D never finishes her lunch. She says the lunch break is too small and she can't finish her food on time.
"What exactly do you do at lunch?" I asked her.
" I eat." She said as a matter-of-fact.
"And?"
"I talk."
"Of course. How much do you talk?"
"I talk a lot and eat a little."
"You know what?" Her father interrupted. "How about you take 15 bites and then carry on talking? That way, you don't have to stop when you're eating and you don't have to eat when you're talking?"
"Sounds like a good idea!" I cheered. "Then I'll also keep a Tic-Tac so you can eat as soon as you finish your 15 bites."
"But what if I eat the Tic-Tac before I take the 15 bites." She wanted to know.
"I trust you. You won't."
"But what if I tell you I ate and then not eat it?"
"You won't. Because you don't lie."
"But what if I lie."
"You won't, you're my daughter."
"You'll see with your invisible eye, because you are always watching me?" she asked in all earnest. That was a trick I developed to avoid having to stare at her paintings over and over and over. "I can see what you are doing. I always see you."
Thankfully for me, I was right about what she was drawing and could guess without having to look back. Rapunzel with long flowing hair.
"I won't even try." I said. "I completely believe you."
"But what if I lie?" she wanted some kind of assurance that I was watching over her.
"Your conscience won't let you. Because it will keep telling you that you are doing the wrong thing."
"But what if I don't have a conscience?"
"That's not possible with my daughter." I said, as the father started moving uncomfortably on his chair. "My daughter never lies."
"So I can't come back? I'll be somebody else's daughter? Somebody will adopt me?"
"No. Nobody adopts a liar."
"But how will they know I lied? They are not you."
"They will. A liar always gets caught."
"But what if I don't? Will they adopt me?"
"Do you want to get adopted?" the girl's father wanted to know.
"No. But I want to know who'll take care of me, if I am not your daughter."
"You know there's a simpler solution to it" the father became nervous.
"What? I tell Mamma not to tell them that I lied?" She wanted to know if that was an option.
"No. You just eat your lunch and not lie."
"But what if I do?"....
That went on for a while. We were having dinner as we were discussing these scenarios. As usual, after about an hour at the dining table - she hadn't finished her food.
"What exactly do you do at lunch?" I asked her.
" I eat." She said as a matter-of-fact.
"And?"
"I talk."
"Of course. How much do you talk?"
"I talk a lot and eat a little."
"You know what?" Her father interrupted. "How about you take 15 bites and then carry on talking? That way, you don't have to stop when you're eating and you don't have to eat when you're talking?"
"Sounds like a good idea!" I cheered. "Then I'll also keep a Tic-Tac so you can eat as soon as you finish your 15 bites."
"But what if I eat the Tic-Tac before I take the 15 bites." She wanted to know.
"I trust you. You won't."
"But what if I tell you I ate and then not eat it?"
"You won't. Because you don't lie."
"But what if I lie."
"You won't, you're my daughter."
"You'll see with your invisible eye, because you are always watching me?" she asked in all earnest. That was a trick I developed to avoid having to stare at her paintings over and over and over. "I can see what you are doing. I always see you."
Thankfully for me, I was right about what she was drawing and could guess without having to look back. Rapunzel with long flowing hair.
"I won't even try." I said. "I completely believe you."
"But what if I lie?" she wanted some kind of assurance that I was watching over her.
"Your conscience won't let you. Because it will keep telling you that you are doing the wrong thing."
"But what if I don't have a conscience?"
"That's not possible with my daughter." I said, as the father started moving uncomfortably on his chair. "My daughter never lies."
"So I can't come back? I'll be somebody else's daughter? Somebody will adopt me?"
"No. Nobody adopts a liar."
"But how will they know I lied? They are not you."
"They will. A liar always gets caught."
"But what if I don't? Will they adopt me?"
"Do you want to get adopted?" the girl's father wanted to know.
"No. But I want to know who'll take care of me, if I am not your daughter."
"You know there's a simpler solution to it" the father became nervous.
"What? I tell Mamma not to tell them that I lied?" She wanted to know if that was an option.
"No. You just eat your lunch and not lie."
"But what if I do?"....
That went on for a while. We were having dinner as we were discussing these scenarios. As usual, after about an hour at the dining table - she hadn't finished her food.
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