Mari & Ilna-you're the best.

McRollers-thanks for reading.

This story was inspired by the day my husband and I had on Wednesday. We left the house "for a quick breakfast" at 7:00 am and then spent the day bouncing from one unplanned activity to the next as though we aren't fully grown adults with other responsibilities. We finally made it home at 10:00 pm after a thoroughly enjoyable day. I regret nothing.

Like Ferris Without the Ferrari (1/1)

"This was a fantastic idea," Steve said with a relaxed smile as he sat across the table from Catherine at their favorite local "non-diner" as Danny liked to call it. "I'm glad you thought of it."

"Thanks!" Catherine popped the last bite of her waffles into her mouth. "It just seemed like a good way to start 'random chore' day."

They unexpectedly had the house to themselves all day and had decided the night before it would be the perfect chance to do all of those nagging things that needed done but weren't important enough to move to the top of the To-Do list.

One of their favorite waitresses emerged behind the counter wearing street clothes and approached the table.

"Commander. Lieutenant. On your own this morning?" she asked.

"We are, Lila." Catherine smiled. "The kids went to a fundraiser for the animal shelter with Kaitlyn and Jacob Allen. They even took Cammie along so the house is going to be very quiet today."

"Maybe you should head over to the botanical gardens to see the corpse flower bloom," Lila suggested. "I heard on the radio it came out last night and it will only last 48 hours. Kiko let me off a couple of hours early so I can go see it."

"I wanted to see that last time it bloomed but we missed it," Catherine said. "I was pregnant with Angie and didn't think I'd be able to stand the smell."

"That was probably a good call." Lila chuckled. "You might want to check it out though. By the time it blooms again your kids will both be teenagers."

Steve grimaced at the thought then shared a look with Catherine.

Why not?

They could go take a look and then head right home to start chores.

What was another hour?

It's not like the grout that needed to be touched up in the downstairs bathroom was going anywhere.

"The smell is certainly … pungent," Catherine said as she raised her hand to cover her nose.

"I've smelled some nasty things in my life and this is right up there," Steve said. "I see why they call it the corpse flower."

"It's beautiful though, isn't it?" an older woman wearing a tag that identified her as a docent asked. "Quite a fascinating contrast between how it looks and how it smells."

"It's gorgeous," Catherine agreed. "Until the smell starts making your eyes water."

The docent chuckled. "It's actually one of nature's most amazing stories. The smell is caused by a combination of chemicals that mimic the odor of decaying meat. That attracts the flower's native pollinators like carrion beetles and flesh flies. They carry out pollination which then takes anywhere from seven to ten years to cycle through and create another bloom."

"It's absolutely fascinating," Catherine said as she looked at the twelve foot tall plant towering over the smaller plants that surrounded it.

"This is about the peak of the bad smell," the docent told them. "The bloom erupted about 12 hours ago. For the next 36 hours or so the flower will remain beautiful but the smell will begin to fade. By late tomorrow night both the bloom and the smell will be gone."

"Maybe we'll bring our kids back when the smell has dissipated a little," Steve suggested.

"That sounds like a lovely idea." The older woman smiled. "I'm working extra hours during the bloom cycle. Maybe I'll see you and your children tomorrow."

"You know," Catherine bit her lip as they walked back towards the car. "As long as we're out, this might be a good time to stop by the mall and pick up some basics for the kids."

As a rule they tried to allow both Angie and DJ to make their own clothing choices, but when it came to basics like socks and underwear and plain colored t-shirts sometimes it was quicker to just make the purchases and slip them into the drawers with the laundry.

"Fine by me," Steve said as he adjusted his sunglasses.

"It won't take long," Catherine said confidently. "We'll be in and out in half an hour."

Three hours and two trips to the car to drop off packages later they were still at the mall.

"So much for heading right home and getting started on the To-Do list," Catherine chuckled as they walked out of the party supply store.

"How could we have known they were going to have all the Easter stuff out already?" Steve smiled. "It's the perfect opportunity to get the stuff we need and get it home to hide it without the kids seeing it."

"Not to mention it gave you a chance to go on a secret Valentine's Day mission when I took that last load of plastic eggs and Easter decorations to the car," Catherine said.

Steve tried to keep his face neutral but couldn't resist a smile. "I admit nothing." He checked his watch. "We might as well grab some lunch while we're here. By the time we get home we'll still have a couple of hours to work before the kids get home."

"Sounds like a plan, Commander." Catherine squeezed his hand. "Where do you want to eat?"

"Why is it …" Catherine took a bite of her lunch and her expression was one of pure pleasure. "There are some foods that always taste better when someone else makes them? Like chopped salad?"

"Probably because you don't have to do all that chopping," Steve suggested. "You just get to enjoy the finished product."

"Maybe." Catherine nodded. "Hot dogs are the same way. They always taste better at the ballgame or at the movies."

Steve chuckled. "That's true. And speaking of movies …" He looked out the window of the restaurant and pointed to the theater across the concourse with its colorful movie posters out front. "Isn't that the movie DJ and Michael want to see so bad?"

As Catherine began to turn her head the server approached the table with a smile. "Can I get you anything else this afternoon?"

"I think that'll be it," Steve told her.

The young woman took the check from her pocket. "I'll leave this here for whenever you're ready. Feel free to flag me down if you change your mind."

"Thanks. The service was great," Steve said with a smile causing the girl to blush as she walked away.

"Rebecca and I have been talking about it," Catherine said, slipping seamlessly back into the conversation they were having before the server arrived. "We're worried that movie might be a little intense for the boys. We think one of us should see it first to get a better idea of what it's really like."

Steve nodded then a smile spread across his face and he waggled his eyebrows.

"What are you thinking?" Catherine asked.

"I'm thinking there's no time like the present, Ferris!"

Catherine barked a laugh. "I love that movie. But luckily our day hasn't involved a stolen Ferrari."

"So far," Steve grinned. "Looks like the movie starts in ten minutes. We better get moving."

Just as the movie finished a text arrived from Kaitlyn.

"They're taking the kids to Kame's for dinner and wanted to know if we want to join them," Catherine said as she read the message. "They thought we might need a break after a long boring day of doing chores. They're wrapping up at the fundraiser and figured we could meet around 5:00."

Steve looked at his watch. "Sounds perfect. That gives us enough time for a nice walk on the beach before time to meet them."

"I like the way you think." Catherine's eyes sparkled. "We've had a perfectly lovely day and besides, the chores will still be there tomorrow."

THE END

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