Nearby Part 3

“Let’s do your hair in the dining room,” I said to Wren. “You can type while I straighten.” I was also hoping we’d move away from the busy that was happening around the kitchen island. Rose was digging into a book and Adi was finishing up her homework.

I finished up a few things in the kitchen before joining Wren in the dining room. Adi and Rose had also made their way around the table. “What are you guys doing here?” I asked but didn’t need an answer. They’re always wherever I am.

Rose continued reading and Adi bounced between her chair and the table. Sitting still is hard for her.

I turned on the straightener. Earlier in the evening, Wren and I had strategized how we could prepare for her dance competition this weekend. It’s also a weekend I’ll have class and Arnauld will once again be on dance dad duty. We had decided to straighten her hair tonight since she has dance until late tomorrow and she’ll be leaving Friday night for the weekend. As I mentally tried to figure out where I would be able to squeeze in a slice, I said to Wren, “Do you want to write my slice for me tonight?” My mind went back to Tracey’s fancy move from last week, Phone a Friend, when she got her husband to be a guest author for the day. Shocked, Wren obliged. We have recently been talking about her slicing in April, even just once a week.

As Wren typed away I simultaneously straightened , explained to Rose that the fancy k in the word “snacks” in her book was indeed a k and not a capital R, and reminded Adi again to get off the table. All the while I was imagining and rehearsing this insane scene coming to life on my screen in the form of a Slice of Life. The slice has become a reality and the bonus is that I have Wren’s Slice in the archives for another day.