Dinner Diva

"Mom," she said. I was reading at the computer while she, alone at the table, finished her dinner. The others had finished their dinner ahead of her because she had stalled out at the lima beans.

"Yes," I answered distractedly, not taking my mind or my eyes from the computer.

"Thanks for the new bracelets."

"You're welcome," I said tuning in a bit more to the little voice.

"Thank you for thinking of me," she added. My heart warming, I began to think that this little girl was growing up so fast, getting so much older in her thoughts and actions. Rising from my desk, I walked to her and kissed her head, as she chewed a piece of her second helping of cantaloupe. I picked up the ketchup bottle to put it away, seeing that her potato wedges were all gone.

"Wait," she said, "I'm gonna need some more of that."

"For what?"

"My cantaloupe."

Maybe I was getting a little ahead of myself.