I moved through the party feeling proud of myself for throwing this all together and keeping it mostly under control, while also vowing that I’d never host something this big again.
At one point, Ellie slipped in beside me. “You’re doing too much,” she said softly.
I let out a laugh. “I always do. You know that.”
“I could’ve helped more before people got here.”
“You already did a lot.”
“You’re doing too much.”
For half a second, I let myself feel grateful she was there.
Then Will shrieked from somewhere under the tables. A little later, I spotted him crawling out from beneath a tablecloth with two other kids. He looked like he’d been raised outside by cheerful raccoons.
His knees were grass-stained, and his hands were filthy.
“Oh my God,” I said, catching him by the wrist. “Come here.”
Will twisted, laughing. “Mommy, no.”
He looked like he’d been raised outside by cheerful raccoons.
“We are not cutting the cake with you like this.”
“But I’m playing.”
“You can play after. Come on.”
I led him into the house, set him on a chair by the kitchen sink, turned on the faucet, and started scrubbing his hands. Will kept grinning at me.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“You can play after. Come on.”
He looked up, eyes bright, cheeks pink from running around. “Aunt Ellie has Dad.”
“Aunt Ellie has… what?” I paused. “What do you mean, baby?”
“I saw it when I was playing.”
I frowned as I wrapped a kitchen towel around his hands to dry them. “Saw what?”
He pulled his hands free. “Come. I show you.”
Young kids sometimes say things that feel ominous, but later turn out to be nothing.
That wasn’t one of those times.
“Aunt Ellie has Dad.”
I let him tug me back outside. Will lifted his arm and pointed at Ellie.
“Mom,” he said loudly, “Dad’s there.”
Ellie looked up at us and laughed.
I laughed, too. “Silly.”
But Will didn’t laugh. He kept pointing, serious now, his little face intent with the frustration of not being understood. I followed the line of his finger.
“Dad’s there.”
He wasn’t pointing at her face. He was pointing lower, toward her belly.
