Friday afternoon Mabel stayed in. It felt too hot to go outside. And the morning had already filled itself up with a big outing to the new Exploratorium on the waterfront, where Mabel is a charter member.
When I showed up after nap-time, there was no pressure to exploit the limited moments straight away, like usual.
This was going to be different.
This was going to be an overnight.
We would be keeping each other company
– Mabel and I – for all the rest of the evening and the following morning, while Mamma and Daddy took some time off together.
My backpack needed to be mined for any potential treasure, as always. For years now, Mabel has continued to ransack this same indestructible canvas-and-leather bag.
This time, the desirable objects she retrieved consisted of some roller balls and a couple of Sharpie pens. Mabel proceeded to try them out, one by one, as anybody with her practical and creative nature naturally would do.
