Nick reached across his nightstand to silence the alarm. He could hear Caroline in the bathroom singing along with the shower radio he’d given her for Christmas.
“You got me workin’ day and night. And I’ll be workin’ from sunup to midnight …”
Nick joined in the chorus as he threw on his slacks and buttoned up an oxford shirt. Then, he grabbed his phone from the charger. With clients in twenty-four different time zones, dozens of new emails and voice messages flooded his inbox each night. Nick’s thumbs flew into motion as he typed, The Cave @ 5:30 directly under a reminder to schedule a 7-year check-up for the twins.
A quick stop at the drive-through for a triple mocha and Nick was on his way. He fumbled with the dials as he kept his eyes on the road. During his two-hour commute, last year alone he’d completed thirty-one Marketing Masters podcasts, forty-five audiobooks, and maintained his Start Your Day Right reading plan, without missing a day, except when the twins were sick. Nick slowed as traffic merged. Orange cones announced a lane closure up ahead. He glanced at the clock. At this rate, his first appointment would already be waiting when he arrived. That would throw his entire day into overdrive.
As he took the elevator up to the fifth floor, Nick checked his calendar again. Three meetings, two in the morning, one in the afternoon. He would have to get a jumpstart on the proposal for Idea-X1 before the second meeting or he’d miss the deadline. Elevator doors slid open and he hurried down the marble hall. He wondered how he’d ever make it to The Cave tonight.
On the way home, Nick finished another Marketing Masters podcast, then set up the doctor’s appointment for the twins on speakerphone. As he rounded the cul-de-sac, there was the familiar two-story, brick, colonial with Jaxon in the driveway.
Thump, thump, thump. Jaxon took aim then, hurled a ball that bounced off the backboard. Bam! The house rattled and windows shook as the ball ricocheted off the garage door.
“Haha, Jaxon missed again!” Harper and Addison bobbed up and down on the trampoline behind the fence.
“Daaaad, the girls won’t leave me alone,” Jaxon pounded his ball into the pavement.
Nick grabbed the ball and fake passed to the twins on the trampoline, then tossed it back to Jaxon who slammed it through the net. “Let it make you even stronger, Jaxon.” He grabbed his computer and headed inside. Caroline was working late, so it was his turn to cook again. Nick tossed his keys on the counter and checked the fridge for a dinner kit. “Yes!” He grabbed a pot from the cupboard and filled it with water.
“This just in, twelve kittens were found abandoned in a dumpster . . .”
Nick clicked the remote to shut off the t.v. and pulled out a cutting board. He checked the clock on the microwave. 5:15. If he hurried he could still make it to The Cave before dinner. He chopped the carrots into little rounds then checked the recipe that came in the box. Julienne? Nick tossed the recipe card into the trash and continued to chop.
“GRRR,” Addison crawled through the kitchen with a dinosaur robot wrapped around her forefinger.
“GRRR,” the toy growled back.
Harper jumped out from her hiding spot behind the sofa and grabbed the dino.
“Hey, that’s mine -” Addison shouted. “Waaaaah!” She ran over to the sectional and buried her head in a pillow.
“Harper!” Nick dropped the wooden spoon and pad Thai noodles spattered across the wood floor. He grabbed a sponge and sighed, knowing The Cave would have to wait.
“What happened in here?” Caroline set her laptop on the counter and surveyed the mess, brown eyes wide.
“Just making dinner.” Nick leaned in for a kiss, but a stray rice noodle fell from the ceiling and landed on his head.
Caroline pulled the sticky noodle from his brown trusses and tossed it into the sink, her hands now covered in sticky sauce. “How do you cook like an Iron Chef and still manage to stay calm in all this chaos? She raised an eyebrow. “Is it The Cave?”
Nick passed her a paper towel and grinned with a sly smile. “No, it’s The River.”
Caroline chuckled. “I’ll call Zip-Thai for delivery and the kids can clean up after dinner.” She patted his shoulder.
“Zip-Thai sounds better than floor Thai,” Jaxon chimed from the hall.
After dinner, Nick climbed the steps to The Cave and slipped into the faux suede recliner. With both feet in front of him, he leaned back and the lounger sprang to life. “Aaaah!” He sank into the taupe upholstery and drew in a breath, then let it out. He inhaled again, but this time more deeply. He exhaled again, slower. One more deep breath, then out again. Nick closed his eyes and let his head sink deep into the headrest. He imagined the scent of real leather, even though it was just microfiber. He could still see his to-do list etched into the back of his eyelids. “Shalom,” Nick breathed in, then out again. He wasn’t Jewish, but he hoped that incorporating a few solemn Hebrew words would add an element of sacredness to his practice. The work left undone on his computer continued to tug and pull for his attention. “Shalom,” Nick breathed in, then out again. Like a sailor standing on the shore, he watched as boats of distraction floated by. The tick of the clock on the wall reminded him he was still in his den. Nick opened one eye to peek at the clock. He shut his eyes tight again, then waited. I wonder what the Ducks final score was? “Shalom,” he whispered when he realized he’d drifted again.
Then, there it was . . . Peace.
Nick took a deep drink from The River and soaked in the sweet communion. He hoped for some sort of revelation, vision, or inner whisper. He shifted his weight in the chair. “Ruach Hakodesh.” He had no idea how to pronounce this strange new Hebrew phrase he’d read on Instagram, but he tried anyway. “Wind, breath, glory, Spirit of the Holy Place . . .” he pondered how all that could fit into two tiny words. “Ruach Hakodesh.” Nick noticed his thoughts shift. Addison needs extra time and attention. He glanced at the clock. It was almost bedtime for the kids.
Just then, Addison poked her head around the corner. “Dad, can you come read me a lion story?”
“Sure, Addi-.” Nick pressed the button on his side panel. As the recliner folded down, all the cares in the world seemed to fold up with it. He grinned as he headed downstairs, one hand wrapped around his daughter’s.
Addi curled up on the sofa in her favorite blue blanket and leaned against Nick’s shoulder.
He opened the book and read the first line. “The lion lived in a great big cave . . .”
