“I have a doctor’s appointment that I’m late for,” I explain. “Just an hour or so, I think. Depends on traffic. Can you be ready to leave ASAP? Just throw on some clothes, you can brush your teeth later.”

He gapes at me as though I’ve suggested the unspeakable.

“I have to brush my teeth.”

Just my luck to have the most hygiene-obsessed ten-year-old in the world under my roof this morning.

“Fine, brush your teeth. Just be downstairs in ten minutes.”

Ten minutes later, I’m outside his door.

“Sam? I’m not kidding. We need to move. Do you want me to leave you home alone?”

When I was a kid, leaving a ten-year-old home alone for a couple of hours wouldn’t have been a problem. But things are different these days and from what I understand about Dennis’s parenting philosophy, I don’t think Sam would be used to that at all.

Finally he opens the door, looking agitated. He’s not the only one. I wish I knew what was so hard about throwing on a hoodie.

“Great!” I say, trying to conceal my impatience. “Let’s go.” I snag the keys from the hall table and marshal him into the car.

“Cereal bars are beside you,” I say. I glance over as I pull out of our driveway, and the hair on my neck prickles. Sam looks…I don’t know how to describe it. He looks stricken. Like he’s just seen a puppy get run over.

“Sam?”

He looks at me.

“What’s the matter?”

He shakes his head.

“I didn’t get to…” He stops. “I just needed more time.”

Sam would never have made it in our house growing up. How did everything always seem to be so frantic back then? Mom’s voice always yelling up the stairs: You’ll be late for school! Late for church! Late for swimming! But now my nephew looks on the point of tears, folding his arms into the kangaroo pocket of his hoodie, shoulders hunching.

“More time for what?” I say, because it feels like I must have missed something.

“It doesn’t matter. I just don’t like being rushed,” he mutters.

I shake my head. This definitely seems like an overreaction but we don’t really have time to talk about it. Soon we’re pulling up at Dinah’s. I called her last night and gave her the line about a medical appointment I’d totally forgotten. Luckily she’s working the afternoon shift today and didn’t miss a beat to say she’d watch Sam. I figure she feels she owes me right now. I could have dropped him at Mom’s, of course, but I figured Mom would be apt to ask me more questions.

I honk once from the driveway, and Dinah opens the front door, waving out at us.