“Mummy, Anna told me today that her parents are divorced.”
“She did?”
“Yeah! And she said she only sees her dad once a week!”
“Does she miss her daddy?”
“I dunno… she didn’t seem to, but I think she must. I mean, if I only got to see daddy once a week, I’d cry, I think.”
“That means you love your daddy very much, Ri.”
“So Anna doesn’t love her daddy?”
“Well… Lily, there are different levels of love…”
“Really?”
“Yes. You know how you spend so much time with your daddy?”
“Yeah…”
“That’s why you love him so much, baby. You spend so much time with him. But if you didn’t spend so much time with him, you wouldn’t love him as much as you do now.”
“Whoah.”
“Mmm. A relationship needs time spent together, Ri, just as much as it needs space apart. More so, really.”
“Mummy?”
“Hmm?”
“Why are you so smart?”
“It’s a mum thing, I suppose.”
“So when I grow up and I have babies, I’ll be as wise as you?”
“One can only help, baby.”
“I’m going to go tell Tuney!”
“She’s in her room doing her homework, Lily.”
“But —”
“You can tell her at dinner.”
“Fine.”
“Don’t go sneaking off into her room.”
Lily froze, and then sighed.
”Fine.”