what a little birdie might hear

Charlie stood as still as possible. Actually, Hannah thought he looked pretty angry, but that was his serious look, with his chubby fingers planted on his hips. He watched every move she made putting the silver blue nail polish on his toes.

Hannah couldn't help but grin. Ever so often, she could get him quiet like this. He loved his toenails polished. Perhaps, it was just relaxing. Next thing she knew, his fingers were in her hair. He grabbed wads of it.

"Don't." She snapped. He listened. At least. He knew he had to be still. It was quiet, and she heard Ellie on the phone in the kitchen with her own mother, not Hannah's as she first suspected.

"He's not gay." She heard her say. Immediately, Hannah knew who they were talking about. Blake. "I dunno where he's spending Thanksgiving."

As it was, they were still working on the little guesthouse out back. Kyle was here this week and Rosie and Jai came along. Hannah had played with them just to make Kenny from down the street, jealous.

Later, Kenny told her she was just mean. This hurt Hannah's feelings more. At the moment, they were not friends. And it was getting cold. Everyone was staying in. But of course, she wondered what Kenny would think of Charlie's toe-nails. Maybe she could paint Kenny's toe nails. The idea made her smile.

"You didn't paint Charlie's finger nails, did you?" Ellie was off the phone now. She was in a tizzy, although, she was quiet about it. Hannah knew Ellie was never in a good mood after getting off the phone with her mother.

"Just his toenails." Hannah shrugged. Her Dad didn't like Charlie to have his fingernails painted. As it was, a lot of people always asked Charlie if he were a girl. How could they even think it, she thought. If they knew Charlie, he was a ball of energy ready to bounce off anything. And he loved cars, Legos and throwing things. And that other thing, always kicking Dad where it would hurt the most.

How could anybody be worried that Charlie might think he was a girl. He'd even tell strangers he had a penis. He might even show it to them, if he felt like it, but at least that only happened once. But these were the adventures in toilet training, and he was going to the bathroom, lately.

Ellie sighed with relief.

"You know, I don't think Blake is alone." Hannah said.

"What do you mean?" Ellie winced as if it was the first she'd heard of it.

"He talks everyday to someone on his cell. He asks them about school, and stuff. I think he's gotta kid." Hannah just assumed.

"How do you know that?" Ellie didn't believe her.

"It sounds like something Daddy would do. You know, telling her he loves her." Hannah shrugged as she went to put her nail polish away. Charlie went to turn on the TV and found a DVD on cats.

"Why doesn't he talk more?" Ellie sighed as she went to check on the baby who woke up.

"You know, you talk a lot." Hannah followed Ellie.

"I do not." Ellie winced.

"Uh-huh." Hannah grinned. "You tell Dad all sort of things about me and my friends. All the time."

Ellie sighed, eyeballing her.

"You need to listen more." Hannah informed her. After all, Hannah knew everything going on because she listened.