Man-eating Starfish

One of my favorite spirits is a furocious five year old who loves Hot Cheetos. Her name is Te. At the zoo Te and I name every animal we visit. If we are lucky, Henry the giraffe, Bruce the monkey, and Doorway the zebra might look up from their hay or grain to see us mammal-enthusiasts waving at them madly. And sure enough, just as Dana predicted, the giraffe is licking the wall. Mamie doubles over laughing & I am snapping pictures while holding a girl on my hip.

"Can we go to your house, Janny?" Te asks me over ice cream and I laugh. We are sitting at Dairie Queen and the five of us are watching a dark storm roll in from the west. There is ice cream all over our faces and we are running for the car. Rain strikes the windsheild just as we crash into our seats.
"My house is very very tiny. I barely have a bedroom!" I tell her. "Plus it's very messy."
"That's okay. My room is messy sometimes too!"
A few days later I am lucky enough to have the birthday girl over to my "house". She is "this many years old" and she holds her hand out toward me, palm toward her face with all her fingers stretched straight and spread out. I count each finger (whoops! forgot the thumb!) and she confirms that yes, she is truly five years old today. "I get my own cell phone when I am thirteen," she tells me proudly.
"I'll have to give you my phone number then," I say.
"Oh, Janny! And she will call you," Mamie warns me with a smile.
Te sends my brain (overstuffed with senseless arthimatic formulas & gross worries of tranmissions wearing out) cartwheeling into a colorful and fantastic world where starfish are man-eating sea creatures. The starfish greedily munches on Mamie's bum, Lilian's cell phone, & Wayne's tatooed arm. I've missed the enthusiasm that can only be captured and kept by a five year old. I am so thankful Mamie has introduced me to such an inspiring & fun girl.