By “a lot of activities to do today” Mama means knitting and watching movies. She doesn’t say a word about practicing piano and her violin stays untouched in her room. Instead she throws the pancake dishes on top of the growing pile in the sink and then sets herself up on the floor surrounded by yarn and begins knitting furiously. Eve has convinced her to put on a robe.
“We’re not nudists. I’m not coming down the ladder unless you put something on.” She’d said peering down into the main room after hanging up with Papa.
“Ok. Ok. But you should try being naked sometime. It’s freeing.”
“I’m naked when I shower. That’s enough for me.”
Now we lounge around. Our legs and arms flung all over the main room. Eve on the chair. Me on the love seat and Mama on the floor. We watch Bridget Jones’s Diary on Netflix and then the sequel. About halfway through the second movie Mama joins me on the love seat and falls asleep.
Outside the cabin the sun beats down. It’s almost the end of July and the temperatures get as high as 85 degrees. Even though the windows are open and two big fans whir in our faces I start to sweat. It’s a perfect day to go tubing on the river or sunbathe on the big rocks at Boulder Creek like Mama promised we’d do. My legs are pinned under Mama’s. They start to go numb and I shift slowly hoping not to disturb her.
“Pssst!” I wave my hand at Eve who is playing some game on her phone. “Want to go explore? I’m bored.”
“Not really. It looks even hotter out there.”
“Do you think Mama will take us tubing later?”
“Maybe. But for now let’s just chill. She’ll wake up soon. Then we can ask.”
I look at Mama. She’s slumped down even further on the love seat. Her legs curled up to her chin like a baby. She snores. And snores. And snores. Like she hasn’t slept for days.
“That could take forever.” I say getting up. “I’m going to go explore around the woods in the cabin.”
“Don’t go too far.” Eve yells.
But I am already out the door.