"Are you a boy or a girl?"

Today, Claire and I were at Winco, where you bag your own groceries.  As I was busy throwing a basket full of yummies on the little conveyor belt, Claire was contemplating the gender of our cashier.

"Are you a boy or a girl?"

Oh no, did she just say that out loud.

"I said are you a boy or a girl?"

Maybe I can head this off at the pass... "Claire, she's a girl.  See her pony tail and her pretty earrings."

I can see her thinking while I am busy tossing the last of the produce on the belt. "Am I a boy or a girl?"

"You are a girl, sweetie."

"Are you a boy or a girl?"

"I am a girl, too."  I am glad she is asking about me and her, maybe it will seem like she is unsure of gender identity in general.  She's just a little kid, asking a basic question.  Except, she knows the difference between boys and girls... and has for some time.

Then the lady says "I can see her talking to me, but I can't really hear her."

Oh no.  Am I supposed to say the exact thing I was hoping we could just let drop. Maybe I could just make a politically correct summarization?

I tell the nice lady that Claire's asking if we are girls or boys.  "Oh, I'm a grandma."   Good answer, as I am quickly changing gears to repack the shopping cart I just emptied.

Normally, I enjoy this part.  I've always loved Tetris and feel like I can actually use it when I fill paper bags with boxes of cereal, crackers, cake mix and jello. I am even up to the challenge of tuna fish, tortillas and frozen pizza bites.  And it's a race against the person in the other lane... even if they bought less stuff.

As I start to fill my first bag, Claire says "Then why does she have a mustache?"

I wanted to stop right there and laugh out loud!  I understood the whole conversation a little better, now. And I wanted to laugh.  I was tired and Claire was being observant, making "connections" in her little brain.

I chose the easy answer - "Shush, I'll tell you in the van."  But she never brought it back up.

As I was telling Darren about our trip this evening, she piped up and said, "Well, she did have a mustache."

Maybe she did... I must have missed it.