Zia worked as a receptionist for several hours every day except Sunday for Papa Charlie, who turned out to be a doctor. Sometimes she left little Tom with Nana Mary, but usually he was allowed into the office with her. The nurses and other doctors had grown fond of him, because although he never smiled, he really was quite adorable. He would generally sit on the floor behind the desk on a quilted blanket, his little face focused intently on whatever toy he happened to pick for that day, as if he was trying to discover its secrets. He had also grown attached to a little stuffed snake that he carried with him to any new environment, which Zia thought was slightly ominous but also cute. He was always extremely quiet, never making noise unless he wanted something.
Today was one of the days when Tom was with Nana Mary. These days always put her on edge, because when Tom wasn't with her, she had no way of knowing what behaviors he was exhibiting, or whether he had started showing signs of his magical ancestry yet. She was interrupted by these thoughts from by the ring of the phone.
"May I speak to Zia please?" Nana Mary's voice came over the phone.
"Nana Mary? What's going on? Is Tom okay?" Zia felt panicked, not sure what to think at the unexpected phone call. She had never received a call from Nana Mary at the office before, usually she just received updates when she went to pick Tom up.
"Nothing is wrong, only a little strange dear. Tom just said his first words," Nana Mary explained. Zia felt her face crinkle in confusion.
"Words?" Nana Mary laughed.
"Yes, words. Tom asked me today where you were." Zia sat back in her chair, the phone cord uncurling slightly as she did so.
"What? What exactly did he say?"
"He said, and I quote, 'Where is Auntie.' A simple sentence. Seems like he was saving up all those sounds until the time when he would be able to communicate with them." Nana Mary explained. Zia sat there, silent for a moment.
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him you were at the office with Papa Charlie. And guess what he said?" Zia nearly fell off of her chair.
"He replied?" she asked weakly, thinking that maybe this really was too much for her to handle.
"Oh yes. He told me, 'Take me there.' So if it's alright with you, I think I will bring him over."
"Yes, of-of course. If that's what he wants. Make sure you bring his blanket to sit on and his snake." Nana Mary chuckled.
"Tom is a clever boy."
"Yes, that he is," Zia replied.
"Well, we will be here as soon as we can, goodbye Zia!"
"Goodbye Nana Mary." Zia waited until she heard the click of the receiver on the other end of the line before hanging up the phone on her own end. She could feel herself shaking a little. Tom was already using sentences. He wasn't even eighteen months old yet. She sank back against the chair, rubbing her forehead. She knew from reading the books that Tom was exceptionally talented and clever when it came to magic, but she hadn't expected something like this. Going from complete silence to basic but structurally correct sentences…she was fairly sure that this wasn't normal behavior for a child. Then again, Tom wasn't a normal child. Maybe she should have expected it.
Several phone calls to schedule appointments, and patients for actual appointments later, the door opened and Nana Mary came in, holding Tom and carrying his travel bag over one shoulder. The boy's eyes scanned the room, silently taking in the other people seated around the waiting room, his arms wrapped around his stuffed snake. Then he turned towards Zia, his mouth puckering into a frown. She smiled tentatively.
"Tom?" she asked. The people in the waiting room were all busy either talking quietly to each other, or reading the newspapers and magazines provided, but Zia could tell that many of them were paying close attention to the newcomer; it was a normal human reaction.
"Auntie, why do you leave me?" Tom asked plainly. He tugged on Nana Mary's sleeve and pointed towards Zia. She could see heads actually turn in either her direction or his now, and she supposed that anybody would be interested in a child who could already form sentences like that. He tilted his head to the side, reading her face intently.
"Auntie has to work, honey." She replied. His frown deepened.
"You bring me sometimes," he countered. She bit her lip, not sure how to reply to that. Nana Mary looked torn between the urge to either laugh or cry, her face pinched into an expression somewhere in between.
"Well I thought that it might be nice for you to have more toys to play with, and Nana Mary can play with you at her house. When you're with me here I can't do that sweetheart," she tried to explain. "And Nana Mary can take you out with her so you can get some nice fresh air." Tom shook his head.
"No. I don't like when you aren't there." The waiting room guests had dropped their pretenses now, and the newspapers and magazines had slowly worked their ways down as people stopped paying attention to them.
"But don't you like being with Nana Mary?" he paused, clearly considering his answer.
"Yes. But I don't like when you aren't there." Zia thought for a moment.
"How about we have you spend time with Nana in the mornings on the days when you'd normally be there all day, then when you want to maybe she could bring you over here during the lunch break? Then you can have my full attention," she answered. He thought about this proposal, then nodded his agreement.
"Acceptable." Tom answered, with an air of finality. She smiled, and he tugged on Nana Mary's sleeve, pointing at Zia. Obviously picking up the hint, Nana Mary took him over to his aunt, at which time he reached his chubby fingers out for her. She took him from Mary and sat him on her lap. She had almost forgotten just how small he was, how young he was, because of the conversation they had just had.
The waiting room's occupants seemed to collectively sigh, and turn back to their reading, and Nana Mary took a seat in a chair close to the front desk, pulling out some knitting. Zia returned to her work, somehow feeling relieved. Perhaps this outward sign of attachment meant that he really was able to form a bond with people. She glanced down at him, and smiled as she recognized the familiar green of his stuffed snake held tightly to his chest.
She wondered if he had named it.