Sophie

1996—

Wrenching open the lowest cabinet door, the little red haired girl reached in and grabbed the family-sized box of cornflakes. Too big for her little hand, the box bumped into the rim of the cabinet, flying out of her hand and landing flat on its side on the linoleum.

"Uh oh," she exclaimed loudly, picking it up and pushing the cabinet door closed with a bang.

As she hugged the box tightly to the chest of her red footie pajamas, she marched to the table in the corner of the kitchen like a medieval courier relaying an important document to the king.

Whump! She slammed the box down on the smooth wooden surface. The box responded by falling over with a thud.

She shuffled over to the shelf beneath the window where her plates, bowls, forks, spoons, knives and cups awaited her summons. Being especially careful not to knock anything over, she removed one bowl and one spoon from the collection and took them over to the table to join the box of cereal, still lying on its side.

Climbing onto the adult-sized wooden chair, she poised herself to prepare her breakfast. With a determined look of concentration, she opened the colorful cardboard box and uncrumpled the waxed paper. She positioned her bowl just before her, then . . . out came the golden-brown flakes of cereal with a sound like rustling leaves. Gently shaking, shaking the box, the little girl poured until her bowl was full.

She had just gone to the refrigerator  to get the red and white carton of milk and was setting it down on the table when her father, with a loud yawn, walked in, tying the belt on his bathrobe.

"Hey, kiddo, do you want me to get the sugar bowl down for you?" he asked, tousling her hair and giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"No. No sugar. I don't like sugar on my cereal, silly Daddy!" she scolded. Her lips pursed and eyes focused, she cautiously poured the milk over her breakfast.

"Okay, okay," her father laughed as opened the can of coffee. "I was just asking."

Her little pajama-clad feet dangling under the table, the little girl with the red hair happily munched her cereal as she began another sunny Saturday morning.