How It Should Be

Alex once got shit for using the word reciprocity in school. Her teacher said she was too young to know what it meant, and demanded to know how she'd learned it. We'd seen Chicago, and Queen Latifah sang a song about it - that's how.

We always make fun of that any time someone uses a big word now. Dani will get all up in my face and yell, "You can't know that word! Who taught you that? How dare you!"

Yesterday Alex was supposed to meet me at work after school and then I'd drop her off at home before I went out. She was late. Alex is the only 7th grader without a cell phone so I couldn't call. I just kept watching the door and checking the time.

Finally Alex showed up an hour and a half late with the biggest smile on her face right as I had to seat people. Then all of a sudden it got busy and I didn't get back to the cash register for a good five minutes. When I did, I saw Alex eating an ice cream sundae a waitress had given her.

I went over to her and took a spoonful of ice cream. This is my second one today! I got the first one at Carvel! Alex couldn't stop grinning. I don't think she's ever had two ice creams in one day. So I asked how she got the first, and got to hear the most awesome thing ever.

Alex used the word audacity in an English paper recently, and her teacher asked her at the end of class how she'd learned the word. So Alex explained that after Obama won the election she read his Audacity of Hope book. The teacher got all excited and said she's reading it now, and asked if Alex wanted to go get coffee after school to talk about how she liked it with her.

So Alex spent her whole last period of school wondering about if she was really supposed to drink coffee or if it would be okay to ask for hot chocolate instead and after the last bell she went to her English classroom. When they got outside the teacher just stopped walking and asked how she felt about getting ice cream instead of coffee. Who's going to argue with that?

That's how Alex wound up getting her first ice cream sundae of the day while having a grownup conversation about the president. She already did her thank you card and put it in her bookbag for Monday.