"Hola Anita! Me Llama Henrietta!" says the old stuffed dog, borrowing my voice. The five-year-old says nothing then slugs Henrietta in the face. The toy falls to the bed. A few seconds pass. Henrietta gets up and looks in Anita's eyes. "Anita, why did you hit me?" I wait for her response in the dark. Henrietta comes to me and says, "Julietta, Anita hit me and it hurt." "Anita," I say, without the toy, "Can you say sorry to Henrietta?" Anita is silent still. Henrietta turns to her to say, "It's okay Anita, I forgive you," and kisses her cheek.
Anita do you want Henrietta to sleep with you? "No" I hear her say softly. I turn over to see her face. "You don't want her to sleep with you?" Her face is hard to see in this darkness but I can see she's not smiling. Now I can see her face contorting into a frown. I sit up, pull her into my lap, and she begins to cry. I say things to try and comfort her. She continues crying. I rock her and she wraps her arms around me and cries for a long time.
"The world of tears is a mysterious place." -The Little Prince
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