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Iris
"Tag! You're it!" Noah yelled from the hallway. Dylan went running by me, almost knocking the box of glasses from my hand.
Frustration built inside of me as he looked behind me, a huge smile on his face. "Sorry Mom, gotta go hide," he whispered and took off toward the pantry in the back of the kitchen.
"Ready or not!" I heard Noah yell.
I set the box of glasses on the counter and began placing each one in the sink of hot water I'd just run. We arrived in Willow Valley yesterday. Now the actual work began, and it looked like it was going to be all on me. I'd just placed the last glass in the sink and was crushing the box when the boys ran back through the room. This time, Dylan caught the leg of one of the chairs and sent the box of dishes I’d placed there crashing to the ground. I cringed at the sound of breaking glass behind me and turned to see him standing there looking at the mess on the floor at his feet.
"Sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to..."
I could see the tears fill his eyes, and hoped I could stop the meltdown before it began. I took a deep breath. The last thing I wanted was for him to cry, he’d cried enough in the past couple years. Besides, there was no use getting angry. The damage was done.
"It's alright." I looked over at the mess on the floor. The last three years had been hard on us all. This was the first time I’d seen either of these boys laugh, and I didn’t want to see it end over something so small. "I have an idea. Why don't you take your brother into the backyard and play catch? I found the ball and your baseball gloves in a bag last night and I put them by the back door.”
I walked over to check out the damage. I had no clue what was in the box, but by the look of the broken glass spilling out of the top, some severe damage had probably been done.
"Sure." Dylan plodded toward the back door, head down.
"Hey...it's just a couple of broken dishes, nothing that can't be replaced. Okay." I smiled.
Dylan said nothing, just nodded his head. “I’m really sorry, Mom.”
I’d tried hard not to get angry with them over the little things anymore. It wasn’t worth it, even though my patience was wearing thin, given how tired I was. Since we'd lost Lucas, nothing had been the same. Today was the first day the boys were actually running around laughing and smiling since I'd announced we were moving. They lost their father, and now, because I couldn’t afford to keep the house we’d been living in, they were now losing all their friends.
I sighed, bent down, and straightened up the box that had fallen. The instant I saw what was written on the side, I wanted to cry. It contained not only a pile of plates but the two wineglasses that we used to toast on our wedding day.
I closed my eyes as I opened the box. I'd been in a hurry to pack this box and had shoved those glasses down beside the plates, knowing they should have been better protected. On top was a sea of broken plates, and I reached in and grabbed one of the glasses, carefully unwrapping it, producing a perfect glass. When I reached in and grabbed the other, I didn't even need to open it to know it had broken.I’d heard the crunch.
"Dammit," I whispered under my breath as a tear ran down my cheek. The glass was broken, just like us.
"Mom...Mom...." I heard Dylan yell from the back door.
I quickly wiped my cheeks and placed the wrapped-up broken glass into the garbage. I took a drink of water to help the tightness in my throat.
"Yeah, what is it?" I yelled, my voice not wavering one bit.I’d gotten good at that over the last five years, so many nights I’d spent the evening crying, first when the diagnoses came in and after he’d passed when memories flooded me. Never once had I let on to them that I’d broken down because I knew I had to remain strong.
"There are a couple of kids outside. Can we go down to the park at the end of the road and play?"
I glanced out the kitchen window to see Noah out front talking with two boys who weren’t much older than Dylan.
"I don't know..."
"Please, Mom...please. We will just be down at the end of the road. We’ll be home by dinner. Promise. Please."
"Alright, well, just be careful. Don’t talk to any strangers, and make sure you come home on time for dinner. You have your watch?"
Dylan held his arm up and pulled his sleeve up, showing his watch.
"Okay, no later than five," I said, glancing up at the clock.
"Thanks, Mom. Again, I'm sorry about the box."
He kissed my cheek quickly as he passed through the kitchen and took off out the front door.
* * *
"Alright, boys. Dinner is ready!" I yelled up the stairs where they had been tasked with making their beds. It had been a blessing to have my brother-in-law and his friends available to be here for the movers yesterday. They had been kind enough to set up all the bedroom furniture for us, so I didn’t have to.
