I return from work. The strong aroma of fried rice saturates the dining room. My wife has managed her fair share this week; between playing taxi for the boys and providing an open ear for the girl's drama, she is due for a break.
"Decided to hire some help tonight?"
Smiling, she fills my plate with sesame chicken. "If you'd like me to contribute, I could melt some queso for that broccoli."
She gives a slight brush of my shoulder as she walks by, fully aware of my aversion for liquid cheese. Her presence has nearly blocked my memory of the day's events -- the best sort of amnesia.
"Are you going to tell me what's on your mind?" She snaps me back to reality.
"More of the same. Two girls doing everything they can to keep from going home. I was thinking that I could quit my job, and then we could take them in for a while." Now I am teasing her.
She chides with a mock motherly tone, "I think five is quite enough for now. Besides, if we added one more girl to this family, you would never get any sleep!"
Of course, this is true. My lone daughter is the only person on the face of the earth that chastens my daring tendencies. Naturally, she is the one child most prone to follow in my footsteps, the one I would give my life to protect.
"Well then...maybe we could trade."
We finish eating and head into the living room. This is the no TV / no laptop zone. Not surprisingly, the kids typically leave it for the two of us.
Nestled in the corner of the couch, I just begin to recline when she invades my personal space. I pretend to be annoyed, but offer a quick peck to her forehead and rest upon her, no longer in need of the "security pillow" that I had clung to for the better part of thirty years.
I grab a nearby crossword puzzle to chill my mind, as she rests the back of her head against my stomach, looking upward at the novel in her own hands. Minutes pass, maybe hours; I am everywhere I ever wanted to be.
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