Upon which time as we shall distance ourselves from the ignoble truths of our present existence.
11-year old cowboy pulls a wagon through a dry field to a verdant forest on a hot summer afternoon
Conversations between brothers in pastures on late summer afternoons:
So…
he says, his 4-year old hands wiping a streak of dirt across his face as he brushes back blond locks,
we like Ronald Reagan and Joe Biden, but not Donald Trump?
Yeah,
his brother says, his 11-year old hands wiping a streak of dirt across his face as he brushes back blond locks,
that is correct.
Apparently my relative proximity is a non-factor:
Hey,
he says, trudging through dry grass on his 4-year old legs,
who do you like more: Mama, or Daddy, or Sissy?
I quickly distanced myself before I had to face the truth of an answer from his brother that might not brighten my day.

Actually,
I sighed, setting down whatever important thing I was doing,
there’s a little thing called “the Spanish Inquisition,” and there were much worse things than happening during this time period. For example…
…and we went on to have a lovely father-son chit-chat about Inquisitor General Torquemada and the state of Catholicism in the 15th century.
Or maybe I helped him with his sliver. My memory is fading.