A few weeks back, a most unusual hibernation took hold of them.

Luca and Olin have always been wanderlust babies and ‘fernweh’ will probably be their first tattoo. For them, a day without stepping outdoors is a day wasted. Their expressions darken and they cry when we can’t leave home. Or at least they used too. These days it takes all kinds of slyness and subterfuge to get them into their winter jackets and onto their double-decker stroller.

HRM joked with me that our latest home stay had gone on longer than any Covid quarantine. Yesterday, as a last ditch effort, I showed them a picture of a Ford Mustang buried in the snow and told them it was still there, waiting for their visit. The gamble payed off and miraculously we were off in search of their favorite sports car. The whole way over, I prayed it would still be where I saw it last. Mercifully, it was. And it was also clear of snow. They stared in awe as it sparkled in the morning light. I took one look at it and wished it was ours and we were about turn the key and hit the road.

Then I heard the voice, just over my right shoulder, saying to me: “It’s yours for $50,000, my friend”.