Sometimes Ricki is a real study in contrasts. "Intelligent", "spunky", "exasperating", and "how-in-the-world-could-she-do-something-so-stupid" are all wrapped up in the package called "Ricki" . Let me give you some examples.
Last Thursday I was with Ricki at the optometrist, and when the lady attending to us asked Ricki her name, she answered "Nita". Now I knew that the name comes from a film she once saw, but the lady obediently wrote down "Nita". I looked askance at Ricki, and told the lady to write "Ricki", afraid that they would not identify the eyeglasses as ours at their arrival. "Nita" protested hotly. And as we arrived to the corner by our house, I saw Ricki VERY discretely wave a "hello" to her imaginary friends, who were apparently waiting with baited breath for her arrival.
But the next morning, Ricki got dressed on her own, defrosted a pita bread in the microwave, prepared that with catsup and put it in the sandwhich toaster. And even more remarkable is that on hearing her get out a package of soy hot dogs, I called out "Ricki, I don't allow." And even though I wasn't in the room, she actually PUT THE SOY BACK!! (Eureka!!!!!)
So how can Ricki be so two-sided? Well, most of us are. And it is definitely one of the facets of Down syndrome.
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