Rachel meets Mommy's old boyfriend

A college flame of mine, Mike, was visiting Portland this weekend and we went to dinner tonight at Lucca, an Italian restaurant near our house. (Yes, Drew knows about this and doesn't mind). We had a good time catching up on people we knew, while Rachel was a perfect dinner companion in an outfit that makes her look like Thing #1 from Dr. Seuss. She sat in her high chair and was quiet the whole time.

Kidding! Of course not. You think she wants to compete with ANYONE for Mommy's attention? No sir. So I spent the evening spitting out bits of conversation with Mike then turning to my left and drawing whatever Rachel requested: A picture of Rachel, a house, an apple. I drew the line at the dog. I have NO drawing talent, and I think from now on I'll just tell her, "get Tia Daniella to do it."

I had told Rachel we were meeting Mike for dinner. Her questions:
"Mike or Michael?"
"Mike, Rachel," I answered.
"Does he have a toddler or a baby?" she asked.
"No kids," I answered.
And after tonight I thought, what a shame, because he's missing so much.

***

Yesterday on the way home from work, Rachel informed me that someone had spilled milk on her pants.
"Was it one of the kids in Beginners?" I asked (she is spending more time there these days).
"Yes," she said.
"Which one?" I asked.
"Alexander," she answered.
"Did you cry?" I said.
"Nooo," she answered.
"Did you get mad?" I asked.
"No," she replied. "I got very frustrated."
I suppressed a laugh.

***

Today at daycare, Teacher Jennifer reported the following:

Rachel said she missed her Daddy, that he was in New York.
"What does he do in New York?" Jennifer asked.
"He works," Rachel said.
"What does he work with?" Jennifer said.
Rachel thought for a minute.
"Pencils. Pens. Paper. Markers," she replied.
Which, when you think about it, is a pretty fair summation of Drew's fellowship.