Delia expresses a sense of umbrage

It was really a crazy day for me. I got up this morning and drove to Edina to take pictures of the belt tests at the dojo there. Came home, checked in with Delia (Fiona was over at her friend Corwyn's house because they're working on their presentation for the National History Day state competition, which takes place next weekend). Drove to the Rivendell meeting, where I delivered my paper on Heart of Flesh/Heart of Stone; it was well received. Rushed home, drove to Corwin's and picked Fiona up, and then the girls and I drove to cakmpls for the Minn-stf (mnstf) meeting. It was fun, the chili was good, and I would have liked to have stayed longer, but my cat allergy flared up, making my contact lens unbearable, so the girls and I had to go home so I could take the lens out.

Fiona asked me to drive her back to Corwyn's so they could continue practicing, and I got ready to go the the Cedar Cultural Center to see the Peter Mayer concert I'd been looking forward to all week. Rob was scheduled to work till close.

Delia, however, began looking very forlorn. "But that means I'll be alone again," she said. "Fiona and Daddy and you were all gone when I got up this morning, and I spent the morning and most of the afternoon all alone, too. I don't want to be alone tonight, too."

"Oh dear. I didn't really plan on this. I wasn't counting on you being home alone tonight; I thought Fiona would be here, too." I went down and privately asked Fiona whether Corwyn could come over and they could work on their presentation here. "But all our props are at Corwyn's," Fiona objected. "And the computer with the script is over there, and Nate (Corwyn's stepdad) was going to work on it with us. Over there." She looked at me pleadingly. "We really really really need to work on it tonight."

"Damn." I sighed. "And I really, really, really want to go to this concert." I went back upstairs and broke the news to Delia, who looked crushed. I think she felt so tuckered out from the screening yesterday that she felt extra vulnerable.

I drove Fiona to Corwyn's (Rob would pick her up again on his way home from work). I came back to give Delia an extra ten minutes of cuddling before I left for the Cedar Cultural Center, hoping it would help. "Could you go next door to play with Olivia?"

"No, I already checked," Delia said tragically. "Olivia's home alone, too, and she can't have anyone over when she's home alone."

I floundered for something comforting to say, feeling like the world's most neglectful mother. "Maybe you could read that fanfic story, the one I sent you the link for--it would make you laugh."

She sighed, a forlorn but brave little sigh, the sort of sigh breathed by virtuous little girls who are cruelly abandoned by uncaring parents yet somehow manage to soldier on. "I'll probably watch a movie or something."

I went to the concert. It was wonderful. Fabulous. Totally worth the time and the money. I came home to a delicious smell and discovered that Delia had resorted to one of her favorite methods of comforting herself when upset: baking. ( The inscription on the cake, however, was perhaps meant as coals of fire upon my head. )