“Mom, I need some red cabbage.”

I am used to odd requests, so I don’t even look up from the computer, but try to sound interested to keep from hurting his feelings.  “Why?”

“For my Science Fair Project.”

Immediately a little alarm goes off and I reluctantly take my eyes off the computer screen and look at my son.  “Your Science Fair Project?  When do you need to turn in a Science Fair Project?”

“Thursday.  I told you about it.”

Er…no he didn’t.  He’s just slipping that in there, hoping that I’ll think that he probably did tell me and I’ve been so deep into this book that I’ve just forgotten.  However, I know that he hasn’t told me about the Science Fair Project because last year’s race to finish the SFP was a hellish nightmare I have yet to forget.  To compound matters, my daughter has recently asked for lemons and I have a horrible suspicion that they aren’t for lemonade, as I’d orginally suspected, which means she probably has a SFP due on Thursday as well.

Oh, joy.

But then I remembered some magical words, words which would solve my problem and make it someone else’s….

“Tell your father.”