it was saturday morning. i was in the kitchen. marty was upstairs in the shower. the kids were in the living room. some yelling and fighting broke out. it didn't sound physical (yet) so i let it go and continued working on the dishes. some moments later i heard marty come down the stairs. she engaged the kids asking what was the problem and what they were fighting about. thinking i could help i moved to the foyer drying my hands on a dish towel. i looked at marty standing at the foot of the stairs, a towel around her head but naked otherwise and still wet from the shower. i then looked at the line of kids now quiet and staring back at her. as i scanned the row i spotted one extra kid in the mix. it seems a boy from around the corner had come over and joined the fray. when i saw him in the line-up i paused and took in his startled face and wide eyes. i looked back at marty who had just noticed the outcast. seeing him, she pulled the towel off her head and began wrapping it around her body. in embarrassment she asked shortly, "and why are you here ben? does your mom know you're here?" to this line of questioning ben lifted his gaze from marty's now towel-covered body to her face, ignored her questions and innocently asked his own, "why are you naked?"

i don't mind saying i derived more enjoyment out of this boy's simple question than a man my age should have.