5 year old seatmate

As I settled in with a good magazine in the charter bus on its way to a kid's retreat, I felt someone staring at me. When I saw the most adorable, blue-eyed five year old's face looking at mine, I didn't imagine I'd get much reading accomplished, as I asked if she would like to sit beside me, and she pushed past into the window seat.

You learn interesting things when a five year old becomes your seatmate. Her favorite topic of discussion was her phlegm dilema ~ too much of it. She took great delight in describing each detail of how it felt when it came up her throat, the taste of it in her mouth, the color, the voluminous amount that she managed to cough out last night and the cause: having a piece of her mother's birthday cake. Apparently, she needs to be on a gluten-free diet.

The pleasure was also mine of being introduced to 'Cutie', who happened to be a stuffed kitten along for the trip. Cutie loved to lick people, and demonstrated this several times. I was rewarded by being shown all of Cutie's tricks, including some dance moves and yoga positions. Just when you thought there wasn't anything more, you discovered that the cat wasn't an ordinary one. Oh no! This cat could TALK, and talk it did. When Little Miss Seatmate wasn't talking, Cutie was.

I had the pants beaten off of me in tic-tac-toe, and learned the names of each of LMS's immediate and extended family. I was shown the special lunch packed just for her (smart girl! the bagged lunch I was rewarded with later that day was dismal at best. Thank God it contained Oreos and an apple, or I would have starved), and allowed the privilege of carrying her jacket. Once we got there, I learned that I had not only shared a seat, but earned myself a close companion for the day. She never left my side, and was usually on my lap or hip.

At the end of the day, on the way home, she fell asleep on my shoulder. As much as my ear were ringing from the incessant chatter, I missed it. My own little girl is almost a teenager, and not nearly as enthralled with my attention as this little one was today...but she used to be. She used to release so many words from her little mouth that I could almost see them weaving through the air. Sometimes, she would ask; Am I talking too much, Mommy? I hope I always said 'no'.