Chapter Fifteen: Lazy Saturday
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Though Brianne had made an early start to her morning, rising early enough to squeeze in a morning jog before work, the rest of the family was lagging far behind.
For instance, Harry overslept and felt like he spent the rest of the morning scrambling to keep up while juggling the needs and demands of his children, particularly little Mai. Before he knew it he had to get ready to leave for work, despite being tired. Seeing that he was going to be late even if he left on the spot, Harry decided he might as well take the time to eat and run to the bathroom.
"Selma, don't beg. You have your own food, you don't need mine," he scolded the dog, frowning down at her, hand on his hip.
Finishing the last bite of food he called, "I'm leaving! Viv, you're in charge! Mai, Taro, mind your sister!"
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Deciding to trust Mai to entertain herself and stay out of trouble, Viviana finally got her construct-a-bridge project started.
Seeing what she was doing and fascinated by the moving parts, Taro joined her. "Can I try my cars out on it?" he asked.
"Maybe after I show my teacher," Viviana answered.
Spotting Selma nearby she looked at the dog, who obviously wanted attention. "If you stay out of the way, I'll try to play fetch with you later," she told her.
As if she understood, Selma woofed but didn't come any closer.
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True to Viviana's prediction, Mai was too busy stacking her blocks to think about getting into any trouble. She made up a little song about blocks while she played, content for the moment
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When Brianne returned home, Selma followed her into the kitchen, probably hoping for some scraps or a treat.
After several minutes of thought, Brianne, settled on butternut gnocchi for dinner. "At least the kids aren't shy about trying new things," she mused.
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Taro looked down at the bridge thoughtfully. "I think we did it too fast. Something could be wrong" he said.
"Don't worry about it. We used all the parts and it works. It'll be fine," Viviana assured him, not about to take it apart and start over.
"If you say so..." Taro was still doubtful, but decided not to argue about it, instead going off to wash his clothes. He wanted to hdie in his room for a while after that.
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Thinkiing she had successfully kept her own worries to herself once Taro brought up the possibility that their work had been a little rushed, Viviana went for a jog to clear her mind. She needed to get out of the house and think, assuring herself that the bridge was just fine and if they'd finished quickly it was only because this wasn't their first and they had more experience.
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Back at home, Mai grew bored with her blocks and moved on to playing a game on her tablet, under Brianne's watchful eye. The butternut gnocchi had turned out excellent, if she did say so herself.
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Viviana and Taro had their dinner togather at the table.
"Are you still worried about the bridge?" Viviana asked.
Taro shook his head. "I decided maybe you're right. I couldn't think of how we could have done it differently anyway.
Viviana smiled. "How about if I tell you what my teacher says after school tomorrow?"
"Okay. Don't forget. And I'll tell you about my castle. I painted it different colors form yours."
"I saw it. It looks very nice."
"Thanks." Taro beamed.
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Brianne glanced into Mai's room as she passed to check on her, and ofund her struggling a little on the potty. "Need a little help?" she asked, stepping inside.
With Brianne's patient guidance, Mai quickly finished her business.
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Brianne had intended to read Mai a story, hoping that would prevent any nightmares, but Mai was too sleepy. She climbe dinto bed and was asleep almost instantly, so Brianne settled for tucking her in. She would just have to hope for the best.
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Harry returned home and immediately checked on their new washer and dryer, moving wet clothes from washer to dryer.
Brianne came out just as he was cleaning the lint filter and checked the clothesline, finding that all the clothes were now dry.
Laundry taken care of, the pair lingered outside for a few minutes, flirting and chatting.
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When Brianne went back inside to get in a quick workout before bed, she moved the coffee table and TV so she would have room to dance along with a dance video.
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Harry remained outside to practice his guitar, not wanting to wake the family. Besides, it was such a beautiful night, he was in no hurry to go inside.
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Brianne had intended to shower and head to bed after her workout, but before she could, Mai woke and found her. "I hungry, Mama," she announced, rubbing her eyes.
"What would you like to eat?" Brianne asked, carrying her to her high chair.
"Peas?" Mai asked.
Brianne smled and nodded. "Coming right up." She sat Mai down and quickly prepared the peas, setitng the bowl ont he tray.
While Mai dug in, Brianne stayed nearby waiting for her, brushing Selma while she waited. This had the added benefit of keeping the dog from swiping any dropped peas.
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Mai finished her nsack and having been let out of her high chair when Harry came in, she headed off to bed on her own, not having been asleep very long.
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Harry had his own dinner alone, having finished his guitar practice for the night.
