Page 15 - The Houseguest

KATIE
Unlike her mother, Katie was boisterous and animated. Our lives centered around her needs and in hindsight, ill advisedly, her wants as well. She had piercing blue eyes and like her mother, her smile sent a comforting warmth throughout your soul. It wasn’t long before I learned the true meaning of the cliché, “daddy’s little girl.” The last thing I received before walking out the door for the office in the morning was the first thing I anticipated coming home in the evening...her little arms wrapped tightly around my neck as she chanted the words: “I love, love, love my daddy.” Katie had a habit of repeating words three times. I didn’t know if it was to ensure her words were heard and understood, or to mimic her mother’s knack for alliteration. “I want a cookie, cookie, cookie” revealing her intended destination as she skipped toward the kitchen. Katie skipped everywhere. It seems the moment she became mobile, she added a skip, as though the mere act of walking was not challenging enough for her. I tried to ignore my own bias because I began to think she was a diminutive genius. She would master colors, shapes and numbers as though her brain was a dry sponge and new information was water, absorbed quickly and completely. My suspicions were confirmed when she began kindergarten.
Her teachers quickly discovered what I’d known; she was indeed a gifted little girl. The world was hers for the taking. Karina’s writing had even begun to reflect her hopes and dreams for our little skipping intellect:
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The Houseguest by Linda Ellis www.LindaEllis.life