ursday night (after baking a lemon bundt cake, an apple crisp, and double-chocolate brownies), I had viciously cursed all manner of gods, clocks, watches, hourglasses, sundials, time zones, and anything else I could think of that may have conspired to make the week drag by as slowly as was conceivably possible. But when I woke up, it was with an enormous smile on my face and a giddy sense of anticipation. It was Friday. Knowing I didn’t have to agonize over what to wear until later that night was a relief. I put on my Casual Friday attire for work consisting of my favorite pair of Levi’s and a V-neck summer-weight sweater in royal blue, and I practically skipped to the office, baked goods in tow. I’d become pretty good at driving by Elena’s and Max’s house without gawking like a weirdo, but today I allowed myself the treat of glancing in that direction. It was starting to look lived in, flower pots filled with red geraniums standing on either side of the front stoop like sentries and a colorful flag featuring a pair of bluebirds flapping gently next to the front doorway.
