Piper can’t decide if she’s sick today. Her head hurts. Her tummy hurts. She may or may not have strep throat. She has no actual discernible symptoms. No fever. No runny nose. At least not that I can tell. It’s hard to check her temperature when she’s dancing around the living room as Daddy plays the guitar. She’s insisting on only soft foods: homemade waffles, strawberries, mac n cheese. Those happen to be her favorites anyway. How convenient.

“Mom, what’s it mean to faint?”

“Well, you kind of fall over like you’re sleeping. You aren’t really awake.”

“I feel like I’m going to faint,” Piper says, curling up in my lap. I take the opportunity to look down her throat. Nothing. “I need some orange spice tea.”

Then Piper finds a beach ball among the bags at the front door.  Sissy and her friends are throwing a going away party for one of their Dancing Queens. Piper digs deeper in the bags. There’s confetti, water balloons, and cookies.

“Party?” Piper says, “Beach balls? Thank goodness I’m feeling better!”