Taken aback, I assume she knows.
"Mostly I take care of Che," I answer pointing at the five month old baby.
"Did you talk with anyone today?"
"No," ... "Wait! Jeremy and I had a nice chat".
"Nobody else though ... unless you count those Che and I visited with on our walks ... Susan ... Ray rode his bicycle beside us carrying his grandson and we talked about Cuba ... but other wise I haven't spoken with anyone."
There's silence.
"I wrote Monty an email."
Smiling, we move on to talk about the good and the bad of island living.
Long after it was asked, the question lingers.
"What do I do all day?"
Today started at 12:30 am when I drag myself out of bed to turn Che over so she'll go back to sleep ... resumes at 4:00 am when she wakes and I feed her four ounces ... at 6:00 am I startle myself awake from a dream squeezing Sarah who yells for me to stop ... after a quick outside shower, I kiss my wife who's showering inside, see Che's still asleep and make the quick ride to The Breakfast Club for coffee and back home turn on soft music, post a status update and pour my wife's Orange Juice.
Sitting with Sarah we watch Maddie, the clueless 15 year old who knows everything, play with Che while getting herself ready for school.
They rush out the door and it's just me and our baby.
Eating apples, she gleefully dances and smiles strapped into her chair listening to the Beach Music I crank when the girls leave.
Bath time's fun as I pour soapy water over Che's head and she makes faces and laughs.
Music time follows as I play guitar and sing as she laughs, dances and screams in delight if I get loud.
Throwing her in the magnificent stroller with speakers we listen to "The Boat Drunks" strolling down front, on the beach and around Back River until it's nap time.
When she sleeps I eat leftovers and fire up the computer, see what's happening in the world and if Che sleeps a while I write ... it takes a few days to finish what used to take a couple of hours ... though I'm no longer in a hurry.
Hearing her cry, I sneak beside the crib, rub her leg and ask, "Is my little girl needing her Dad?"
She smiles without seeing me melting.
The afternoon is sort of the morning in reverse.
I feed Che ... we play ... take a long walk to the Pier ... run into Uncle Johnny O who asks the baby to pull his finger ... meander back home ... start dinner ...wait on the girls ... greet Sarah at the top of the stairs and then it gets crazy!
It's girls, homework, boy drama, clothes explosions, crashing calendars, unbelievable things people do at work, interpretation of Catholic dogma in the real world, number of police stops/searches on Tybee Island, United Airlines and understanding Sean Spencer.
Occasionally Sarah and I steal a moment here or there.
My days are full of Che ... working on our tans during long Beach walks ... making up stories for her ... enjoying her enjoying me ... genuinely having fun in Church in a Bar ... and when the outside world intrudes into ours, I say "No" more than I ever have in my life.
At sixty, I feel good about the things I given to make the world a better place and it's a fascinating part of my journey to now be in a place where a little baby girl, and her mother, the constant distractions of three girls, bemusement at the ways of the world and the wonder of the Ocean fill me up.
Of course I've had to empty out lots of other things to make room.
Che and I are lathering up with Coppertone ready for our Beach walk!
I'll write when I can and let you know how it goes.
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