Chloe came home from school with a paper plate with her name printed on the back and a sixth place ribbon attached with an enveloped stapled to the ribbon.
“Chloe, what is this?”
Chloe opened the envelope and flashed everyone a loonie that was inside.
“I won art.”
“You won art?”
“Yeah, I got money to buy candy at the store.”
I doubt that’s how the winnings were explained but that’s how it translated in my four year olds mind.
Chloe’s entry into the fall fair was under the category “Family” and I guess it’s implied the criteria was monochromatic tones, family sketch, stick figures and most importantly, missing one person.
To the untrained eye, this portrait does in fact represent a family, it’s just not our family because if you look closely, you’ll notice there are four people in this picture, four complex characters each with a story to tell, but our family is made up of five people.
When I asked Chloe who was missing she said, “No one. No one’s missing.”
I had her point out who everyone was in the picture.
“That’s Hanna, that’s you, that’s Daddy, that’s Ellie.”
Right, but where are you Chloe?
“I drew it. I know what I look like.”
Winner.