"Poopsie!" I cried.
Just to be clear, when I say that I cried I don't mean that I boo-hooed. Certainly not. The Genomes never shed tears, unless the situation calls for tears, and in those times we cry like the dickens. But, as I say, this time was not one of those times.
I waited for a reply but it never came. Nothing to worry about; she seldom replies when I yoo-hoo up the staircase.
And let me pause here for a bit of station identification and say that those of you who are composing critical comments about my "yoo-hooing up the stairs" should be ashamed of yourselves, especially if you're members of the inner circle. Such behavior is not becoming of someone who aspires to the level of preu chevalier.
And coming back to our original programming, let me explain that I knew her silence meant she was up to her eyebrows in corporate stuff and had no time for off-topic discussions. It left me with no other choice but to bound up the stairs and enter her sanctum.
I stopped in the doorway and waited for her to look at me. Eventually after a few false starts, she did look at me.
"Each day is a gift, Wonder," I said. "A unique and very special gift that we must live to the fullest. No matter what life bungs into the waking hours, it's still the same day. "
"And?" she said. You will note the obvious lack of interest, not so much as mild curiosity in her response. I didn't like the implications but life seemed to think it necessary and so I accepted it and moved on.
"You've heard me say many times, Poopsie, that life is a prankster. She leads you to think that you've got a bit of apple pie coming your way and then, when you're not looking, it's a pie in the face."
At this point in the conversation, her face took on a look of resignation. She sighed deeply like someone who just learned that her day off was forecast to be overcast with a 60% chance of rain.
The image before my eyes of my one-and-only Ms. Wonder with a look of despair, ever so mild but still.... It was too much. I forgot what I'd come upstairs to tell her. She alone seemed worthy of attention in the present moment.
Princess Amy said, "No, no, no! It's about us, remember?"
"I'm sorry, Amy," I said. "Sometimes it's best to think of others. This time is one of those times."
"Did you say something?" asked the Wonder.
"Just thinking out loud," I said. "How about an afternoon off?" I said. "I was thinking about a trip to Holden Beach to look for some of those 40-million-year-old fossilized whatsits that you're so fond of."
"Saddle up Wind Horse," she said. "I'm logging out, now. With any luck the clouds will clear and we can hang around to watch the sun set."
"I think the clouds have already begun clearing," I said.