It’s dinner time, I’m in the kitchen. The school bags and lunches have been unpacked for the day. The dozen tupperware that have stacked up are washed and set out on the drying rack. I’m standing at the stove, coordinating the meat, veggies, couscous, and bread. Laughter trickling in from the other room filters into the kitchen.
I smile. These nights are easy. These nights the boys find something nice to play together. No pestering. No bickering. No interruptions to walk through problem resolution between a three and five year old (No, you cannot hit your brother just because he pushed you first. Yes, you should apologize even if it’s an accident. Why is it exactly that you’re smashing each other’s toes?) I soak in the moment, silently praying it’ll last until dinner is on the table and Fausto is home. Stir. Drain. Check those golden brown rolls. More giggles. Child #1 streaks through the kitchen. “Come on puppy, let’s go!” Brilliant. They’re playing pet owner. An excellent choice. Child #2 bursts through. “Let’s catch them!” Out of the corner of my eye, I see said puppy whiz past on his side, rolling and bouncing his way over the carpet, around the corner, and onto the kitchen floor. He sounds loud as he moves across the room, but I turn my attention back to the stove. I smile again. Let it last. Puppy and child #1 come through for lap two. I do a double take. Trailing behind Nathan, tied to a yo-yo string is a gallon of paint. The brand new, filled to the top, recently opened and mixed since we just purchased it on Sunday can of Blue Horizon Clark and Kensington paint. Albeit unlikely, visions of stormy blue paint spewing forth onto the living room carpeting flash through my mind. I see the near empty can trailing from living room to kitchen to family room, down the hallway past the front door until Blue Horizon has covered the entire first floor. Because who would even notice that the can of their paint puppy had burst off? I snap out of it. “Great creativity turning paint cans into puppies,” hoping to maintain the cheerful flow of our night. “Let’s find something a little less disaster inducing to drag through the house, shall we?” New puppies (actual stuffed animals) tied to their yo-yo leashes, I return to dinner. I roll my eyes. Paint puppies. Why not?
2 Comments
Natasha
3/16/2021 06:35:35 pm
I held my breath for a moment until I read that they were convinced to use stuffed animals instead of a paint can. I love the strong picture you paint of this moment in time!
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3/16/2021 07:04:22 pm
Ahhh! Blue Horizon EVERYWHERE! ;) I so appreciate the pace of your writing. Thank you for taking us through this evening slice of life.
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March 2022
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