By this point, the four of us were used to things. We were like a well-oiled machine. As soon as we sat, we ordered the children’s meals. The kids tolerated the tableness of the table. Max did not demand his customary ramp exercises. We had our iPhone apps at the ready but did not need them. We all seemed to sense this little experiment was coming to an end. A group from Quebec at our table remarked how well behaved our children were.

“They are not like this normally,” I said. “They have been trained. Like seals.”

The restaurant hummed. Locals laughed and made intricate gestures with their fingertips that meant all was not lost.

I had one more bite of ravioli. And then I was done. I had finally overdosed on Italian food, something I did not think was scientifically possible.

“Down,” said Max, pointing at the ground.

And down we went. We had taken the wandering path and arrived at this moment, just in time.

Reif Larsen is the author of the novels “I Am Radar” and “The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet,” which was adapted into a feature film, “The Young and Prodigious T. S. Spivet.”

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