I have a large family, and Nellie is continually fascinated by all my brothers and sisters (whom she's never met). One afternoon I mentioned Elizabeth, the youngest girl, in some anecdote. "Elizabet..." pondered Nellie, "she is the last of your sisters?" I answered in the affirmative. "And who are the others?" she asked. I named them in order--Audrey, Katherine, Amy, Elizabeth. Nellie held up her five fingers and tried to name them back to me. "Elizabet..." her pinkie finger went down. She wiggled the others and tried to remember. "One is a very short name, right?"
I touched her ring finger. "Amy," I reminded her. "And one has the name of a Russian queen. Katherine." I pushed her middle finger down so that only the thumb and index finger remained.
She thought very hard. "Katerin, ummm...Ami, Elizabet. The other name is strange, I think." I reminded her of Audrey's name and she tried to repeat it. "Ahndrei...she's a girl? What a funny name for a girl. And then there's you," waving her thumb thoughtfully. "And you are...you are...."
I laughed out loud. "You don't remember my name, do you?" I've only been going to visit her every week for about five years.
"Of course I do! I know your name...it's...it's kind of like your husband's name, isn't it?" Well, they do both start with the same letter. I gave her a little more time to think. Finally she shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. "What is your name?"
"My name is Jessica," I giggled. "Will you remember it now?"
"Oh, yes." Nellie held up her five fingers again and then lowered her thumb. "You are Jessica...and [putting down her pinkie once more] the youngest is Elizabeth...and...and...the others I don't remember."
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