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By Keri Kelly

“Thank God you’re home,” my oldest daughter said, greeting me at the door. She let out a long yawn and stretched. Behind her, my youngest daughter’s head rested on the kitchen table. She snored faintly as her shamrock headband wiggled with each snort.

My mother hopped up from her seat. “We had the best day,” she announced. A broad smile filled her bright face. “We ate lunch, we baked cookies, we made a craft, we went for a walk, and we did all of that in between the kids' classes on Zoom.”

“Oh wow,” I said. “And you did all that in…”

“Six hours.” My oldest daughter finished my sentence.

This was my kids’ first extended visit with Mom Mom since the beginning of the pandemic. Three weeks prior, my mom had received her second Covid vaccine, and like a caged puppy let out in a field for the first time, she was determined to make her first visit in a year with her grandchildren memorable. And by memorable, that meant expending every ounce of energy and shoving something exciting into every second.

“Where are you going?” My mother bolted out of her chair and wrapped her arms around my teenage daughter’s waist. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I missed you, too, Mom Mom,” my daughter said, returning the affection. “But, we did a lot today, and I’m tired.”

“How can you be tired?” she asked, finally letting go of my daughter. “That biology class was really interesting. Did you know that O-negative blood is the universal blood? It can be given to everyone, but not everyone can get O-negative blood.”

“I’m glad you had fun,” I said, smiling at my oldest daughter, who inched toward her room.

“And then in math, we learned about the quadratic formula. And that religion teacher was great, too. She was so calm,” my mother continued.

My daughter looked up at me with weary eyes. “Everyone was wondering why my grandmother was sitting next to me during my classes on the Zoom screen.”

I wrapped my arm around my mother and moved her toward the dining room to give my daughter some space. “I’m glad you had a great time. And thanks for making this day so memorable.”

“Want a cookie?” she asked. “And I forgot to tell you that we took the dog for a walk, too.”

“That’s amazing,” I said, glancing at my youngest, who was still asleep over an opened math workbook. I gave her a tap, but she didn’t budge.

“Where are you going?” my mother asked my oldest daughter.

“I need a nap,” she said before shutting her bedroom door.

“Why don’t you rest, too?” I said to my mother. “Sounds like you did a lot today.”

“I’ve been resting for a whole year. I’m done with rest,” my mother said, shaking her head defiantly. “It’s time to move!”

Now the rest of us just have to figure out how to keep up.

— Keri Kelly

Keri Kelly is an award-winning author, comedy writer and creative writing professor. She began writing comedy after a review of her first novel claimed the only good thing about the book was the humor. Learn more and say hello at www.kerikelly.com.