at the crack of Don

a pharmacist is laughing

When my children were young, I was a stay at home dad. I cared for my kids. It was wonderful and my time was not my own. With the kids in school, I started to have some time to myself, I started feeling normal.

Just when I thought I’d become a normal human being agin, the kids at school, havin’ a bit more time to myself then BOOM.

The kids began bringing things home. At first, they brought home cute stuff - pictures of their family, or odd bits of artwork. Not long after that, the sicknesses started showing up. My nose started running when they were in kindergarten. That was twelve years ago and it hasn’t stopped yet. It’s as though that as they get educated my brains are slowly oozing out through my nose.

That was gross, but it got worse. Letters home about lice were a weekly occurrence. I don’t like lice. But they were a kind of preview, foreshadowing the ultimate in discomfort. It was as though the little parasistes were there to announce the arrival of the main show. They should have…