Conejo

Everywhere I've lived people have a different way of saying "excuse me, would you repeat that?"
Americans say: what?
Brits say: pardon?
Australians say: hey?
Mexicans say: como?  Which means "how" and was very confusing to me for a long time.

My muchacha Cecilia (I am told that is the preferred term over "maid", and I still harbor mad American guilt about having live-in help) is missing the tip of the middle finger on her left hand.  Like fully below the nail including most of the first knuckle.  Oooooh, have I been curious.  What? Where? How?  But of course I would *never* ask.

That's why I have kids.

Last week at dinner Jack (finally) asked "donde esta el dedo?" - "Where is your finger?" And he actually grabbed her hand and touched The Finger.  To be two.

Ceci didn't bat an eyelash and just launched right into the story.  Now my Spanish is not great, but I clearly heard "baby", "9 months", "bite" and "conejo" - rabbit.

Como?!?!

With that explanation the kids were done and back to eating dinner.  Not me.  I made her repeat the word conejo multiple times.  She also put her pointer fingers to the sides of her forehead ala 'ears' once when saying it, so I repeated "torro?" (bull) and she said, again, no - conejo.  Como?!?  Where was her mother?!?!  This, I say as  "Tu mama?" while pantomiming with the back of one hand against my forehead and using the other to fan my face.  That's the international symbol for stress and concern, right?

"My mama wasn't there" she says very plainly.  And then she shows with her hands that she just crawled off, encountered a rabbit, and it bit off her finger tip.

Maybe life as my maid ain't so bad after all.