Tukey Talk

Curious George Cuddle Time


In the mornings after the bus devours Ajers and Diva and spits them out at school, Tukey and I have our own special ritual. I make him a sippy cup of chocolate milk (I KNOW HE’S SIX! I DON’T CARE. HE GETS HIS MORNING SIPPY CUP FOR OUR RITUAL), and we crawl into my bed and watch two episodes of Curious George.

Sometimes we lament when it’s a rerun. Sometimes we cheer, “Oh, we love this one! It’s the one when George makes a bridge for the chickies out of marshmallows, toothpicks and playing cards!” Sometimes, I close my eyes and pretend I’m watching while George gets locked outside the apartment and the man in the yellow hat hunts high and low for that darn monkey.

But still, it’s those early morning days, that half-hour of time that Tukey and I have just to ourselves, with the blinds shut tight, the two of us rolled up in all of the blankets, squished together like two newborn pups in a litter trying to keep warm. It’s so cozy.

The other morning we were talking and snuggling and I said, “Tukey, you know what we have in common that no one else in our family does?”

“What?” he asked.

“Well, when we both go to sleep, you and I HAVE to get all the way buried under the covers like we’re in a cave.”

“Yep,” he agreed.

We do. He and I bury our heads and our whole bodies and squinch up into tight little balls to bring in as much body heat as we can in order to fall asleep. There’s no open-armed, starfish sleeping for us. We’ve got to roll up nice and tight and warm to get cozy-sleepy. That’s just our style.

“And you know what else we both have in common that no one else in our family does?” I asked.

“We both have brown eyes?” he answered.

“Yes! You and I are the only ones in our family with plain brown eyes!”

We smiled at one another.

“And another thing!” I said, “We are THE ONLY ONES in our family who are RIGHT-HANDED. How cool is that!”

Boy, he and I sure do share some special things.

And then those brown eyes of his lit up and I knew he had an idea of his own. “I know something ELSE we both have in common!”

“What is it?” I asked.

“We both love to cuddle with each other!”