It’s our weekly routine, going to My Gym Saturday mornings. I’m up front, driving. I’m not a morning person. So I’m still easing into life at 10am. Dominic is in the back, strapped into his car seat. He’s wide awake. He looks caffeinated–bright eyed and bushy tailed. He initiates conversation. Sometimes I don’t understand him, but most times I do.
“TRAIN!”
I look toward the track. I wonder in astonishment how he’s able to see the train before me when he’s sitting in the back, I’m driving, and I should be noticing these things first. I chalk it up to my bad eyesight. It’s in the genes so the poor kid will start losing his 20/20 vision, I suspect, by the time he’s in third grade.
“CHOO-CHOOO!” He hollers.
I repeat, “Choo-Chooo! Chugga, chugga, chugga, chugga, choo-choo!” He likes sing-songy stuff. I think all kids do.
“Dominic, how old are you?” I ask as the train chugs by.
“TWO!” He promptly answers, flashing me the peace sign.
“That’s right. You’re so good. You’re two. How old am I? How old is Auntie Cat?”
He looks at me hard. I could tell he’s thinking very deeply for a two year old. He looks up toward the sky for a second, then back at me.
“Uhhh…thwee?”
“Wow, Dominic, that is a very good guess! But no I’m not three. I’m almost 33!”
He looks at me suspiciously. What does that mean? 33.
My mom says he’s advanced–even more so than me or my sister. We were three when we started speaking clearly. Dominic’s only two.
Funny. I always felt very advanced. Advanced when it came to the alphabet, spelling, math. But delayed when it came to the important stuff like getting my period, liking boys, dating, getting engaged, married, having kids. You know, all the stuff that really truly matters in life. Because if it didn’t really matter, why does every single person (whether it’s mom, dad, aunt, uncle, cousin, colleague, friend, acquaintance, stranger) feel compelled to ask, “So, you dating anyone?” If it didn’t really matter, people wouldn’t be asking.
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