This morning I spilled some coffee beans while filling coffee grinder. They made that not quite tinkling noise on the hard tile floor of the kitchen. Only a few spilled, so I went ahead and did the grinding without adding any extra to take the place of the lost beans. Just then Emma came into the kitchen.

“Mmm, Daniel, is the coffee almost ready?” she said. “I’m so ready for my morning coffee.”

“I spilled the beans,” I confessed.

At first she didn’t understand what I was talking about. I nodded to the floor. “Don’t worry,” I told her, “I’ll clean them up.” But before I could tend to that task, Emma knelt down and picked up the beans.