As I sat distant from the family, like I usually did, I watched my wife play with our son, the same way she did every night when she got back home. I took tiny, periodic sips of the frozen coffee that was left out on the countertop for at least a few hours now. My wife would never drink cold coffee. She never drank from home either, as she always picked up Starbucks right before and after work. In fact, she was rarely home. She was here to simply eat and sleep: her hours wouldn't permit otherwise. From what I could make out from the living room, the two were preparing for show and tell next week. I already knew what Evan would pick: The Wheels on the Bus . Day and night, I would sit there as a hostage, forced to listen to the incessant static of the decades-old radio as it blared out the same tune over and over again. "Jesse? Jesse!" I turned right to her, my neck titling towards her as rapidly as a bird would. "Falling asleep with your e