No Man is an Island

No Man is an Island

Alex can’t find his other shoe. As it gets closer to his bus time, panic sinks in, “Mom! I can’t find my other shoe! I’ve looked everywhere! The bus is coming!”

Mom hands a bowl of cereal to his sister, Cathy, and starts brushing her hair. “Can I have more milk? That’s not enough milk.” As Mom pours more milk, she yells to Alex, “Look in the living room, remember you had that stone stuck in the sole yesterday? Dad took it out.”

A minute later “Got it! Thanks Mom, see you after school.”

“What did I do?” asked Ted, coming into the kitchen.

“Alex couldn’t find his shoe.”

“Oh… well I can’t find my red tie, I wanted to wear it today because It’s Lizzy’s birthday and it looks more party-ish. We’re getting her a cake at lunch.”

“You left it on the sofa, I hung it in the closet so the kids wouldn’t sit on it.”

“Oh, thanks. You wouldn’t know where my wallet is, would you?”

“Living room also, you were checking the numbers on your scratch ticket.”

“So close!”

Mom raised her eyebrows, two numbers out of six didn’t seem all that close to her.

“Can I stay after school and play with Jane? She says her mother will drive us home.”

“I’ll let you know after I talk to her mother. I think Jane is in daycare on Tuesday’s so you can’t, but if it’s just after school play, and her mother agrees, I will call your teacher and set it up.”

“Thanks Mom!”

Once they were all out of the house, Mom got ready for her own job, and left only a few minutes later than she had wanted to leave.

There’s a saying, “No man is an island,” but, many, many women are.