In just two hours

We got up late today.  I fixed breakfast, he complained of a sore throat. 
While breakfast was being made, I cleaned my bathroom.  He watched tv.
We ate breakfast and discussed the plan for the day.  Finished, I put my dishes away, washed the pans and cleaned the counter tops.  He put his dishes away and his makeshift bed/sleeping bag into his room. 
I vacuumed, he watched tv.  I bought a picture frame as a replacement for one that was dropped on the floor.  It was a touch smaller that the broken one.  That means I had to trim down the picture about one inch.  I went into the junk drawer, where I had put the exacto-knife not a week before.  I remember this because it had been left on the counter that week before by 13 year old hands.  When I looked for it today, it was gone.  I described what I was looking for.  Sterling claimed to have no recollection of how it got out of the drawer.  (Whatever...we've played the only child game so many times...you took it...just 'fess up.)
Since it was now gone, I grabbed a small pocket knife that I never used, but remembered that the blade was super sharp.  I sat down to cut the picture.  Opened up the pocket knife and saw that the tip of the knife was bent at a 45 degree angle.  I looked up at Sterling and showed him the blade.  "How did that happen?"  I asked.  "I don't know."   He replied. 

"This is why we can't have nice things."  This sentence went through my head.

I walked to the garbage and threw out the nice, sharp, bent and useless pocket knife.  Grabbed another knife and finished the picture and hung it on the wall. 

Then two kids voices came through the dining room window calling for Sterling.  He popped up, got dressed and started to head out.
"Where are you going?"  I asked.
"To play with my friends."
"You gotta clean up the egg mess that your friends made when they threw those two eggs at the door.  The broken shells in front of the door, on the wall and everywhere...you need to clean it up."
"GUYS...GET IN HERE...WE GOTTA CLEAN UP THE EGG SHELLS!"  He barked at his friends.

They took about 10 gallons of hot soapy water out front and tried to clean it up. 
When he was finished he started to walk out.  Then he asked me for $20.
"Where are you going?"  I asked.
"To play with my friends."
"Take out the garbage and recycles."
"GUYS...COME HERE!"  He barked again.  He loaded up one of his friends with the recycles, he took the garbage bag with one hand, twenty dollar bill in the other.
"Be back at 3:30...we're heading over to Doug's then."  I reminded him.
"Where's my phone?"  He asked.
"In my pocket."
"Can I have it?"
"No.  You are still grounded from electronics.  You still have an F"
"How will I know when to be back?"  He asked.  (with the GIVE ME MY PHONE tone)
"Without your phone, thats how.  Get your grades up and get your phone back."
He left.
I went outside to check out his egg shell cleaning.  The ground was wet.  Other than that, it looked the same.  I tried to sweep it but my broom is crappy and my other one is mysteriously missing.  (only children don't know where it has gone off to.  Only dads put their tools back when they are done.)  So, I'll wait for the pavement to dry then I'll buy a new broom and finish the job.
Ten minutes later he came back and asked if he left the $20 in the house. 
"No.  I handed it to you and you left with the garbage."  I told him.
"That's what I thought." 
I could see by the look in his eye that he wanted to ask me for another $20, but he didn't.
He emptied both pockets in front of me.  Checked his coat pockets and told me the $20 must have fallen out.
"Be back at 3:30."  I reminded him.  Out the door he went again.