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“Can you put this where it belongs?” Her voice was shrill, impatient

They were on the floor in Little Pete’s rooone in his head, not there, indifferent

Sometimes she hated him

“Try again, Petey,” Astrid said She stopped herself fronals of being tense Not helpful

She should be running exercises like this every day Several ti it now because she couldn’t stand waiting She needed so to take her mind off Sam

“Sorry,” she said to Little Pete, as as indifferent to her apology as to everything else

Someone knocked at the bedroom door, and she jumped

The door swung in; it wasn’t closed

“It’s me, John”

Astrid climbed to her feet, relieved it was just John Disappointed it was just John

“John, what is it?” They wouldn’t send John with bad news Would they?

“I can’t find Mary”

A flood of relief, instantly replaced by more worry “She’s not at the day care?”

He shook his head His red curls went everywhere, a counterpoint to his serious expression “She was supposed to coo She’s almost never late I couldn’t leave to look for her because we’re shorthanded and we have so many kids sick I came as soon as I could I looked in her room I didn’t find her there”

Astrid glanced at Little Pete He had stalled with his hand on a yellow ball, and see with it