May 23rd 2025

Puck pauses at the end of a phone call with his recruiter to discuss Army paperwork and a meeting next week... to chat with me about bank papers and Army bonuses and pay and his MOS choice and his Schnucks work schedule... then notes aloud... “Now that I've turned eighteen... suddenly I'm very busy”...

While he leaves for Six Flags and other activities the rest of the day with J...

...I bring the kids back to the park to try again... this time it's packed with another school group that Patience claims is from Spain...

When it gets a little too crowded... drive them to our second park option while they ask for swimming and Froyo.... “Guys... it's 64 degrees out”...

While they run around in the sand pit at another park entirely empty of kids... I catch up on their education archives for the year... cottonwood fluff floating into the open windows of the minivan...

Work don't stop back home either... but suddenly it's dinner time... and movie night begins with Sally and Francis... swapping stories and laughs... tray of Costco chicken fettuccine alfredo... brownie bites... “Andor”...