Conversations with Rachel, Part 2

On the way home from work today, I remarked that it was dark outside (it was 6:40 p.m.)
"It not dark outside!" Rachel answered. "It's cloudy outside."
"No, honey, it's dark outside," I said.
"No, it's cloudy!" she insisted. "Siwee girl!" (Silly girl?!?!)

***

I was putting her to bed and said, "Do you love me, Rachel?"
"No," she replied. "I like Daddy. I like Daddy better."
I put down "Runaway Bunny" and told her quite seriously that she had hurt Mommy's feelings and asked her to say I'm sorry.
She thought for a minute.

"I sorry," she said.
"Say that you love Mommy and Daddy equally," I insisted.
"I sorry, Mommy Daddy eqalee," she said.
I gave her points for trying. Not that this means she necessarily loves us equally; it's easy to love Daddy better because when he comes home, it's like a holiday. Whereas with Mommy, it's rushing to work, and then home, and then dinner, and bed, and playdates and errands on the weekends, and Mommy is grumpy and achy and stressed a lot.

***

I have rented the basement to a tenant named James, a nice, middle-aged gay man who's leaving mid-January to teach in Southeast Asia. I've been preparing Rachel for his arrival so she knew to expect him. She was quite taken by him and even almost hugged his leg. When he went out to move his car to the driveway she got very upset and said, "Where's James?" and started crying. "Where'd James go?" she asked a couple of times tonight.

I think she just misses having a man in the house.