only guy is on his feet when united flight 175 makes its final course correction , lifts its nose slightly and plows at over 200 mph into the side of the second world trade center tower love-hate the mother was yammering-hammering at the child with her voice because she was setting the container down on the unwashed counter again without a thought and the picnic box would have spears and crumbs in it again which would of course aggravate the mother no end like all the other things her numerous brood did and had been doing for nigh on twenty-five years and she was tired which she mentioned often in the ears of her remaining children at home while they and she counted the minutes with sub consciousness and the days aloud to the time when they could leave this house forever the children were looking forward to the picnic not because they were going with their mother or father who was always busy on his computer and didnt evince the slightest interest in stopping and only did so because it was somehow perceived as his religious duty which he did not exactly shirk or wish abrogated but did often wish that it was not thrust upon him so often but the children were looking forward to the picnic because all children like picnics as an excuse to get out of the house where voices and bodies and messes are so often too close together for comfort words were filling the air and none of them really very nice and all of them actually out of habit as emotional buttons were poked and the mother used her repertoire of be nice to your sister/brother say three nice things about ( insert name ) and all of it was so worn and automatic that she could think faraway things at the exact moment the words passed her tightened lips and gritting teeth the picnic was late anyways and it would be getting chilly before they got to the park so the dad figured it was a waste of time and would not be very pleasant diversion with the only redeeming feature of the whole outing being its briefness the argument of which park to go to would take more time and that was to the good as far as the dad was concerned because hed get back to his computer sooner that way so he didnt budge until every single child was already in the van and waiting meanwhile things came up and time went by and the affair became even more impractical but the mother would not let it go because families were supposed to do things together on family night and so it all turned out one more family outing bought the farm and blame was hurled about and tears shed by little ones and the father silently kept one hand on the steering wheel and an elbow on the armrest the sun was already down when they got to the park but it wouldnt have been so bad if the food had been better but it was only leftovers which no one had enjoyed the first time and parks and picnics dont really change the food not really times were bad for everyone these days but at least this family had money for enough food and gas for the van more was required before they would look back with fondness upon the days they had spent together when they had not been hungry and had had the freedom the means to travel away from the house whenever they felt like it and more was forthcoming soon enough because hard times did that to everyone everywhere rameslie my father lars nelsson came to england with canute , and brought his wife fay and their two sons , myrddin ( myself ) and john , my brother who was but a babe in arms .