"Wee-am Wusnak!  I'm so happy to see you!  I weally missed you when you was gone for such a wong many times!"  

Her voice is shrill - not yet four years old - like one of Walt Disney's Cinderella mice.  She's a tiny wee thing, just a baby really, with bouncy blond ringlets that are pulled back into a purple elastic with plastic rainbow hearts.  Her blue, saucer eyes never seem to blink and her red apple cheeks glow when she smiles.  A cherub that sounds like a mouse.

We're late.  Liam decided that a melt-down over the missing water bottle was appropriate as we were heading out the door.  He'd been sick with cough and cold so he hadn't been to school since last Wednesday.  Only two school days for him.  A lifetime, apparently, for the classmates that missed him.

She follows us all the way back to the cubbies.  "Wee-am Wusnak!  Wee-am Wusnak is hewre.  Nowlan, wook, Wee-am Wusnak is hewre!"

I help him undo his coat.  She peeks around my side and reaches out to touch his shoulder, "Hi, Wee-am Wusnak.  I weally missed you."

He shoves his boots and hat into his LIAM cubby.  "Hi, Skylar," and he sits on the floor to do up his shoes.

"Missus McCombeeeeee...Wee-am Wusnak is hewre!"  and she's practically bouncing with excitement.

"Yes, Skylar, isn't that lovely?"  Mrs. McCombie says, welcoming Liam and seconding Skylar's sentiment.

....

Liam's tired when I pick him up.  Maybe he should have stayed home another day.  He's dragging.  I get him in the car and we head for home.  "Skylar really likes you, doesn't she?" I ask him.

He just shrugs.

"Do you play with her at school?"

"No."

"Is she your friend?"

"No."

"Don't you like her?"

Shrug.  Eye roll.  "Mommy, I'm not weady to get mayoweed."