DeepMysteries

This happened Saturday:

I am in the garden, watering the plants. This is long and involved, not because we have a lot of plants, but because some of them are planted in impenetrable clay, and you have to pour a little bit of water on, let it seep in, and repeat. Thus, I have not gone anywhere from where Opal saw me last. She is inside, engaged in whatever it is she is doing. I hear "Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom!" I reply "Yes?" There is no change. Eventually, there is an indistinguishable statement. She doesn't sound overly distressed, and she knows where to find me. I finish my watering.

I come in, and immediately parse the indistinguishable statement. It was "I knocked my water over." There is a water glass in a pool on the floor. Opal is reading a book tranquilly at the table. I say "What do you do when you knock over a water glass?" She regards me in mild puzzlement, looks consideringly at the puddle and says "I didn't have a towel." "Then find one." She gets up and finds a towel. I go into another room. She calls out "Is this good enough?" From my position, 2 rooms away, I say "What do you think?" She says "This bit over here is a bit wet still, I'll fix it."

I come back to two damp towels on the floor, but things are otherwise cleaned up. Note that the only actual assistance I offered in this entire process was the earth-shaking suggestion that she find a towel. I didn't even have to produce advice on where the towel might be. And yet, she had to ask. Mystifying.