Bill doesn’t usually make it home in time for dinner, but he did last night.  It was the typical chaos along the lengths of each side of the table, with he and I at the ends, sitting and just looking at each other.

“Why are you staring at each other?” asked one child, momentarily distracted from the banter.

“Your dad and I can talk, just by looking at each other,” I explained.  “See, I’ll show you.  Bill: I’m thinking of a number between 1 and 100.  What is it?”

Bill pressed his hands to his head, closed his eyes and said, “Sixty-two.”

“YES!” I said.  The kids were impressed.  “Now you try it.”

“I’m thinking of an animal,” he said.

I thought for a moment, melding our minds.  “A giraffe!”

“YES!” he agreed.  And we laughed.

Oh, but one clever child is now old and wise.  “What number am I thinking of?” he demanded of his younger brother.

Billy guessed, “Twenty-five?”

“YES!” he responded.  “AMAZING!”  And he laughed, too.

“One is too smart for us,” I told my husband.

“Yes,” he agreed.  “But just one.”