I get Bash’s over-large apron tied around his waist. He plops the big white chef’s hat on his own head, and then slips his arms into the oven mitts, which go all the way over his elbows.
“Up?” he says to me, lifting his arms at the chair.
“You got it, chef.” His body is so little in some ways, but so solid and sturdy in others. He’s warm. Messy.
Perfect.
“No,dare,” he says, pointing to the stove. “I tookdare.”
“Oh, yes, we cook over there,” I agree. “Emma? Does he get to stand at the stove?”
She strides into the kitchen with the chicken wrapped in a towel. “Yes. Here. Yolko Ono likes swaddle cuddles after bath. I’ve got him.”
She doesn’t blink at the mess.
Not much, anyway.
There’s maybe a little bit of an eye twitch.
“I’m on clean-up patrol,” I tell her.
“Itean up,” Bash retorts.
“Can I help?”
He studies me while Emma wraps one arm around his belly, holding him while she scoots his chair over in front of the stove. “We wi see.”
We will see.
Gonna go out on a limb and guess that meansI talk big but you’ll do all of the work.
It’s what I likely would’ve meant at almost two.
Yolko Ono lifts her head and looks at me. She’s purring—again, who knew chickens could purr? —but behind her fluffy head feathers, I can almost see her eyes. I’m nearly certain she’s silently calculating how much she likes being swaddle-cuddled versus how much she hates being swaddle-cuddled by me.
I eye her right back, silently vowing to win her over too. “You and I can get along great if we agree to not scare each other first thing in the morning,” I tell her.
She purrs again, then clucks dismissively.
Emma shoots me a stifled smile, amusement dancing in her big brown eyes. “She’ll forgive you. Eventually.”
“I’ll forgive her eventually too.”
Emma laughs.
“Mama,pantake,” Bash says.
“Patience. We have to wait for the griddle to heat up. Can Mama test your batter?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Thank you. Oh, look at this! You did such a good job. These will be delicious. I can tell. Did you tell Jonas thank you for helping you?”
“I do it bysef.”
“You didmostof it yourself, but you had help, didn’t you?”
Bash peers around her and grins at me.
