Meet my friend, Trixie

"Hi! I'm Maya...this is my Trunki."

Ok, I know that totally sounds like a commercial but she really does say that in airports. I noticed it a little when we went to California back in August, but for some reason on this trip Maya was all about introducing everyone she met to Trixie. We would be mindlessly standing in line and there was Maya, on the floor next to her Trunki, introducing it to everyone who remotely made eye contact with her.

I think she views Trixie is her pet. She does, in fact, pet Trixie. She hugs her (and yes, Trixie is a her), pets her, tells her "Go on girl, let's go!" She begs me to ride on her at all times through the airport, though I draw the line when we get to the amusement park type queues because of all the hairpin turns. They seem to have this close relationship that I have long since grown too old to understand. I always wonder what's going through her mind because, well...it is in fact a piece of luggage. I wonder if she's like how I was with my stuffed animals growing up. They weren't toys, oh no, they were REAL. They had feelings, they had favorite things and, for reasons I now do not know, I was convinced that if I covered them up with my bedspread they were all certain to suffocate. Because I was scared of the dark (ok, I MIGHT still be scared of it) I use to pile all of them in bed with me as my defense. With that in mind, does this mean I should expect to walk into Maya's room and see her clutching Trixie for dear life? Should I be worried that my daughter has a "special" relationship with her luggage? Should I avoid getting her Terrance for fear there might be a day when she comes to me and tells me she wants to marry him? Oh, think of the love triangle!

I guess I'll just have to wait and see. For now, I will just enjoy the fact that my daughter has something that makes traveling really fun for her and keeps me from killing myself trying to carry her through behemoth airports like Heathrow. Hopefully, Josh won't follow suit and start hugging our luggage. Hey, it could happen. We already name our TVs.