I was a little, actually a lot, late leaving work yesterday, so I decided to call Manivanh to let her know that I would be late. Nicole answered the phone, and I guess its been a long time since I've talked to her on a phone, because, at first, I didn't recognize my own daughter's voice. I thought, who is this? Who am I talking to? Did I call the right number?
The voice on the other end of the line was strange yet familiar. This was the voice of a little girl I'd never met; it was older, more mature, and much more conversational than I would have expected. This voice was downright chatty and not at all like the voice of anyone I knew. Or was it? And then I understood that I was talking to Nicole; my Nicole. <<smile>> And right after that, we settled into a very nice conversation about what she had for lunch (macaroni and cheese) and what she was doing right now (watching the Simpson's on TV) and a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
Eventually, reluctantly I tell myself now, Nicole gave the phone to Mommy, so I could tell her that I would be late. But what a strange episode! Days like this make me realize that Nicole is a rolling stone and that time stands still for no one - least of all for parents with young children. Tempus fugit. Now I want to talk to Nicole on the phone more often!
