11 MAY 26

Monday morning begins with a mouse still at large... saw him slip into the thin gap between the door frame and the floorboards last night... waiting trap is still unsprung...

“Eggs and toast…” Yali mumbles lethargically emerging from his tented bed... the almost-teenager is becoming more and more teenager... in some ways...

His younger sister is already sitting at the table making the soft paws of her Jellycat sky dragon punch the keys of my laptop for her morning digital math flashcards...

A few hours later while big bro prepares to leave for more bricks in Dutchtown... Yali and Patience sit together on the couch watching that lovable PBS Jack Russell Terrier tell the tail of “The Count of Monte Cristo”... inspiring conversation between them...

“Patience... what would you do if someone tried to steal our dog?”

“I would fight for her...”

“Me too... first I’d go for the ankles... then the arms... then the neck... boom boom snap snap blood blood... everywhere...”

We’re into the late afternoon now and Patience is in the kitchen mixing pink lemonade while Oxbear continues to perfect his fried chicken which now easily surpasses any other fried chicken I’ve tasted...

Yali staggers into the room... it’s almost time to change for his Scouts meeting but... faux blood is gushing copiously and meticulously from his nostrils and mouth down over his white t-shirt particularly chosen to contrast the colors... he throws his body back against the fridge... staring at us in pretended shock he provides only one word of explanation...

“Russians”...