i was sitting on the long side of my parent's dinner table. lily was standing at the corner to the farthest left of me with my dad's arm around her. i looked over at her and she was watching me, and we kept eye contact for more than one solid minute. this was one of the most intense things i have ever experienced. we weren't staring into space through each other. she was figuring me out, and all i could think about was how human lily is. she's two years old and a human. things will be different between us now. at least for me.