When Lucy was four years old, she'd purposely push her dinner to the floor, just to watch the dog eat it. She liked seeing how happy it made her pet, and Cupcake worked quickly to clean up the mess.
But Lucy's father worked hard to feed his family, and one evening, he'd had enough of her shenanigans.
He told her, "Lucy! If you don't stop throwing your food on the floor, I'm going to slap your hand!"
Lucy sat there looking at him, with her curls framing her little round face, and she puffed out her chest as far as she could. With great boldness, Lucy told her father, "and if you do that, I'll poke you right in the eye."
There was a short pause, while Lucy's parents avoided eye contact with each other.
Her mother left the room, and her father had to turn his face away so she wouldn't see him laugh. When they got themselves straight, they explained to young Lucy that she couldn't say things like that, because she was such a sweet girl.
