Celine
I’ll make him fresh bacon tomorrow.
Josh
Already got a text from Ellie asking me to share my Netflix password and not to tell you.
I laughed.Okay, she was definitely feeling better. I’d cut all nonessentials a while back and Ellie was dying to watch a show all the kids at school had been talking about. I’d disappointed her when I told her I couldn’t waste money on Netflix and I didn’t want her watching something I hadn’t vetted yet. It figured that she’d seen Josh as a potential patsy who’d let her watchThe Summer I Turned Prettywithout Mom’s approval.
Celine
Thanks to you both.
And just like that,I breathed a bit easier.
My kindergarten classroom could be described as controlled chaos on a good day. On a day when my oldest child was home alone sick and I’d heard from my evil ex-mother-in-law, it was an exercise in compartmentalization. One I should have earned a medal for.
I sang songs, tied shoes, and mediated a dramatic dispute over a purple crayon. I praised good listening and redirected big feelings.
By lunch. I had texts from both Ellie and Josh.
Josh
She’s requested soup and is watching Family Feud.
I sighed.Good. Ellie’s message put me even more at ease.
Ellie
I’m alive. Feel gross but not terrible. Wayne is here and Josh is bringing me soup.
Celine
Please rest.
Ellie
I’d feel a lot more rested if we had Netflix. Maybe you can make an account during your lunch break?
Celine
Not a chance.
Not long after lunch,the exhaustion hit me like a tsunami.
When Callie walked into the teacher work room during my planning period, I realized I’d been staring blankly at the copier and that my stack of papers was waiting for me in the tray.
With a sympathetic frown, she steered me into her office.
The moment my butt hit the seat across from her desk, I burst into tears.
She slid a box of tissues at me. “You’ve got 21 minutes before music class ends. Start talking.”
I blew my nose, trying to tamp down all the thoughts and feelings coursing through me.
“I can’t do it all,” I said, sniffling.
She laced her fingers on her desktop. “No one can.”