A few mornings ago, the benefactor woke and journeyed downstairs to find a trail of paper towels scattered across the homestead in various rooms, which has been a consistent and persistent annoyance. When confronted, the elder children balked at the notion that either of them could possibly be to blame. The benefactor, very familiar with the elder male and his habits of wasting paper products, harbored secret suspicion he was the culprit. After an intense round of questioning, he admitted that he, in fact, was the responsible party.
That evening, the benefactor couldn’t find the special cord for her talking machine. After searching every nook and cranny of her space, she ventured into the room of the male children, only to discover that the eldest male took not just the cord, but also the device that provides power, without permission. The benefactor was very disappointed and irate, as she had been seeking those parts for her device for hours. After finally sitting down to complete some tasks, the benefactor was visited by the youngest female, awoken by a dream. The benefactor, assuaging the young child, comforted her, and watched her leave return to her bed. However, when the benefactor prepared to go to sleep herself, she found the child had merely walked halfway up the stairs and fallen into repose on the landing. After some bargaining with the youngest female, only half awake, she managed to assist her in finding her way back to her sleeping nest. Next evening, the benefactor prepared a wonderful meal. After preparing plates for each progeny, they sat together, enjoying the evening dinner together, the children devouring every bite. When he finished, the elder male, for no good reason, placed his plate in the sink, only to retrieve a bowl from the cupboard to get a second serving. When the benefactor asked him why he insisted on dirtying more dishes than were necessary, he replied with his typical, blank response of, “I don’t know”. After dinner, the benefactor suggested building a fire for warmth and to roast confectionery squares with cocoa pieces and golden crackers. The elder male volunteered to build the fire, and the benefactor reluctantly consented. He prepared supplies, then insisted he was ready to light it as he had been taught by a male mentor. When the benefactor came outside, she discovered he merely crumpled paper into the fire pit, but did not add any actual wood to the container. When asked how he planned to set the logs on fire, he had no answer other than to say that he was absolutely sure he had recreated what he was taught, and that it would work. The benefactor gave him the matches for pure fun, just to watch as he failed miserably. Finally following her advice to put wood into the metal bowl for incineration, the elder male reluctantly admitted she was right that the fire would not magically appear without something to burn. As the children roasted their dessert, the benefactor was curious how the elder male kept the fire stoked, until she realized he had been using lined paper to keep the flames lit. A proper lecture on the appropriate use of school paper was given on the spot. After the younger children had been sufficiently plied with sweets, the benefactor tried in vain to wrangle them to bedtime, finally achieving success after twenty minutes of begging, pleading, and eventually, stern demanding. The younger children settled, the elder children and the benefactor sat by the flames, watching the almost full moon ascend into the sky as sparks from the fire rose to meet him. Twas a lovely ending to a hectic day, finding a small slice of perfection amidst the chaos.
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AuthorWelcome to the jungle of my life as a 40-something single mother of four. Archives
May 2018
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