THE CODE THAT LINKS US ©

Chapter Sixteen

"What's that?" she asks pointing at the white whipped cream over my waffle when she notices I am staring at her. She has her lips and teeth stained with chocolate.

"Whipped cream and strawberries," I say. "Do you want to eat it all and leave just the waffle too?" I say with sarcasm and when she nods smiling with her brown teeth, I remember she does not have even the slightest idea I didn't mean that.

"You need to eat the waffle," I say and she grimaces with disgust.

"But I don't want to," she says looking at me, still with the grin. I just stare at her, startled. She said no.

"What?" I hesitate.

"I don't want to," she says now with a lower voice staring at the food. I cover my mouth. What am I supposedly to do? If I tell that her she still has to eat it, I would be forcing her to do so and maybe she would never refuse to do anything ever again. If I tell her that she can leave it, I would be showing her that it is okay to say no once in a while but then when we get back... she will refuse to the tests. But she did say no to the water. Didn't she?

I look back at her, maybe... maybe she has refused to something before.

I look from my waffle to hers again and again biting my lip thinking of an answer that on its own, could make her change her opinion. Perhaps the same excuse that sometimes parents give their children when they don't want to eat? Some children in other countries don't have food and you will be wasting it. Surprise, she won't get what a country is or other kids. Maybe telling her it is for her own good? If you don't eat, you won't grow up. She won't care, in fact none of them would ever worry about that. A negotiation? Bingo.

"I have an idea," I tell her and she raises her eyes to mine. "I will let you eat my mousse, the strawberries and all the chocolates that you want," her eyes open with illusion and she nods repetitively. "But... you are having a bath," I say and the smile disappears from her face. She stares back at the waffle and imitates me by biting her lip while she thinks of it.

"Yes," she says staring at me again. Wasn't expecting that. "I won't have to eat the waffle?" she assures.

"Nope," I say and she thinks of it once again to then nod. "Are you sure? It's going to be with water," I explain to try and change her mind. She bites her lip again. It really is like watching myself on a mirror.

"Will you be with me?" she asks and I am about to nod so startled that I don't know if telling her the opposite could change her answer.

"No" I lie. "You will have to do it on your own." She thinks about it for a moment, staring at her breakfast and then back at me.

"Okay," she nod.

"Not crying" I warn and she nods.

"Not crying," she repeats while I change her waffle for my accompaniments. "Are they really that bad?" I ask cutting a piece of both waffles that are now cold and washy.

"They are sticky," she says mouthful and I laugh getting her to laugh too when a little bit of the mousse drops from her mouth.

"And disgusting," I reply and that earns me a sweet and adorable smile from her.

When we are done eating, we turn on the TV for a while and after watching it for an hour I leave her watching the children's channel while I go to prepare her bath. I leave the water a little bit hotter than the perfect temperature and made of foam.

I go for another shirt of mine so she could use it as a dress and when I come back I find her standing next to the bathtub watching how it gets filled.