Two days of cleaning, a day and a half of cooking, a gallon each of homemade soup and chili, dusted bookcases and I was practically stood up. Yeah. No aunts or uncles or cousins. One set called in sick, another called in apathetic, another was just MIA. My sisters (sans Sister #2 who was in WI with the in-laws) and my mom came, but that’s it.

All that work for naught.

My family was impressed by the spread and the cleanliness of my abode. But they totally agreed that I worked my ass off for nothing. We’re the type of family you don’t have to clean for.

You would think that with the reduced guest list I would be spared the awkward dating/marriage questions, but then you would be wrong.

Right around dinner time four-year-old Nolan came marching down the stairs calling my name.

“Jodi, Jodi.” He stopped halfway down the stairs when he saw me come around the corner.
“What?” I asked.
He lifted his hand up, palm out. “How come you don’t got kids?”

I turned my head to look at Sister #3, his mom, who thinks it’s about high time I have some kids because she wants a new baby to cuddle.
“What?” she asked. “I didn’t put him up to it!”

I walked over to the La-Z-Grrl and sat down. Nolie was on my heels. “How come you don’t got kids?” he asked again.
“It’s a long story.”
“Why should she have kids?” Sister #3 asked.
“Because then she’d have good toys!”