Laundry

It’s a Saturday,
The sun is up but the doors and windows
Are still closed
And my boy is playing video games in his pajamas

Can you come play with me, Daddy?
He asks
In a few minutes
I say
I’ve got a few more things to do
And I go back to washing dishes

Are you ready to play with me yet?
He asks me again later
As I’m walking out to the dryer
To get some laundry

I can’t just yet, love
I say
But as soon as I get this laundry done
I’ll play with you

And I bring a hamper
Full of laundry
Into the living room
And dump it on the couch
For folding

And I say
I’ll fold it right here
And I can watch you play

Okay, he says
And goes back to his game
Me folding his laundry

But he gets bored playing
Without me
And gets up on the couch
And lays down
While I pick up a tshirt
Shaking out the wrinkles,
And fold it,
And put it in a pile
At the end of the couch

Suddenly I grab his feet
And hold him upside down
Shaking him
Then drop him on the couch
Folding his feet and legs
Up on his chest
Then I pick him up and
Put him on the pile,
Face down and folded
And get another tshirt

He giggles
And says Do that again!

I act surprised
And say Hey!
How’d you get over there on the laundry?
Don’t mess up my pile!
I’m trying to get some chores done here

And he giggles and crawls back
Over to where he was lying
And I go back to folding
Until I pick him up again,
Folding him and putting him back on the shirt pile

He giggles more
And says Again, daddy!

I need to take him back to his mother’s in an hour.