Uncle Pipe

            My buddy Siamak is known to Celia as “Uncle Sika.” We all love how she can’t quite say people’s names, but does her best. On Saturday a few of us were at Siamak’s house for a barbecue, and we ended the evening smoking a pipe on the patio. Celia was inside with the ladies, but finally started banging on the door, so Michelle dressed her and let her out to be with us.

            Celia scrambled over and onto my lap as Siamak smoked the pipe. She watched Siamak with fascination. “That’s a pipe, Sweetheart,” I explained. She sat contentedly with us for a good fifteen minutes, staring in wonder at the smoke that billowed out.

            Early in the next morning, I was dressing Celia for the day but she was distracted and not paying attention to me.

            Then, she said, “Pipe.”

            “Pipe?” I asked, wondering if she was looking at something.

            “Pipe,” she said again.

            “What do you mean, Pipe?” I was looking around now. I’d already forgotten about the night before.

            “Sika. Uncle Pipe.”

            I laughed. “Oh, you’ve given Uncle Siamak a nickname! Uncle Pipe! I love it!”

            I instantly called Siamak, who laughed loudly and shared the new nickname with his whole family. I’m amazed that she was thinking about an event the next day. It just goes to show, a lot’s going on in her head that I have no idea about. And I don’t know where Celia gets the nickname idea from, but she certainly is great at making up new ones.