BACK AT HOME, SARAH turned the kettle on. “Liam, why don’t you go on upstairs and wash your face and your hands?”
Liam ignored her and instead opened the pantry. “I’m hungry.”
“Honey, Liam—I asked you to go and wash up before you eat.”
Liam shut the pantry door and went to open the fridge.
“Liam,” Sarah said firmly. She placed a hand on the fridge and shut the door. “I told you to go—”
“No!”
Sarah stood frozen in surprise as her four-year-old stood with a scowl on his face. Just like that, her happy child had once again switched off. “Liam—”
“No!” Liam covered his ears with his hands before sputtering a series of more “no’s”.
Caleb came into the kitchen and squatted in front of Liam. “Hey, buddy,”—he took Liam’s hands off his ears—“how about you go and wash up like your mom said, w
