Two Kids and No Car
"Emergency!"
Cassandra laughed.
"I was starting to wonder how you'd managed this long with two kids and no car."
"Yeah. Even a trip to the grocery store is a whole production these days…"
I was finally, truly feeling the need for a car.
When it had just been Luca, I could strap him into a baby carrier, move as one unit, and grab one extra bag. Now there were two of them. One was a curious four-year-old; the other had more energy than I could ever have imagined when he still lived in my arms.
The moment my attention slipped while we were out, one kid would vanish and the other would start flinging every single thing in the stroller onto the pavement.
Yesterday had been no different. Dragging Reni—thrilled by the big-city scenery he'd never seen before—and Luca—so active even in the stroller that I couldn't take my eyes off him—around town had been anything but easy.
"If I can just strap the kids into car seats whenever we go out, I might actually live to see old age."
Just the thought of loading everything we needed into a trunk and never having to pack it all again made me want to buy a car right this second.
"Plus once Reni starts kindergarten, I can't call a taxi every time for pickup. We could walk, sure. But then it's the whole outdoor-prep routine every single time, and…"
Just imagining it made me tired already.
"And if it rains? We're really in trouble. You can't just reschedule a doctor's appointment for the kids that easily."
Cassandra kept nodding.
"You're right. Of course a car's more convenient—no argument there. Hmm, though honestly I don't know when the best time to buy one is either. I bought this one as a resignation gift to myself."
Fair point. I'd have to look into the car thing separately later.
"Why don't you ask Greg? Or that editor of yours? They seem like they'd know."
"Wouldn't people from rich families just buy whatever they want whenever they feel like it, without overthinking it?"
"Or maybe rich people know even more about this stuff?"
But I never needed to take the question to Greg or Evan.
The unexpected answer came from Father, whom I hadn't seen in a while.
"Jun, if you've started a business, you shouldn't buy a car outright—you should lease it and write it off as an expense."
"Oh…"
He was right.
Why hadn't I thought of that?
It was obvious when I stopped to think about it. Maybe I'd just been too scattered lately to see it.
"How do you know all that, Father?"
"All the knowledge you need for life is in the Bible, my son."
"Please don't joke…"
Standing in front of Father—who somehow looked even healthier than I did—my energy drained right out of me. Then Tony tugged at my clothes.
"Mister, can we go play now?"
Tony, clutching the baby penguin doll with the little crown, looked faintly excited. I smoothed the hair of the boy who seemed a little happier just from one small stuffed animal.
"Sure. All right, Reni—have fun, and I'll see you the day after tomorrow."
I knelt and pulled Reni into a tight hug. The boy kissed my cheek and ran off with his friends.
"So. Are you going for an SUV?"
"Yes, I think I have to. If I'm hauling kids' stuff and a stroller everywhere."
"Then this one might work well these days. Take a look."
Father even recommended a model he thought would suit our family.
"Thank you. Is that in the Bible too?"
"No. You pick that up listening to the other priests brag about their cars. Our parish ought to get a new one as well…"
He then launched into a pitiful complaint about how Mother Superior shut him down cold every single time, so he still couldn't buy a new car.
"All right. I'll be heading out, then."
Leaving the grumbling Father behind, I set off for the pub as usual.
When I passed along the car-buying tip I'd just gotten from Father, Cassandra shifted into full office talk.
"If we put out a video announcing that JL Studio is officially up and running, collaboration and ad offers will come in a lot more easily."
"That makes sense. Which is why…"
It was starting to feel like time for me to pick up woodworking again after a long break.
"What if I build the office furniture myself—bookcases, shelves, desks?"
It wouldn't be that hard, and I could size everything to fit the room. That alone would be worth it.
Plus filming the office taking shape might make good content.
"Before-and-after videos always do well! But can you manage it alone?"
"The furniture itself isn't the problem. I just need someone to watch the kids while I work."
"Then I'll bring my laptop and stay with them. You were going to make them their own room anyway, right?"
"Right. And for the soundproofing, I can…"
Even my singing time at Lemon Soup Pub was starting to feel like a break, with the crushing schedule waiting for me.
Even so, I made sure to set aside Sundays entirely for Luca.
"Look at that—Luca's standing again. Want to practice walking with Daddy?"
"Yeah."
I took both hands of Luca, who was standing with his palms on the sofa, and helped him take a few steps.
Then I let go, opened my arms right in front of him, and waited. Luca steadied himself, then took one or two careful steps toward me.
"Kyaaah!"
The mighty battle cry was free of charge.
"Aigoo, that's my Luca! Great job!"
When the baby toppled into my arms, I scooped him up toward the ceiling and spun him around once.
Luca was getting stronger by the day. That voice that already seemed as powerful as it could get was getting stronger too. His head was getting smarter…
And his street smarts were maxed out.
