It’s 4:55 p.m. Two moms meet briefly to talk business at Mom A’s house.
Mom A
She wonders how the house can get so untidy in such a short time and quickly calculates the amount of energy she uses just to maintain a semblance of cleanliness. The front hall – despite daily vacuuming and frequent tidying – looks like a herd of elephants charged through it, but not before they all took their muddy boots and threw them in a pile with their mittens and hats. Mom A is in the middle of baking biscuits and her hands are smeared with butter and flour. Husband and elder child are doing homework at the dining room table, which is also littered with various clutter. There is a distinct odor in the air. Husband made tea and something burned under one of the elements. Mom A checks her teeth afterwards and finds a particle of food lodged in between them.
Mom BÂ
The alarm of her mini-van goes off at regular, frequent, intervals while she’s trying to have a conversation with Mom A. She tries not to appear frazzled but is hyper-aware of the fact that the loud sounds coming from her malfunctioning vehicle might be disturbing the neighbors at a time when many are cocooned in their home. Conversation is nearly impossible, even with her alarm remote pressed and pointing directly at the car. Are the kids still strapped in? She eventually leaves, and discovers that her kids were trying to open the door from inside, and that’s why the alarm was tripped 20 times in succession.
Mom B calls Mom A on her cellphone from her son’s swimming lesson. Remainder of meeting is conducted on the phone. Mom A hangs up and returns to her biscuit-making. They turn out pretty good.
*A true story. Names have been removed to protect the innocent.
