(scene opens, Carrot walking out of restaurant with her mom)
Host: Are you a Marine?
Me: (touches hair self-consciously) Uh…no?
Host: Oh, your sweatshirt says “Enterprise” on it. That’s a Navel vessel.
Me: (looks down at her brand new StarFleet hoodie) Oh! No – this is a Star Trek thing. Its a future Enterprise, not the current Enterprise.
Host: Oh, okay. (laughs and salutes) Thank you for your service, Captain.
Me: (salutes back) Carry on.
(scene opens at cluttered dinning room table)
Alpha: (at laptop) Mom, how do you spell relativ….reali…rel
Me: Relativity?
Alpha: Relatively.
Beta: (hovering around for no reason) He’s looking for a word that rhymes with “orange”.
Me: R-E-L-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y. And “door hinge”.
(stunned silence follows, boys stare, Carrot drinks coffee)
Beta: (mimes mind being blown)
Alpha: Holy shit.
Me: Language.
Alpha: No. Mom. Holy shit. You rhymed orange. That’s insane.
Me: (raises coffee mug and shrugs) Maybe now you’ll believe me when I tell you I know a thing?
(scene opens in dim basement, Carrot surrounded by laundry baskets)
Me: (sorting t-shirts, stops looks around) Are you still smelling B.O?
Husband: (looks up from computer) I put a load through earlier because it was smelling.
Me: Yeah, I just took that out of the dryer. (sniffs article of clothing, drops it) Jebuz!
Husband: (gets up to look at basket) Did some dirties get in with the clean?
Me: I don’t think so. (Husband and Carrot proceed to sort boy clothes based on smell) Some of them don’t smell at all. How did so much stank get through the wash?
Husband: (turns to stairway, lets out a battlefield yell) BETA!
(Beta hurries downstairs into scene)
Husband: Explain to me your washing process.
Beta: (shrugs) Take the clothes, put them in the machine, close the door, push the button.
(moment of silence)
Me: And when do you put in the laundry pod?
Beta: (tries to affect confusion, fails) What laundry pod?
Husband: Holy god you’ve been washing your clothes without detergent all this time? (points at stank basket) Take these back to the laundry room, I will show you what laundry detergent looks like.
(scene opens around cluttered breakfast table)
Me: (reading Kindle) So. Beta. Did you brush your teeth this morning?
Beta: (shoveling cereal into his mouth) Yeah.
Me: (conversationally) With what?
Beta: (spidey senses tingling) …with…toothpaste?
Me: Oh yeah? Where’s your toothbrush?
Beta: ….upstairs?
Me: (affected mildness) Interesting. Because I’ve noticed that your toothbrush has been bone dry for a few days, so I brought it down stairs with me at 6 am this morning so I could prove to you that I know you for a liar. So. When you’re finished with breakfast, go do that. The reason you’re getting cavities is not because you’re not brushing well enough, you’re not brushing at all.
Beta: (mopey, drinks last of milk goes to brush teeth)
Me: (calls after him) Also! Your toothbrush is electric and makes noise! I can tell you didn’t brush your teeth if I didn’t hear it! Sound travels! SCIENCE!
(scene opens with pensive Carrot in empty gym, gaggle of grandmas enter stage left)
Grandma #1: You came back!
Me: (wan smile) Wasn’t sure if I was going to make it. My legs still hurt from yesterday and today is leg day.
Trainer: (sailing in) Okay everyone! Grab a bench from the back, two or three risers as you like!
Grandma #2: (pats Carrot’s arm) Two. Only get two, my dear.
Me: (smile grows strained) Think anyone would judge if I only got one?
Grandmothers: (collective laugh) No!
Me: (gets two risers anyway)
(scene opens in gym, full of grandmas and Carrot)
Me: (looks around judgmentally, prepares for combat)
Trainer: Okay everyone, welcome to a new season. Let get some sweat!
(45 minute montage of Carrot struggling to do anything)
Trainer: And that’s it for this class! Good job everyone!
Me: (slowly gets up off the floor behind the grandmas, shakily puts medicine ball back on the shelf)
Trainer: (steps closer) You okay?
Me: (rolls sore rehabbing shoulder) I haven’t been in a gym since…uh…four kids ago?
Trainer: (nods approvingly) You did good. See you next time.
Me: (pants in pathetic) Yeah. Next time.
