kiwords

Mom is out of town for a few days, visiting some friends. It’s a good thing, her spending time with these people who are dear to all of us (hi, guys! Smooches.), but it’s put the household a bit off-kilter.
Raphael keeps going over to the basement door and shouting down the stairs, “Amma! AAAAAMMMMMAAAA! Ah yoo dere?” When I remind him that Amma’s not going to be here for a few days, he looks at me in disgust and stomps off. He clearly did not authorize this absence. Heads will roll.
Max cannot figure out for the life of him exactly how long Amma will be gone. This has made it glaringly clear that I’ve neglected to teach him the days of the week, so he’s been working on that. He knows she’s coming back Wednesday, but he’s not always clear what day today is, or how many days are between now and then. We’ve been spending time reciting the days of the week. “Look at me,” I’ll tell him (because he can’t seem to hear me if he’s not looking at me), “Sunday.”
“Sunday,” he repeats.
“Monday.”
“Monday.”
And so on. It’s riveting stuff, I tell ya. Mom, be sure to quiz him on it when you get back. It’s all for you.
Tre is irritated by Max’s inability to figure out the days. He keeps interrupting his practice with an annoyed, “Sundaymondaytuesdaywednesdaythursdayfridaysaturday.” This is followed by a smirk. Older brothers can be such know-it-alls. But even he, with his mature grasp of the calendar, sidles up to me a few times during the day to say casually, “So…Amma will be home day after tomorrow.”
It’s a question, you see, but he doesn’t want it to sound like one.
I’m incapable of reducing meals by one portion. Please be ready to eat leftovers, Mom. All the meals you’ve missed here are waiting in the fridge.
Dad is a bit melancholy without Mom around. He meanders about the house a touch, and that’s not like Dad. Dad charges, he doesn’t meander. But with Mom gone the edge has gone off his focus. Don’t worry, Mom, he’s not playing Anne Murray yet.
Yet.
So one of our numbers is missing, and although we understand and send her with our blessing, we want her to know she is missed.