I need him.” This surprised me. She had never shown any interest in the sock monkey before. We began digging in the tall basket where stuffed animals live. Lyda Rose said, “I am two and a half now, did you know that? Where is he?” We threw out the snake, the yellow bunnies, battered bears, a small eagle wearing a blue T-shirt, a camel, and the bird that makes a chickadee sound if you press its belly. Sock Monkey was buried at the bottom. Lyda Rose clutched him to her chest. “My husband!” she said, closing her eyes dreamily. I was astonished. “Your husband? When did this happen?” She spoke clearly and definitely. “I thought of him and I married him in my mind.” She ran around the dining room clutching her husband tightly, singing the song of a chickadee trapped in a human body. “How great! I am so happy for you both!” I said, following her. She did not answer, lost in a newlywed’s swoon. I said, “It is so nice that you love him now!”
