2. Let there be a choice

"Mummy!" cried three-year-old Cane from his bed, abruptly yanking Evelyn from her musings.

"Good morning, baby. Did you have a good sleep?" asked Evelyn as she put away her bowl.

"Mummy!" repeated Cane, after realising that his cuddly mother was not right by his side.

"Great timing Cane! What would you like for breakfast?" mum sat beside him on his bed.

Cane rubbed his eyes. "I want to pee-ee." he said, with an extra syllable.

He rolled down the bed, shuffled to the toilet and performed the recently acquired skill to relieve himself.

"Would you like yoghurt, milk and cereal or a toast?" They both knew the answer, but she liked to offer anyways. She was already tugging the fridge door open, reaching for her son's favourite breakfast.

"Toast" echoed Cane with a frown, still adjusting his eyes to the brightness from the window. As if his own voice violated some pre-calculated expectations, his brain kicked into a new gear. A rush of adrenaline widened his eyes and he corrected his mistake: "No, cereal! Cereal please!"

Evelyn smiled. She enjoyed mixing up the order of the breakfast options, but invariably Cane opted for his comfort food, raisin bran cereal and milk.

"Mummy?" asked Cane.

"Yes dear?"

"Did you already know what I wanted?"

"Kinda. I had some clue." said mum. It was based on the last 92 answers that he had given in the previous days.

"You didn't really let me choose then!" probed Cane, scratching his tummy with both hands and watching mum pour cereal and milk into a new bowl.

"Well, would you like something else today?" Evelyn's hands hesitated just before milk was poured; maybe she miscalculated his taste change phases.

Cane's two scratching hands progressed up to his head now. He took half a second to clear the cached answer and reevaluate his preferences, then he conceded: "No I want to have cereal please."

"That's a fine choice!"

Cane made it. It also made him.