Act 2, Scene 37: “Taking Milk from Babies”

TRL needs his coffee. The brain doesn’t spin unless caffeine is powering the gray matter. Caffeine is the hamster and TRL’s brain the wheel.

TRL comes down to grab his coffee, which he likes in a tall glass with lots of ice and a touch of milk. No matter the season, he needs his iced coffee.

He pours his glass full of Tanzanian Peaberry, and then goes for the milk. The milk is ritual as well as a key ingredient. He likes to shake it up to get it frothy and pour it over the coffee. The milk slowly runs down the insides of the glass in multiple tendrils, beautiful white threads cutting through the black and tanning the beverage from the bottom up. It’s like a white and tan lava lamp.

To TRL’s horror, the milk carton is empty. But C&E’s unfinished cups of milk are sitting on the refrigerator shelf. TRL hesitates for a moment, rationalizes that he would be taking just a little bit from each cup, and starts pouring. The nanny watches him as C&E run back and forth over the kitchen floor.

They won’t miss it, TRL answers her stare. I’ll get more later, he adds.

Operation coffee complete. And perhaps this is the first salvo in the inevitable tug-of-war over food once C&E move into their teens and eat everything in sight. For a little while, at least, TRL retains the upper hand.