“Mother, I know that.”
“OK, love you.”
“Love you, Mother.”
There is a smarty-pants tone to her voice, and I turn to look at her.
She smiles, “Duh, Mother. Of course I love you. Duh.”
Later in the day, I am lying on the couch trying to will a headache away.
Kallan finds me and lies on top of me.
“Ow! Kallan, you are all pokey! Your elbow is jammed into my boob! Ow! Kallan, move!”
She flattens her body against mine and holds tight, as though I am going to throw her to the ground, “I need to suck up some Mom closeness! I need to Mom-absorb!”
Eventually I cede the back length of the couch to her smaller body. I scoot closer to the edge, and she wraps her arm and leg over me. Tightly.
“Kallan, what are you doing?”
“We’re leaving tomorrow! I need extra Mom-absorption!”
I reach back to pat her butt, “Silly you.”
“Why are you lying on the couch, anyway?”
“I have a little bit of a headache, babe. Sometimes being stressed gives me a headache. I am going to miss you guys.”
“So why don’t you come with us?”
I turn my head to kiss her cheek, “We talked about this, babe. You will be fine. It will be a great big adventure . . . Grandma and Grandpa can’t wait to see you.”
“I will text you every day.”
“I would love that.”
“I might text you a lot, just so you know what I am doing. Also, I will call you.”
“I would love that.”
“Will you email me pictures of the pets?”
“Sure, babe.”
“Remember Delilah gets six pieces of turtle food each day. She will ask for more, but she only gets six.”
“Got it.”
We lie on the couch together in silence for a moment. I close my eyes.
When I open them again, Kallan is doing a fishy wave motion with her hand in front of my face.
I giggle, “Babe, what on earth are you doing?”
“I am enhancing your day with dolphins. Do you see the dolphins?”
“Yes, I see the dolphins.”
She waves her hand through the water of the air before me, “They are enhancing dolphins, brought to you by the K to make your day better.”
I giggle again, “Enhancing dolphins?”
Kallan keeps waving, “Yes, enhancing dolphins make you laugh. Laughing makes your headache go away. Laughing makes you happy. Laughing makes you hug me.”
I turn and hug her, and she shrieks with delight, “See? The enhancing dolphins are working their magic!”
She fits herself into the spaces of my body, and we stare up together at the enhancing dolphins as they dance through the waves above our heads.
“Kallan, you have magic to you.”
She keeps waving her hand, “The enhancing dolphins make any day better.”
We laugh together as the dolphins dip and leap and cavort.
Finally, Kallan brings her arm down and wraps herself around me again, “I feel better, Mom. I will miss you, but it’s going to be fun.”
I hug her tightly and kiss the top of her head, “I feel better as well. Thank you, magic child of mine.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank the enhancing dolphins.”
“Silly girl.”
“Can I just stay here with you and absorb some more Mom for a while?”
“Yes, babe. Yes, I would like that.”
She makes a weird chattery squeaking noise, and then she sighs happily and settles in against me.
“Kallan?”
“Yes?”
“Was that weird noise the enhancing dolphins settling down?”
“Duh.”
“Kallan?”
“What?”
“I would not advise sharing the enhancing dolphins with your sister during this trip.”
“Duh again, Mom. I put my hand up in Maj’s face like that, she would rip it right off of my arm. Maj would slaughter the enhancing dolphins. It would be a bloodbath.”
Hee hee!
How I will miss these girls.
Sigh.
