River Brown

Slice of Life #12

The day has been vague.  Undecided. The weather has been mostly cloudy with those low blue grey puffs that let light through here and there.  And while a small breeze stirs and some birds flit about, there’s not much happening.  It isn’t getting lighter or darker, earlier or later, cooler or warmer.  It’s just this dull quiet.

My cat has slept by my laptop most of the day as I have a presentation draft going.  I come back to it, and go, but Mickey sleeps on.

There were two interruptions in the humdrum Saturday afternoon.  Some firetrucks wailed up the nearby cross street to put out a conflagration in a yard a few blocks from here.  Bells, sirens, and the rumbling of the heavy trucks makes my bungalow shake. Mickey sat up, considering flight but I petted him and convinced him we didn’t need to evacuate.

Now there’s a musty smell of charred wood and smoke in that yard, but we’re back on quiet afternoon.  House quiet.  Mom finally sleeping more, coughing less.

Mid morning, a moment broke the lull.  I brought coffee in to my Mom’s sickroom, and was soliciting details on what else I could do for her.

“Don’t be a helicopter parent!” she said, with some energy.

“Uh? I guess you’re feeling a bit better if you’re going to boss me around…”

She coughed, “Don’t make me laugh.”

I exited, twirling my arm in whirlybird fashion over my head.