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The hostess Shelia, a former student of mine, greeted us warmly. "Hi there, Mr. Kingsbury.” We made brief small talk catching up on how she had done at her first year of college and what it was like to be back home for the summer before she led us to a booth, and we settled in. As we waited for our server, I studied the menu, trying to decide what I wanted.
Molly appeared deep in concentration as she browsed hers. Her brow was furrowed, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
Hailey scrolled through her phone, a smirk playing on her lips.
“What are you getting?” I asked to no one in particular, but Hailey answered glancing up from her phone.
"What I always get."
I nodded. “Chicken parmesan then. Always a solid choice. I'm thinking about the steak."
"Sounds delicious," Molly murmured, still focused on the menu.
"What about you?" I asked, leaning in closer and she tucked her foot against mine under the table.
"Hmm, maybe the seafood platter."
As our server came over, we placed our orders. Hailey put her phone away and said, "I can't wait for Aunt Amy to have the baby. I'm going to babysit all the time."
"You're going to make an excellent big cousin," I said.
What she said next surprised the hell out of me. "Molly, do you want to have kids?"
Molly choked on her water and looked at me for a lifeline. Secretly, I wanted to know the answer, too, but rather than let her flounder, I helped her out. "Hailey, that's not an appropriate thing to ask."
"But why not?"
"It's okay," Molly said, touching my hand. "Yes, I do, someday."
"Someday, like you and my dad?"
"Hails, enough. This is not okay."
"No, no, Jake. It’s ok." Molly said, her cheeks flaming.
"Sorry," Hailey said, but I could tell she wasn't. "Do you think my mom and Hector will have kids?"
I had to repress a laugh at the way she said Hector, like his name was a disease. "I don't know, sweetie. There are a lot of factors that go into deciding whether or not to have a baby."
"How did you and my mom decide?"
Molly giggled and I narrowed my eyes at her.
"We loved each other and that's how we decided."
"Love doesn't make babies."
Molly was all but rolling on the floor. It would have been hilarious to me, too, if I hadn't been the one who had to answer the questions.
With my brows raised and teacher voice engaged, I said. "Ok, so, we'll talk about this later. Alright, Hailey?"
"Yeah, ok," she said. Fortunately, we managed to survive the evening without more awkward conversations.
Secretly, though, I was delighted thinking about Molly's answer. I hoped that someday was with me.
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MOLLY
