Caminito a la escuela

We braved the early morning fog today. It was good to leave the car behind. Walk her to breakfast, play a few silly games instead of grumpily chasing her to school. This, I promised us both, we will do more often. No more two minute car rides to school, we'll just have to get up a little earlier. Sure. I say this now, but as life invariably happens, I leave my work until the last minute and race around in a semi-crazed frenzy before class.

Not today. She awoke just before our alarm goes off, coughing herself out of sleep. I thought about getting myself up and running to her room. I closed my eyes for another second, willing the searing sinus pain to abate, and there she stood, wide-eyed in the doorway. "I was just going to see if you were ok," I apologized. "I'm ok Mommy." And she came over to hug me. "We can snuggle here," I suggest, in the quasi darkness of my newly curtained bedroom. "Or we could just come into my bedroom," she replies, demonstrating clear ownership of her space. Small victory. And we're off.

Gravel crunches underfoot, and I reach my hand out behind me to take hers. She runs three steps with her backpack flopping against her poncho. Takes my hand in hers, eyes me very seriously and asks, as per usual modus:
"Mama? Why do some people ask to take your hand in marriage?"
"Hmm. Uh."
-pause-
"When they really want to take your whole body?"
stifled giggle-snort...
"Excellent question."

She always gets me.