The Golden Tongue

Isabella and Auntie Tree holding hands on this morning’s walk.

My sister had no intention of getting out of bed this morning. She didn’t have to be at work until 2:30 and she was tired. I didn’t even try to persuade her. But while I was hunting up socks for all the kids so that we could go for a walk, Bella went in to her bedroom and had a little chat with her, hanging over the edge of the bed, and the result was Auntie Tree climbing out of bed and declaring that she was coming for our walk with us.

Bella told her a story all about the last time we went for a walk and how wonderful it was, what she wore, what Tree wore. How they held hands. And Bella told her how much she loves doing things with Tree. It means so much to me. I love spending time with you and doing things with you. I love holding hands with you when we walk. I wish I’d heard this remarkable piece of rhetoric. I wish I’d even recorded more closely what Tree reported.

I recognized parts of her speech from similar ones I’ve given to Bella at various times. How much I like doing things with her, how much it means to me spending time with her. Evidently those words were heard, absorbed, stored away. I am impressed how she brought them out and rearranged them for her own purposes, my little golden-tongued persuader. Watch out, world. She’s not even four years old!