"Uuunngh…"
"It's okay, Luca. Daddy's not trying to put you down for a nap."
I walked back and forth through the living room with him in my arms, patting his back. Luca pushed against my shoulders with both hands and stared at me with a sulky face.
Look, kid—saying I'll spend the whole day on you does not mean I get to play with you every second of it.
So I tried to get him down for even a short nap. Once Luca was out, he slept well enough; it was just getting him there that was hard.
"Rest your head on Daddy's shoulder again. That's it, good boy…"
"…Yeah."
But he was still a baby. Rocking him and patting his back eventually pulled him under into a deep nap.
An hour or two at most, so the moment I confirmed he was asleep I moved fast.
Today I was going to make slime dolls—something I could finish inside Luca's nap window.
I still had to make the slime dolls for the neighborhood kids that Cassandra had asked me about last week.
Ten dolls in total.
A blue body with a sky-blue water-drop pin, a green body with an orange-blossom pin, a yellow body with a bumblebee pin…
The kids' orders had been wonderfully varied.
Whirr, whirr…
I filmed myself diligently making the dolls, then lined up the finished ones and filmed those too.
"Hmm…"
Surely ten dolls wouldn't trigger a bonus thousand points… right?
That would be a little shameless.
Still, I was curious. The kids being happy was the best part, but points were always nice too.
After filming, I wrapped the dolls.
Then, still sitting beside the sleeping Luca, I started SketchUp designs for the office furniture.
The desk and bookcase for the living-room-turned-office would keep the natural wood look.
What about the dining chairs for the kitchen?
Those would take too long as individual pieces, so better to make them as a bench. Wood would suit those too, right?
For the desk chairs, it would probably be smarter just to buy something comfortable for the back.
As for filling the kids' playroom, I thought a slide and a ball pit might keep them happily busy.
And if I brought in the round rattan bed from the terrace, they could nap there too.
Scratch, scratch.
As busy as my hands were, the sketches kept multiplying.
After a busy weekend, it was time to pick up my eldest again.
Monday was also dessert-delivery day, so I'd been busy since before dawn.
Following James's feedback that light, easy-to-eat desserts were selling well lately, I'd made a big batch of flower-shaped meringue cookies.
I hadn't even eaten that many, and I could still taste the sweetness at the back of my throat.
After running down to the first floor and back, I fed Luca breakfast and got him dressed.
While I put on his socks, the baby just lay quietly on the bed, staring blankly out the window.
Usually it was put on one sock, chase him down, put on the other, chase him down again.
And when a kid was this well-behaved, you almost couldn't help teasing him a little.
"Luca, ready to go get your big brother?"
"Yeah."
Luca answered while watching a bird outside.
"Is it just me, or have your answers to Daddy been getting a little half-hearted lately, Luca?"
"Yeah."
"Luca, look at Daddy when you talk."
"…"
Now he wasn't answering at all.
I scooped up my second son—still completely absorbed in the outside world—and headed downstairs. James called me back just as I was about to leave.
"Jun, come take a look at this for a second!"
Thinking something might be wrong with the desserts I'd dropped off that morning, I hurried into the café. What James thrust in front of my face was…
The photos for the recipe book. Evan had stopped by on his way into work and delivered them in person.
In the photos, James wore a white shirt with black stripes, hair neatly combed back, both arms loaded with sandwich loaves.
It looked a little comical, and yet somehow it worked. The photographer clearly knew what they were doing.
I flashed a thumbs-up at James, who was waiting for my comment with a nervous, hopeful face.
"These came out really well. That face pack the other day was worth it."
Only then did James break into a bright smile.
"They put makeup on me—I'd never worn any in my life. I was a wreck that whole day. The lights were blinding, my poses felt awkward, and all those people were moving around with their eyes only on me… Still, the results aren't bad, are they?"
"They're great. Are you hanging them in the shop? Or do you have to wait until the recipe book comes out?"
"I asked out of curiosity myself. They said it has nothing to do with the book's release, so I'm putting them up starting today."
Well, we weren't celebrities. Hanging one photo a little early wasn't going to cause a scandal—unless the recipes leaked.
But James looked as thrilled as if he'd just debuted as a star.
"Your photo shoot's coming up soon too, right?"
"Yes. I'm doing mine with the kids. More than half my interview is about them anyway."
"That'll make such a warm, lovely picture."
"I'm really looking forward to it."
The kids' faces wouldn't go in the book, but even just their backs would be more than enough to show how adorable they were.
After saying goodbye to James, I took a taxi to pick up Reni and checked an email from Kelly about this week's photo shoot.
"Hmm…?"
There was something I hadn't expected.
On the day of the shoot, I was supposed to make desserts on the spot while they photographed the process…
And I had to use the sponsored baking tools that would be provided right there.