I’m still on a heavy deadline for a client and working hard tonight. Because it was a beautiful fall day (at least what I could see from my office window), and my office faces a fierce southern exposure, I’ve opened the window and the door is propped open. My family clearly can not live a moment without me, because:

Little One runs in the room. “Mom, look, an article for New York University. I’m sad.”

“Why?”

“‘Cause NYU is my dream college!”

“That’s an article for New York Film college, not NYU.”

“Oh. I’m still sad.” She slouches out.

 Big Guy walks in the room. “What smells like Clearasil up here?”

I sniff my arm (just in case it’s me, not that we own any Clearasil). “I don’t know.”

“Oh. Wait, I think it’s nail polish remover.”

“It’s not me.”

He fiddles with the other computer until I settle in with Notepad ++ again. “The party was great.”

I turn around to face him. “Oh Yeah?”

No answer. He’s fiddling with the laptop. Finally I turn back to the post to look for mismatched brackets.

“Yeah. Everyone asked about you.” I turn back around, but apparently that’s it. He leaves.

LO runs in with a fashion mag. “Mom, what shape is my face?”

“Heart-shaped.”

Marley the cat jumps up on my desk and wanders in front of the monitor to the window. He bristles as he hears a pack of coyotes yipping over their Fourthmeal in the forest. Then he wanders back in front of the monitor and tries to sniff my eyes. I fling him away.

BG walks in. “So, should I get Jen’s vitamins?”

“Do you want to get her vitamins tonight?”

“I don’t care.”

“Um, OK, great, go ahead.” He lingers for a while behind me, watching me captain my software, then wanders out.

Honey the cat wanders in and tries to jump on my lap. She misses, and digs her claws into my leg to pull herself up. I peel her off and send her out the door.

LO slouches in. “Momma, I’m feeling worse. I think my fever’s up.”

I take her temperature. “It’s time for your medicine. Then I think you should go to bed.”

“But I still have my chores to do.”

“You haven’t done your chores yet?”

“Geez, I shouldn’t have told you.” She grouches back into her room to giggle on the phone.

Marley leaps onto the desk and starts licking my mouse hand. I fling him onto the floor.

LO hollers from the bathroom, where she’s cleaning the mirror: “Did you give me a vitamin or an Advil?”

“I didn’t give you anything.”

“Did Joe give me a vitamin or an Advil?”

“I have no idea what he gave you. I’m working here!”

Could someone else be Mom for just a little while?