The other night we were talking about my Grandfather who passed away a year and a half ago and I suppose Belle doesn't really remember him that well, although she met him quite a few times. My Grandfather loved the St. Louis Cardinals and was perhaps their most loyal fan for over ninety years.
Last year my parents bought a house in Florida in the same development that my Grandfather had retired to over thirty years ago. My Mother has a small fake red cardinal in her house perched high above the main room and this has become a symbol for my Grandfather. She sees cardinals quite often and we know it is her Dad watching over her.
When we first moved into our house in August there was a red cardinal sitting on a power cord right outside my bedroom window. I haven't seen one since that time. The girls were telling me the other night how they were heading to soccer practice and they saw a red cardinal outside.
Belle was getting all weepy and kept looking at me expecting me to get weepy because I always do when the mere mention of my Grandfather's name comes up in conversation and then Lily always does that crazy deep voice thing and tells me "not to cry because it is the curse of evil."
And then I usually start laughing and say while tears are running down my face, "I'm not crying, it's ok." And then I usually yell at her and tell her not to make that deep scary voice because she is going to hurt her throat.
So Belle is all weepy, tears welling up in her eyes, face all contorted about to do the ugly cry and she asks, "Mom, I miss him too. What was your Grandfather's name?"
And I say "Edward."
I barely finish saying the 'ward' part of the name Edward and Belle's tears instantaneously dry up and she smiles coyly and says, "Edward...I think I likey, likey."
One never knows why Belle says the things she does but I can only assume she was thinking of Edward from Twilight.
