By Kathy Miele
Dinner was in the oven when Steven came out of his office carrying his morning coffee mug and headed to the kitchen.
“The dishwasher’s dirty,” I said as he passed by.
No answer.
“Hello!” I called.
“I heard you,” he said but I could hear the cup being placed in the kitchen sink.
“If you heard me then why are you putting it in the sink and not the dishwasher?”
“What?”
“I just finished telling you the dishwasher’s dirty.”
“Oh.”
I could hear the dishwasher being opened and the cup going in.
Once I heard the cabinet doors opening I figured he was looking for a snack. “Dinner’s going to be ready in 20 minutes, please don’t eat anything now.”
No answer.
“Can you hear me?”
“I heard you,” Steven called.
I heard something being opened so I figured he was too hungry to wait. He walked back into the room munching on a cracker. “Something sure smells good,” he said. “When’s dinner?”
“Are you kidding?”
“What?” he looked confused.
“I just finished telling you dinner would be ready in 20 minutes and not to start snacking now.”
“Oh.” He popped the last of the cracker into his mouth. “Sorry. But I’m still hungry so it won’t ruin my dinner.” He gave me a quick kiss on the top of my head before going back to his office.
Both my boys came in the front door, talking and laughing with one another as they headed to the kitchen.
“Please don’t eat anything!” I called. “Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes.”
No answer. But I could hear them going through the pantry.
“Hello!!!”
“Oh sorry.” Alex popped his head around the corner from the kitchen. “Hello.”
“Hi, Mom!” Max called from the kitchen.
“I wasn’t saying hello!” I cried. “I was telling you not to eat anything because dinner’s almost ready!”
Max looked at Alex. “Didn’t she just say hello?”
Alex shrugged his shoulders. “I thought she did.”
“I’m going to lose my mind,” I muttered to myself.
“Well before you do, when’s dinner? We’re starving,” Max said, pouring some crackers into his hand before handing the box to his brother.
Steven came out of his office. “Did someone say dinner’s ready?”
I turned to look at Steven. “Are you kidding me?”
“What?” he asked.
Alex held out the box of crackers to him. “Mom’s in one of her moods again,” he explained. “Do you want a cracker?”
“Sure. I’m starving. I wonder when dinner will be ready?”
The boys just shrugged their shoulders.
