Aidan wants to go outside and play frisbee so he puts on his coat and goggles. The goggles are large, like the kind that come with snorkeling gear. Aidan explains that the goggles will help prevent the frisbee from hitting him in the eye. We get downstairs and it isn’t as cold today, maybe the high 30s. The frisbee comes out of my hand smooth and floats towards Aidan. Aidan stares at it and for a moment it looks like the frisbee will hit Aidan square on the goggles but then it rises over Aidan’s head and lands behind him. Aidan turns to retrieve it and throws it back to me. He isn’t a very skilled frisbee tosser just yet and the frisbee ends up in a bush nearby. It is my job to fetch it out of the bush. We repeat. Aidan is happy playing. I am happy playing.

But it is cold so I bring Aidan back upstairs and then take Elisa outside. First to the playground where Elisa – remembering fall apparently – goes straight to one of the swings and waits for me to push her. So I push and she is happy and then we proceed to do a little shopping at Jenny Lous. I buy my workday lunch supplies when a market worker offers a sample Australian wine which is weird because it is 10 in the morning. We finish the shopping and Elisa is happy and content as we make our way home.

We get home and Lydia is pleased to see we bought a cracker snack that she likes. Actually Elisa picked it out. Lydia takes one cracker, Elisa one, and Aidan one. They are all happy. The ayis is in the kitchen making noodles for lunch and Yihang (Yang’s mom) is watching TV with the kids as morning turns into afternoon. The house is at peace.

Meanwhile Yang is on day eight of her ten day trip away from home. The kids miss her, Elisa speaking “mama nainai” into the phone. Aidan describing what toy he wants. Lydia saying she wants something in blue. I say “something in blue” because that’s pretty much all I could understand of the conversation. The kids certainly miss Yang as I do but it seems they are pretty secure in this world. Secure enough not to worry. Secure enough that the worst thing they can imagine is being picked on at school as has happened to both the older ones since Yang left.  Secure enough to know that in two days Yang will put her own coat in the closet and be home.