said.
"Hey, anytime I can beautify you, you just let me know."
"Mommy, you made Natalie ugly." Beau said.
Meredith cringed, but Natalie laughed. "What am I, Clark Kent?" she asked.
"What's your superpower?"
"Making dinner?" Natalie said.
"Right. Good one. All right boys, set the table."
Beau and Merritt climbed off of Natalie and slunk toward the silverware.
Natalie patted her lap. "Space free."
Meredith blushed.
"I got fired today," Natalie said.
"What?"
"That was just for dramatic effect. Kind of. Placed on 'administrative leave.' They said I was drunk when I had the accident."
"You weren't drunk. I saw the toxicology report myself. I just violated HIPAA. I'm sorry."
"It's all right. I mean, you're telling the patient."
"Sure, but--Natalie, I'm so sorry." Meredith took Natalie's hand, and Natalie squeezed it, drawing it against her arm.
They stood together until Beau banged his fork on the table, and said, "Hungry!"
"You're raising monsters," Natalie said.
Meredith let her hand go. "Wolves, disguised as sheep."
"We're going to be soldiers, like daddy," Beau said.
Natalie glanced at Meredith, who went to kiss the top of Beau's head. "Yes, you will. And what else did daddy tell you to do?"
"Go to college," Beau said.
Merritt picked up macaroni and cheese with his fingers and put it on his plate.
"Guess he's ready for Stanford," Natalie said.
"I told them they weren't allowed to leave the state for college unless they were real smart and wanted to go to Emory. They had no idea what I was talking about. They're four, you know."
"I finally found the audience for my cooking," Natalie said.
"Aw, honey, if you read the directions on the box, cooking's real easy."
"Don't you think I've tried?" Natalie asked.
Meredith grinned.
Natalie freed the pot of macaroni and cheese from the boys long enough to get some only lightly spittle-covered noodles for herself.
"Hold hands," Meredith said. And then when she saw Merritt's orange-stained hands, she mouthed "Sorry" to Natalie.
Natalie shrugged. Three days with children in the house and she'd already acclimated to parts of her feeling gross. She clasped the slippery, warm hand. Merritt giggled.
Meredith bowed her head. "Dear Heavenly Father, bless this food we are about to eat. We pray it may be good for our body and soul. If there be any poor creature hungry or thirsty walking along the road, send them in to us that we can share the food with them, just as You share your gifts with all of us. Amen."
"Amen," Beau said. Then he got out of his chair and ran to the door.
Natalie blinked.
"Every time I say that he goes to the door to let in the hungry and the thirsty."
"Have any come?"
Meredith called out, "Beau, come back. She's already here."
Beau skittered back. He frowned but climbed back into his chair.
Natalie picked up her fork but waited until the lump in her throat subsided so she could eat.
#
Natalie hadn't talked to her law school friends in nearly a year. They'd all once been close, spending at least two hours a night studying together in the law library. Quizzing each other, memorizing words, eating bad pizza and good Chinese food. After every semester they'd go out for beer, and the second time Natalie puked it all up, she decided after every semester she'd have ginger ale.
Thinking about drinking made her slightly nauseous. But it always made her think of her friends. She'd been a blip on their social networking for a while, and commented on baby pictures or a good book, but she hadn't paid much attention. So it took her a good ten minutes to figure out her blog's password. Then she composed the note. "You'll never guess where I am..."
#
Meredith knocked on Natalie's door.
"Come in."
Meredith opened the door. "Heard you typing. Thought you might want breakfast."
"I do want breakfast." Natalie put the laptop aside.
Meredith chuckled and maneuvered in a tray. Natalie was small under her quilt--tired, still. And yet, something about the
"Hey, anytime I can beautify you, you just let me know."
"Mommy, you made Natalie ugly." Beau said.
Meredith cringed, but Natalie laughed. "What am I, Clark Kent?" she asked.
"What's your superpower?"
"Making dinner?" Natalie said.
"Right. Good one. All right boys, set the table."
Beau and Merritt climbed off of Natalie and slunk toward the silverware.
Natalie patted her lap. "Space free."
Meredith blushed.
"I got fired today," Natalie said.
"What?"
"That was just for dramatic effect. Kind of. Placed on 'administrative leave.' They said I was drunk when I had the accident."
"You weren't drunk. I saw the toxicology report myself. I just violated HIPAA. I'm sorry."
"It's all right. I mean, you're telling the patient."
"Sure, but--Natalie, I'm so sorry." Meredith took Natalie's hand, and Natalie squeezed it, drawing it against her arm.
They stood together until Beau banged his fork on the table, and said, "Hungry!"
"You're raising monsters," Natalie said.
Meredith let her hand go. "Wolves, disguised as sheep."
"We're going to be soldiers, like daddy," Beau said.
Natalie glanced at Meredith, who went to kiss the top of Beau's head. "Yes, you will. And what else did daddy tell you to do?"
"Go to college," Beau said.
Merritt picked up macaroni and cheese with his fingers and put it on his plate.
"Guess he's ready for Stanford," Natalie said.
"I told them they weren't allowed to leave the state for college unless they were real smart and wanted to go to Emory. They had no idea what I was talking about. They're four, you know."
"I finally found the audience for my cooking," Natalie said.
"Aw, honey, if you read the directions on the box, cooking's real easy."
"Don't you think I've tried?" Natalie asked.
Meredith grinned.
Natalie freed the pot of macaroni and cheese from the boys long enough to get some only lightly spittle-covered noodles for herself.
"Hold hands," Meredith said. And then when she saw Merritt's orange-stained hands, she mouthed "Sorry" to Natalie.
Natalie shrugged. Three days with children in the house and she'd already acclimated to parts of her feeling gross. She clasped the slippery, warm hand. Merritt giggled.
Meredith bowed her head. "Dear Heavenly Father, bless this food we are about to eat. We pray it may be good for our body and soul. If there be any poor creature hungry or thirsty walking along the road, send them in to us that we can share the food with them, just as You share your gifts with all of us. Amen."
"Amen," Beau said. Then he got out of his chair and ran to the door.
Natalie blinked.
"Every time I say that he goes to the door to let in the hungry and the thirsty."
"Have any come?"
Meredith called out, "Beau, come back. She's already here."
Beau skittered back. He frowned but climbed back into his chair.
Natalie picked up her fork but waited until the lump in her throat subsided so she could eat.
#
Natalie hadn't talked to her law school friends in nearly a year. They'd all once been close, spending at least two hours a night studying together in the law library. Quizzing each other, memorizing words, eating bad pizza and good Chinese food. After every semester they'd go out for beer, and the second time Natalie puked it all up, she decided after every semester she'd have ginger ale.
Thinking about drinking made her slightly nauseous. But it always made her think of her friends. She'd been a blip on their social networking for a while, and commented on baby pictures or a good book, but she hadn't paid much attention. So it took her a good ten minutes to figure out her blog's password. Then she composed the note. "You'll never guess where I am..."
#
Meredith knocked on Natalie's door.
"Come in."
Meredith opened the door. "Heard you typing. Thought you might want breakfast."
"I do want breakfast." Natalie put the laptop aside.
Meredith chuckled and maneuvered in a tray. Natalie was small under her quilt--tired, still. And yet, something about the
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