Q & A #19
"Watcha doin'?" Meredith tried to climb onto her aunt's lap. "School stuff?"
"Nope." The little girl was pushing her away from the keyboard. "Hey. Stop that. I'm talking to somebody."
Meredith stepped away and looked up at Dawn. "I don't hear anybody talking."
"Not with our mouths, silly. On the internet. We're typing to each other."
"Show me."
"See, I type in here: 'Hey, Eric. My little niece is being a pain. So, what were you saying about your mom?' and he talks back. Types back."
"I want to try."
"You can't type. You can't even spell." When the little girl pouted, Dawn sat her in her lap. "Watch me."
'Sorry, Eric. She won't leave. Babysitting sucks.'
"Please?" Meredith begged.
"Okay. I'm going to say hi from you. Then will you quit bugging me?" The child nodded, and Dawn typed, 'Meredith says hi.'.
The words came back, 'Hi Meredith.'
The little girl squealed with glee. "That's me! I'm Meredith!"
"Yep, you sure are. Now go play with your toys."
She climbed down off her aunt's lap and sat down in the corner of the living room, surrounded by little plastic farm animals.
'Bye, yourself,' the screen read.
Dawn typed, 'Why? Are you leaving?'
'No,' he answered, 'you said goodbye. Scroll up.'
'Weird. I didn't type that.'
'Guess your keyboard's haunted then. Anyway, Mom comes into my room without knocking, and ...'
Meredith smiled.
"Watcha doin'?" Meredith tried to climb onto her aunt's lap. "School stuff?"
"Nope." The little girl was pushing her away from the keyboard. "Hey. Stop that. I'm talking to somebody."
Meredith stepped away and looked up at Dawn. "I don't hear anybody talking."
"Not with our mouths, silly. On the internet. We're typing to each other."
"Show me."
"See, I type in here: 'Hey, Eric. My little niece is being a pain. So, what were you saying about your mom?' and he talks back. Types back."
"I want to try."
"You can't type. You can't even spell." When the little girl pouted, Dawn sat her in her lap. "Watch me."
'Sorry, Eric. She won't leave. Babysitting sucks.'
"Please?" Meredith begged.
"Okay. I'm going to say hi from you. Then will you quit bugging me?" The child nodded, and Dawn typed, 'Meredith says hi.'.
The words came back, 'Hi Meredith.'
The little girl squealed with glee. "That's me! I'm Meredith!"
"Yep, you sure are. Now go play with your toys."
She climbed down off her aunt's lap and sat down in the corner of the living room, surrounded by little plastic farm animals.
'Bye, yourself,' the screen read.
Dawn typed, 'Why? Are you leaving?'
'No,' he answered, 'you said goodbye. Scroll up.'
'Weird. I didn't type that.'
'Guess your keyboard's haunted then. Anyway, Mom comes into my room without knocking, and ...'
Meredith smiled.