Zaida was going to OBJECT to PJs because changing into PJs is usually not a great experience, but these ones have stars on them. Also she's tired right now, which is different than being forced to go to bed at your bedtime.

It takes her a kind of excessive amount of time to change into them. This is partly because she's not entirely sure how to get her arms and head through the right holes, and partly because she has to focus on not hurting herself while she does it.

Fred does not often curse, because God doesn't approve of cursing, but fuck Zaida's caregivers.

He helps her, and once she is in her PJs, he helps her brush her teeth.

Zaida cooperatively brushes her teeth. This isn't very bad of her, but Auntie Keturah said her teeth would get hurt if she ate cookies and then didn't brush them, and Zaida likes her teeth.

"Do you tell bedtime stories?" she asks him, when she's otherwise ready to go to sleep.

"I don't know that I've told one before, but I can try!"

He tells the story of the Three Little Pigs. He does the voices with great enthusiasm. 

Zaida hasn't heard this story before! It's pretty different from the stories that Auntie Keturah tells, but she likes it.

"You're good at stories! You're ALMOST as good as Auntie Keturah."

And she sleeps.

Fred stares at the ceiling for a while wondering how his life got to be like this, but eventually he goes to sleep too.

Zaida gets up with the sun. She draws things with the pen and paper on the hotel nightstand until Fred wakes up. She's trying to draw dragons but they mostly look like some kind of unholy mutant offspring of a fish and a dog.

"That's a nice dragon! I have some cereal for breakfast, and then we can hit the road."

"OK!"

Zaida sings to herself and eats her cereal and changes into her normal clothes because you can't wear PJs outside.

Fred takes a minute to text Serena. Sorry 4 disappearing-- govt work. Can't talk. BBS. Love you.

"Can we go find Mommy now?"

"Yes!!!"

"Oh good!!"

Two days pass! They sleep in motels that let you pay in cash and don't check ID, eat at restaurants, and listen to a LOT of Silly Songs with Larry.

Keturah has noticed over the course of the past two days that there are drones following her. They're hovering over her house, they're there when she goes to the library, they're there when she goes to the store, and they're still there when she goes to the nursing home, so she's pretty sure they're following her in particular.

She is concerned.

He didn't really expect that there wouldn't be spydrones. 

Leaving Zaida in the car for two hours risks some Good Samaritan calling CPS. Finding her short-term childcare risks someone recognizing her from the television news. It's a judgment call, and he's not sure which is going to be worse. 

"Zaida," he says, "have your grownups ever let you cut your own hair?" 

"They didn't! Never ever!"

Fred produces scissors and a set of markers and internally prays to Zaida's mother for forgiveness. "How would you like to cut your OWN hair AND draw whatever you want on your own face?"

"REALLY??"

"Absolutely!"

Zaida has very interesting opinions of what faces should look like. They involve lots of lightning bolts and stars and swirls and NO symmetry. Also her hair is annoying and it is gone now.

Literally no one would recognize this child as the girl from the TV!

"I have another job for you. A very important job!"

"I CAN DO IT."

She has no idea what it is.

"We are going to a place! The person who runs the place is a VERY GOOD LADY. She doesn't like it when little girls make up stories!"

"I like stories."