It’s hellish to have a chest cold, one of those colds during which you can’t catch your breath when you cough. But this was totally worth it. A month or so ago I gave Daughter #1 one of my cotton handkerchiefs, so that she wouldn’t fill the back of my car with biodegradable waste as she went through her own sickness.

On Saturday, we’re in the car swinging around I-465. I’m 85% through the cold, and the Wife is 15%.

Wife: Darn. Do you have any Kleenex back there?
D#1: No, but I do have Daddy’s handkerchief. It’s not very clean.
Wife: It’s OK, I’m desperate. [blows nose]
D#1: I also used it to clean off the devilled eggs on the driveway.
Daddy: [begins to laugh and cough almost to the point of driving off the road]