Jiejie in Love

"What's a crush, Mama?" Jiejie asked on Sunday night.
"It's kind of like being in love," I said.
"Then I think I have a crush on Richard," she announced.
"I see," I said. "Have you kissed him?" (Oh silly Mom. Of all the stupid things to say!)
"No," she said. "I make chicken noises at him,and then Richard says, 'Oh no, not again!'"

On Monday night she called him "my boyfriend Richard."
"He was born in California," she told us in bed.

"Me born from China," chimed in Meimei.

"Isn't it interesting," I said, that so many of our friends were born in different places."

"I made more chicken noises on the playground," said Jiejie, demonstrating her clucking and bawking. "My boyfriend, Richard, said, 'Oh no!'"