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Fifteen minutes later, there’s a knock on the open door to my studio.
I drop my head into my hands. This is not my day.
“Is this a bad time?”
I lift my head. Chris leans against the doorframe.
“No, it’s fine. Sorry. I’m just taking a dozen steps backward today and getting nothing done.” I rub my forehead. “Did you need something?”
“Have you eaten?”
I glance at the clock. Jesus. It’s almost eight. “No, I haven’t.”
“Well . . .” Chris pulls his hand out from behind his body and reveals a sandwich on a plate. “Ta-da.”
I push back my office chair, feeling lighter already. “You made me a sandwich?”
“Yes.” He enters the room, setting the plate to the side of my keyboard. “I didn’t do as good of a job as you did, but unlike curry, sandwiches are hard to overcook.”
The sandwich looks good—spinach, hummus, some leftover roasted vegetables.
“Thank you, Chris. Really.”
He leaves, and I dig into the sandwich. I’m about halfway through it when my phone rings. I expect it’s going to be some other dramatic thing with Emma, but instead, it’s Zoe.
“Hey, nena, how’s it going?”
“Hi, Mom! It’s great. I just got back from that trip I told you about, in Innsbruck? The one with the Zaha Hadid designs, remember?”
I eat while Zoe chatters. Since we’ve come here, these updates are so school-focused. I don’t hear much about friends or cute classmates.
Zoe winds down a story about building a model for her latest studio project.
“I was thinking that I might visit Aunt Emma in Rome next month. RHI, DID YOU TURN OFF THE BURNER?”
I wince and hold the phone away from my ear as my daughter shouts at her roommate, Rhianna.
She must get a response because she’s back to me. “There’s a lot of architecture programs in Rome, so I might be able to connect with someone from my school to go touring with.”
“Emma would love to have you, of course. Does that mean you might have some time to come and visit me too?”
"Yes, and that’s the real reason why I called,” she says. “What are you doing a week from today?”
“It better be hanging out with you, or I hate this game.”
“You’re hanging out with me.” She makes a noise like I’ve won a prize on a game show.
Okay,nowI’m having a great day. “Yay! I’ll put that in my calendar. I’ve been researching things we can do here, and there’s a hotel with this amazing classical architecture. We can have a nice time at the spa and then come back here and cook. I’ll make your favorite meal.”
“A spa?” she asks, brightening even more. “That sounds fun.”
“And lots of nice walking. The temperature is really comfortable right now. And you’ll have your own room.”
“We could use the hot tub too,” Zoe says, enthusiasm infusing her voice.
“Yes! Oh, nena, it’s going to be so good to see you.”
“RI ARE YOU SURE YOU TURNED THE STOVE OFF? THEN WHY DO I SMELL SMOKE? Damn it, Mom, I’ve got to go.”
