A Finely Measured Sleep

(My mother works a 12-hour night shift as a nurse, so she has an inconsistent schedule and often sleeps during the day. She also has been working on renovating the basement. My mom has just worked a full shift the night before, and she’s snoring away. I’m hanging out in her room with my laptop. It’s around 2 pm when she suddenly gets up and slips downstairs.)

Me: “Mom? Are you going out?”

Mom: *sleepily* “No. I need to measure the floor downstairs so I know how much tile I need.”

Me: “Okay… ”

(She exits the room and comes back a bit later, takes off her shoes, and climbs back into bed.)

Me: “Why did you measure the floor now, anyway?”

Mom: “I was wondering how expensive it would be to re-tile the floor.”

(She promptly falls back asleep, snoring away. A few hours later, she is properly awake, and I ask about the measurements.)

Mom: “I did that? I don’t remember. Darn, I wish I’d at least remembered the measurements!”