Miles pays attention

I think I’m all unpacked: the kids’ new sweaters are in the closet, my books are on the nightstand, and Carlo got the bottle of vanilla extract he asked for. So with the bedroom floor clear of suitcases, Miles is playing with his Spiderman figure while I change for bed and talk to Carlo. Maybe I’m telling Carlo about “Borat,” or my aunt’s four terriers. Or maybe he’s telling me about his tofu omelette or visiting Trier. I don’t know. Everything is going in slow motion, and I sit down on the bed to take off my pants and pull on my pyjamas and, turning around on the floor, Miles says, “you got new underwear.”

And indeed I had.