Hit the Jackpot!

My granddaughter, G*, who is two years and five months old, is picking up new words everyday. We’re thrilled to hear her say complete sentences and questions, such as “May I help you?” when her “Wowo” (grandfather) fiddled with his iPhone, or when I looked unsure as I held our smart TV’s remote control.

Last week, she picked up an expression (unfortunately from me) that I don’t know how to explain to her.

We live where we work, and work where we live.

From the ground floor the studios and lobby are located, the stairs lead first to our house (a lower second floor) and then turning to the right to follow the stairs, we can reach the higher second floor where our office is situated. Now that I am writing this for the sake of friends who have visited us, I find it difficult to describe our house-cum-studio/office.

My daughter Kathy lives in the suburbs and brings her two young daughters to visit with us regularly. Usually by the time they come – at around 10am – I would already be working in my office. However, last week when they came, I had a late start. From our bedroom, I could hear my older granddaughter G* (2 years 5 months old), crying.

Kathy knocked on our bedroom door, and as soon as I opened it for her, I asked her why G* was crying. She was carrying her other daughter, A* on a sling, but had left G* at the stairs (leading to our house). She told me that G* was insisting that I was at my office, and that she didn’t want to come to our house. She wanted to go where she thought I was. 

I quickly ran to her, even in my nightclothes – an oversized t-shirt - (it’s a good thing I don’t wear sexy nighties anymore), and found her still crying on the steps. As I was telling her that I was glad that she wanted to see me (which is not usually the case), I offered to carry her. She quickly came to me, and she kissed me! “Oh, wow!” I thought, but said, “I think I hit the jackpot!”

She looked at me with concern in her eyes, and then looked at the steps, and then at me again. She scrutinized both my face and the steps, and asked, “You hit the jackpot?”

I was stumped. I was laughing and thrilled, but did not know how to explain the expression to her. Would any of my friends, who might be reading this, know how to explain “hit the jackpot” to a two year old?