Homework

Luca pulled up a chair next to me as I sat at the computer tonight. With a pencil and papers in hand she asks, “Dad, will you help me finish my homework?”

“Of course”

Only by sitting on her knees is she able to reach the desk from the chair that’s twice her size.

As I thumb through her packet I notice every section but one is completed.

“All you have left is the imaginary trip part”

“Yep. I waited till you came home”

Luca decides she’d like to take an imaginary trip to Utah where she’ll visit both sets of grandparents. I show her how to use Google Maps to determine the distance from Seattle to St. George (1144 miles).

Her #2 pencil dances across the paper in a grip that looks like someone trying to use chopsticks for the first time. The eraser is used frequently. But she’s persistent. Extra care is given to that final period that brings the report to an end.

“The last period is always the biggest", she tells me.

She gathers her papers, scoots the chair away from my desk, and gives me a hug before running off to chase her brother.

And it’s about this time that I realize she didn’t need my help tonight. She was looking for something else.

I made a small contribution to Luca’s trip report tonight.

And she gave me the best 15 minutes of the day.