"Pease come back?"

It's one of those days when I've yelled at the boys just about as much as I can yell.

I'm on edge, because Jeremy and I are trying to get out of town for the weekend - which means packing for myself to go to New York and for both boys to spend two nites at their grandparents. It also means getting the house in order, so we don't leave it in a mess, and OH, YEAH, making sure my presentation is ready for what MAY be the most significant lecture of my "career" to date.

So, needless to say, it's been one of "those" days, and, at the end of it, I laid down beside one of the boys who has borne its brunt.

"Pease sing to me in my bed," Freddie always asks when I tuck him in. So I laid down, and I sang to him - "Jesus Died on da Cross," "Jesus," "Hard da Herral ..." all the ones he always asks for - and then, my body cuckled up against his, my arm around his toddler torso, I said, "I'm gonna miss you when I'm in New York, Buddy."

For a split second, there was silence. Then, he took in his breath and said, "Pease come back?"

After the way I've acted today, I can't believe he'd even WANT me back.

But man, am I glad that he does.