The diaper-clad young woman turned to him, showing her sorrowful eyes. They stared at each other for a long moment before she removed her thumb with a pop and mournfully announced, “I don’ gots teeths.”
Rachel was pouting and looked on the verge of a meltdown herself. Brian shook his head and corrected her quickly. “You got teefs! Can’ you feew ‘em?”
She opened her mouth wide, revealing a mouth with several gaps where teeth hadn’t popped through the gums yet. “Lookit’ they all gone!”
“Jus’ some of ‘em.”
“Most!”
“It’s okay. We gonna be ‘kay.”
Rachel shook her head, determined things would not be okay. “How come we can’ tawk good? Sound all dumb-dumb.”
Brian shrugged. “Cuz a da book. It do ebwyding.”