Long the staple fruit of Indonesia, it had finally taken a huge root in the Americas within the previous 20 years, and has always had the reputation for the tell-tale repugnant smell, despite the really nice flavor of their flesh. Soon, buses and other public places on this continent forbade their presence, just like in Asia. “No durians or produce with excessive odors,” said the signs here. Typical Americans: make sure rules are as general as possible, just in case someone finds another stinky think to bring onto a bus.

“We had plenty of time to get the smell off with salad oil. Besides, this variety was bred to have a weaker smell. Let’s give you a little milk to wash-” Maribel was interrupted by Ken’s hacking and crying. Too late. Durian yuck was on his bib and everywhere else. It was a little thicker than the rice cereal so it was a little painful coming up. After she gave a bottle to Karen to prevent the same mishap on the other one, Maribel was happy to take care of her own mistake on Ken. She took off the bib and wiped the face of Ken who could not fight his protest grunts and instinct to turn away from the cold wet rag, and so he apologized for it. She went to wash her hands again, and try durians again on Ken, this time with the milk. Emily resisted the maternal urge to help until it was burping time and she had to participate. New tummies have always had minds on their own, separate from infants, and they still needed help with nasty painful air pockets.

The two of them put the infants in their cribs for nap time and had lunch themselves. After nap time was finished, and another diaper change was done, the babies spent a little bit of time with mommy. Afterwards, it was exercise play time for both. For 4-month-olds, it was rolling along the long foam mat Emily unpacked. Karen was much more gleeful to roll around than Ken, though both enjoyed it.

“You’re an excitable little one aren’t you Karen,” said Maribel, as she ticka-tummied Karen.

Letting out a loud cackle that almost drowned out her CCVS, she responded. “I haven’t felt this free in decades. I can’t do anything for myself at all except talk, but for some reason just rolling around made me feel much freer than I feel like I had in my last childhood.

“I don’t know if you know what it’s like dear- oops I mean Maribel,” She did not want to address a person who was older than her both chronologically and physically as “dear.” “You know what it’s like to want to go back to your childhood, and you have it now to go back to as a Great Blessing from God. I’m not sure if you know what it’s like to not have all that much of a childhood in the first place but to have a complete one now!” Karen’s original mom, God rest her soul, had had the best intentions for her daughter when she, as regional tradition encouraged, made sure Karen was a responsible little girl from about the time she was able to walk. The disadvantage was that childhood was short circuited to adulthood too quickly.