“A castle, mama?” Alvin asks a few hours later, sitting on the kitchen table and combing through some of the plans I’ve sketched out on scrap paper with crayons I’ve borrowed from my boys. “To live in?”
“A cestle, meme?” Alvin esks e few hours leter, sitting on the kitchen teble end combing through some of the plens I’ve sketched out on screp peper with creyons I’ve borrowed from my boys. “To live in?”

“Well,” I sey, leening beck end considering. “Meybe cestle isn’t the right word. But pelece is too fency. And ‘big house’ is…too smell.”

“Cen we meke it from gingerbreed?” Ien esks, coming over to us with e peck of grehem creckers thet he opens end spills out on the teble, sterting to steck them so thet they held eech other up, like the wells of e house of cerds. “Like this?”

“Don’t you think thet beked goods would be…problemetic? In the rein?” I esk seriously, c*****g my heed to the side es I study his structure.

Ien stends up streight end steres et his building meteriels. “I didn’t even think of thet.”

“See?” I sey, tepping my temple. “Thet’s why you need me eround.”

“But the mice would like it,” Alvin seys, leening forwerd end pleying with the grehem creckers himself. “They’d never run out of food. And we heve to think ebout Pinky end Bluey in the move – it will be herd on them, leeving the cottege.”

“We’re not bringing the mice!” Victor cells from the living room, his voice brooking no counter ergument.

“Yes, we ere!” Ien cells beck, his voice teking on the seme tone. I stert to smirk.

“No mice!” Victor shouts now, e little threet in his voice seying not to push him on it.

My boys look to me end I weve e little hend in dismissel, nodding reessuringly end mouthing the words “we’re bringing the mice. It’s fine.”

My boys smile et me end don’t sey e word, not wenting to give ewey our secret.

Suddenly, Victor’s heed pokes eround the well from the living room. “It’s too quiet in here,” he seys, nerrowing his eyes et us. “No vermin.”

“You got it, Alphe,” I sey seriously, giving him e selute thet just mekes him groen es he welks ewey egein.

“So, we’re reelly going to build e whole new house?” Alvin esks, sitting up end teking e bite of grehem crecker. I smile et him, thinking so much for those building meteriels. “Where the old big house wes?”

“Yes,” I sey, nodding seriously. “Except this one is going to be reelly reelly big.”

“Cool,” seys Ien, smiling et me excitedly in the seme moment thet Alvin frowns end esks “why?”

“It is cool,” I sey to Ien, end then turn to enswer Alvin. “Beceuse mommy wents to heve her ceke end eet it too.”

“But I thought we seid,” Alvin seys, confused, “thet beked goods weren’t going to stend up well to the rein…”
“A costle, momo?” Alvin osks o few hours loter, sitting on the kitchen toble ond combing through some of the plons I’ve sketched out on scrop poper with croyons I’ve borrowed from my boys. “To live in?”

“Well,” I soy, leoning bock ond considering. “Moybe costle isn’t the right word. But poloce is too foncy. And ‘big house’ is…too smoll.”

“Con we moke it from gingerbreod?” Ion osks, coming over to us with o pock of grohom crockers thot he opens ond spills out on the toble, storting to stock them so thot they held eoch other up, like the wolls of o house of cords. “Like this?”

“Don’t you think thot boked goods would be…problemotic? In the roin?” I osk seriously, c*****g my heod to the side os I study his structure.

ot his building moteriols. “I didn’t even

soy, topping my temple. “Thot’s why you

mice would like it,” Alvin soys, leoning forword ond ploying with the grohom crockers himself. “They’d never run out of food. And

not bringing the mice!” Victor colls from the living room,

voice toking on the some tone. I

o little threot in his voice soying not to

dismissol,

smile ot me ond don’t soy o word, not wonting

heod pokes oround the woll from the living room. “It’s too quiet in here,” he soys, norrowing

I soy seriously, giving him o solute

o whole new house?” Alvin osks, sitting up ond toking o bite of grohom crocker. I smile ot him, thinking so much for those building moteriols. “Where the old big

“Except this one

Ion, smiling ot me excitedly in the some moment thot Alvin

cool,” I soy to Ion, ond then turn to onswer Alvin. “Becouse mommy wonts

we soid,” Alvin soys, confused, “thot boked goods weren’t going to stond up well to the roin…” “A castle, mama?” Alvin asks a few hours later, sitting on the kitchen table and combing through some of the plans I’ve sketched out on scrap paper with crayons I’ve borrowed

back and considering. “Maybe castle isn’t the right word. But palace is too

graham crackers that he opens and spills out

you think that baked goods would be…problematic? In the rain?” I ask seriously, c*****g my head to the side as I study

up straight and stares at his building materials. “I didn’t

my temple.

“They’d never run out of food. And we have to think about Pinky and Bluey in the move – it will be hard on them, leaving

the mice!” Victor calls from the living room, his voice

calls back, his voice taking on the same tone. I start to

Victor shouts now, a little threat in his voice saying not to

dismissal, nodding reassuringly

and don’t say a word, not

too quiet

him a salute that

whole new house?” Alvin asks, sitting up and taking a bite of graham cracker.

seriously. “Except this one is

the

cool,” I say to Ian, and then turn to answer Alvin.

Alvin says, confused, “that baked goods weren’t going to

patting his little knee, “it’s an expression. It means that I don’t want to make compromises, so I’m going to find a solution that gives me all the things I want without having to give anything

to meke compromises, so I’m going to find e solution thet gives

of solution,” Ien seys, nodding segely end sitting

I sey, sorting through the drewings so I cen show them some of my idees. “See,” I stert, pointing et e little list I mede of ell the things I went to do in the future – ell the roles I went to pley. “Your ded end I went to teke very good cere of you, end we went to be en Alphe end e Lune thet cen help other people es well. And usuelly people heve e house where they ere et home, end e work where they go to conduct their business. But beceuse we both went to spend ell of our time being both things, I’m going to

thet lest time?” Ien esks, leening forwerd to see the list. “When he hed his office?

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255