Cover Letter

We no longer need an alarm clock. We haven't needed one for a while. The white two-way monitor Jill keeps on her nightstand works just fine so long as we need to get up by 6:30am.

Charlie's staccato cries activated the monitor first. I woke up and rolled over. The dry air stung my eyes. Jill was still sleeping with her mouth open. I rolled back over. The microphone delay doesn't pick up the shortest of cries. Instead it clicks on and airs a second of static. The static sound annoys me more than the crying.

If the monitor were on my side of the bed, I'd power it down. That's why it's not on my side.

I was not ready to be a full-time father today. My body did not want to get out of bed. My shoulders and back were stiff and my knees were swollen and throbbing. I laid in silence hoping that it was a false alarm, not daring to so much as move to prevent him from hearing me. I just wanted five more minutes.

Predictably, it took a few minutes for Charlie to erupt. He is like a volcano. Tremor. Shake. Erupt!

"Mommy, Daddy, silky, milky! Honey! Hold you! Rock-a-bye! Out!" His eruption was verbal. He named everything he could call on to bring him comfort.

So did I. "Jill!"

Jill grunted when I poked her.

We had two days off, Jill and I. Charlie stayed with Gigi and Papa. I bought a new bicycle and we went on a nice ride together. About six miles of trail behind us and two miles from home, we rode on a path strewn with goat heads. I watched my front tire accumulate little tan thorns like a caramel apple picking up nuts. All four tires were flattened on our two bikes. For the previous three miles Jill had been suggestively informing me of her desire to get back. She kept repeating something about being tired and hot and having no water.

We walked the bikes to a main road. At a stop sign, a man asked if we needed help. He took me to our house. His name was Terry. It turned out he was getting his hair cut at the same place I do. And his business partner is the twin brother of my neighbor. I thanked Terry for the ride went inside and got the car keys, filled a huge glass full of ice and water for Jill and returned to fetch her. When I got there Jill was relaxing in the shade. She asked me if Terry tried to hurt me.

I took Charlie to the park today. I pushed him on the swing for an hour. He doesn't get tired of swinging. Two people filtered through the swing next to him during that time. One girl was named Ainsley. Her wide brim hat had many colors on it. She was sixteen months and she couldn't speak. Her mom had just finished the stroller workout. She said it was tough doing all those squats and lunges. She asked Charlie his name. Charlie answered her, "Name."

We ate a hastily assembled picnic lunch on a blanket that covered the goose poop on the grass. Next to us was a black lab tied to a tree wearing a muzzle. I gave Charlie a few pieces of orange which he ate, then burped up. I spoon-fed him Yo-Baby yogurt because I forgot to bring a bib.

I escorted Charlie through the grass, careful to avoid the goose poop and we skirted several puddles on the way to the pier that stretches out into the lake. Charlie likes to say mud. I kept near Charlie so I could catch him if he came too close to falling in the water. I threw graham crackers in the water for the ducks. The few ducks began honking and soon there were many ducks honking and fighting over graham cracker pieces. I gave Charlie a piece of graham cracker to feed to the ducks and he ate it.

After that we walked through the garden together. Charlie studied the purple and white petunias and the bees on the yellow and orange marigolds. Jill is growing mini petunias in her Aerogarden. The first delicate flower bloomed today. We saw a man stretching in the garden who looked familiar.

We came home and watched the replay of the Rockies/Giants game from Sunday. Charlie had a bottle of milk and I had a coffee. I think it was Ubaldo Jiminez, Colorado's pitcher who we recognized in the park. Is that possible? They are playing live as I type. It's a one-one tie, bottom of the ninth.

I had to leave when Jill got home. When she walked in I was putting Charlie in time out for throwing a tantrum in time out. He woke up cranky and hungry. For the hunger I cooked him a hot dog. I sliced it up, put it in front of him on his tray with a side of grapes and walked outside to light the grill for my burger. When I came in a minute later, he was already done with his hot dog and asking for more. I did make him another. He became very angry when I put ketchup and mustard on his try. He is very particular. I let him feed himself squash baby food with a rubber spoon. He managed to get it everywhere. When I approached him with a wet paper towel, he said "everywhere." I said, "Yes, you did get it everywhere."

When I was leaving, Charlie called my gym bag a "diaper bag."

The Rockies are in extra innings and I am still working on a cover letter for a job I am interested in. It makes me sad to think about not chasing after Charlie.