* * *
Neverland has gone silent for the four time during the even. It breaks the flow. Leaves everyone a little to aware of their surroundings. Its after midnight. #1 is leaning against me. She is slightly drunk and making snide jokes and colorful comments about other people I know. I reproach her halfheartedly. I can be as mean as her. I've had more then enough beers myself. Unwillingly I smile. Our sense of humors don't very much, and when we are alone we seldom hold back.Morning comes too soon. After four hours of agitated sleep, I am up sifting through emails from China. I don't have a hang-over, which is nice. I made sure to drink plenty of water. My overseas bosses are not happy with my progress on certain issues. They veil their displeasure in terms like, "please take consideration to follow up closely". Which is translated Chinese for, "you need to get this done".
I decide I'd better take a trip into the office, just in case my local Chinese boss has returned. He didn't. The new salesmen is there however. He's been with us a week now. I've meet him only twice--briefly. I don't even know his full name or phone number yet. I have no idea what he is working on. Yes, just a typical day at the office.
A couple hours later, I've made my phone calls, wrote my emails and was planning my departure when I get a text message from Alexis. "Do you have time to look at a broken water line on a refrigerator?"
I'd been meaning to get over her house. She has wanted me to help her pull some things in from outside and into the basement for the winter for a while now.
"I was just about to leave. I can stop on my way home."
When I get to her house they have a laundry list of things to be repaired. I fix the ice-maker, the computer, install two cabinet knobs and take a look at a broken toilet. They don't have the right parts for the toilet. I promise to pick them up and work on it over the weekend. I never get to moving the things in from the backyard and add that to the last for the weekend.
I rush home. It is Monday and I've promised to help #1 with her math homework and what the little T-rex while she is at school. I have enough time to curl up under one of the frayed quilts on the couch but not enough to actually fall asleep when I hear them come in from the garage.
The T-Rex has brought toys. He wants to play. Mommy grabs the laptop and starts searching Facebook.
I build the T-Rex a quick tower out of Legos, find him a little net made out of string that he can tie his dinosaur up with and settle next to #1 to look at math.
Her patience is thin. A mixture of unfamiliar material, too much work over the weekend and not enough sleep has made her snappy. Not really a surprise. She is somewhere between Twin A and Twin B on the difficulty scale when it comes to tutoring. Three questions in, we are butting heads and she has had enough. I retreat to the other side of the coffee table and play more with the T-Rex. #1 curls up under the other quilt on the love seat and takes a nap before class.
Once mommy leaves, the T-Rex and I decide to go on a little adventure. Four hours is a long time to be cooped up in the house. I tell him we are going to Sam's house to help her with the renovations. He in not enthused. He would rather stay home but I'm the boss. So after he goes poop, which was a sickly green color that looked more like Play-Doo and makes me wonder what she feeds the kid, we pack up our tools and drive off.
The renovations to Sam's condo have been an on going process. A two year on going process. She has never lived there. She is cleaning the windows, while I am adjusting the doors on the recently installed cabinets. I glance into the living room. The little T-Rex is busy drawing pictures on the bare plywood floor. Earlier he was helping me drill holes in the closet doors for the knobs.
"Only-children are so easy." I comment. "They play by themselves."
"So are dogs." Sam replies.
"I don't really see the point in having a dog."
"Are you saying you'd rather have another child?"
It's one of those 'you most choose' type of questions. A question where each of the answers are equally undesirable. "I suppose...I guess. As long as it ain't mine. As long as I can hand it back at the end of the day. Does the mom come with it?"
The T-Rex gets impatient with scattering my tools. Before we leave I promise to finish a laundry list of other things over the weekend. It is getting dark as we drive back to my house. "Where did the sun go?"
"It is night time buddy. Day time is sunny; night time is.." I coax.
"Scary!"
"What! No night time isn't scary its dark."
When #1 returns, she has gotten her second wind. She is still not interested in doing her math. Her thoughts are on food and mischief. She eats a bowl of chips, cheese and salsa in less time then it takes to prepare, then digs into Taco Bell. She threaten to high-jack this blog and write her own post again. I tell her to go ahead but warn her that her actions could have consequences. She starts a post but is afraid to print it. She's afraid of the guilt.
I kindly kick them out soon after. It has been a long day for me. Tomorrow will be more of the same. Starting with a hour drive to a customer site.
