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My kids have been on break all week, and I’ve hardly seen them.Tomorrow’s Friday, and I didn’t spend any time with them at all.
I’m a fucking jerk.
Tomorrow, I have to take Holly to the eye doctor for a checkup, and I figured I’d take Johnny with us and spring for lunch when we’re done.
They’ll like that.
“Hey, Mom,” I call out when I see her gathering some weeds and tossing them into a trash bin.
“Hi, honey.How did it go today?”
“It was fine.Want to come in for some iced tea?”
“Actually, I’m meeting your father in town for dinner in just a little while.I’d better get on home and change out of these dirty clothes.I have some lasagna in the oven for the three of you.Have a good evening.”
“Thanks.You can leave that.I’ll clean it up.Maybe later, I’ll light a little fire outside and roast marshmallows with the kids.”
“Oh, they’ll love that.Have fun.And I’ll take you up on cleaning this up for me.”
She pulls her gloves off, then reaches up and cups my face.
“My boy.You always were the quiet, serious one.Don’t forget to have a little fun.”
“Thanks, Mom.”I bend down and kiss her cheek.“I’ll see you later.”
“Bye, now!”
She waves and sets off for home.My dad had a house built for them less than a mile from my place, and I like having them close by.
“You’re going to be in so much trouble!”
Welcome home, I think to myself as I hang my hat in the mudroom and slip out of my dirty boots.
“No,youare.I told you not to pour it like that.”
“What’s going on?”I ask as I walk into the kitchen and then stop cold.
There’s milk spilled all over the countertop and on the floor.Someone dragged a bath towel through the milk, smearing it all over.
“Is that chocolate?”I ask, pointing to the brown substance dripping onto the granite.
“I wanted chocolate milk,” Holly says as her eyes fill with tears.“And Johnny spilled the milk all over.”
“It fell,” Johnny insists.His own voice is quivering.“The jug was full and heavy, and it just fell.I couldn’t make it stop coming out.”
“Don’t be mad,” Holly pleads, and I realize that I must be a real asshole if my kids are this scared that they’ll get in trouble for a silly mistake.
“I’m not mad.”I take a deep breath, surveying the scene.“It looks like you two need to go change your clothes because you got wet.”
“Yeah.”Johnny’s voice is already much calmer.“It really splashed.”
“Can we change into jammies?”
I raise my eyebrows at my daughter.“Before six in the evening?Sure, if you want to.Go get comfy, and I’ll clean this up.”
“Thank you, Daddy.”Holly throws herself around my legs and hugs me tightly before running off to change.
Johnny, however, stays behind, his face totally serious.
