“Just us three?” I echo numbly. My brain is still straddling the line between past and present, and the caffeine deficiency isn’t helping.
She gives me a patient smile. “For breakfast. Are you waiting on someone?”
“Oh!” I blink away the mental cobwebs. “No, it’s just us. And do you have a kids’ menu?”
“No kids’ menu, but not to worry. We have lots of kid-friendly options for breakfast.” I press my lips together. Kid-friendly does not always meanautistic-kidfriendly. Levi can be very rigid when it comes to food, especially in restaurants. He always orders the same thing: chicken tenders, fries, and lemonade. We rarely eat out for breakfast, since he has a nonnegotiable morning meal: miniature chocolate-chip Eggo pancakes. As in Eggo and no other brand. I’ve tried to make him a homemade version, but he refused to even try them. If the pancakes don’t come in that tiny yellow bag, he’s not interested. And not for my lack of trying to switch him to an organic brand.
We follow her into the dining section, where she seats us at a table with overstuffed fabric chairs and hands us plastic-covered menus, a welcoming smile stretched across her face.
“I’m Violet,” she says. She points to her pigtails. “Like the hair. And I’ll be taking care of you today. Do you want any coffee while you look over the menu?”
“Yes, please.” I throw her a desperate look. “Feel free to bring over the whole pot.”
She tips back her head and laughs. “I feel that. If you ask me, the government should be providing free coffee to moms.”
“It’s honestly the least they could do.”
She laughs again and then turns to Isla.
“You seem like a sophisticated lady. Can I interest you in some coffee as well?”
Isla gives her a reluctant smile. “I’m only nine years old.”
“You’renine? I’d have guessed you were a petite seventeen.”
Isla giggles and I feel my shoulders relax. This is the Poconos, I remember, full of people who are friendly, welcoming, and down-to-earth. Exactly the vibe I need right now. It’s a stark opposition to LA, where most people are nice but never without an ulterior motive.
“I’ll give you folks a few minutes to look over the menu.”
“I want tiny pancakes!” Levi tells her gleefully.
Violet tips her head to the side and presses the pen in her hand to her lips. “Hmm. Do you mean silver dollar?”
“My brother only likes miniature chocolate-chip pancakes,” Isla tells her primly. “And they aren’t on the menu. Can you make them for him?”
Oh, Isla. Her brother’s keeper, always. Still, the request fills me with discomfort. The last thing I want is to give the people here the impression that we are stuck-up and demanding. The quintessential celebrity stereotype.
“Sweetie, I don’t know—” I begin, but Violet waves me off.
“We can throw some chocolate chips into the silver-dollar pancakes. No problem at all,” she says. She smiles at Isla. “He’s lucky to have a big sister like you who looks out for him. I wish you were my big sister.”
Isla flushes with pleasure. “My brother has autism,” she explains. “Sometimes he needs extra help.”
Something changes in Violet’s face as she appraises Isla. “You’re a gem,” she tells her. “And I bet you’re a hungry one too. Do you know what you’d like to eat?”
After Isla and I place our orders, I can sense a shift in my daughter’s mood.
“I guess this place isn’t so bad,” she admits. I do my best to suppress a smile. Maybe she’ll let go of her attitude sooner than expected.
“I think it’s going to be a really great summer,” I say.
Isla stirs her straw in her water thoughtfully.
“Is Daddy going to visit us?” she asks. A trace of guilt creeps into her features and I anticipate her follow-up question before she asks it. “Will it make you sad if he brings Rayna?”
It’s been a struggle for Isla to reconcile her feelings about the divorce and her father’s new whirlwind relationship. On the one hand, she was devastated when we told her about the divorce. What kid wouldn’t be? On the other, Rayna voiced a character in one of her favorite Pixar movies and she was absolutely starstruck when Rocky brought her as his date to the premiere. I can tell she’s looking for me to tell her how she should feel about the entire thing and whether it’s okay if she enjoys spending time with Rayna. It’s a role I’m not taking lightly.
Still, we made a hasty departure from the West Coast to escape R&R for a reason. Maybe it’s selfish, but I’m committed to protecting my peace as long as possible. And the best way to do that is to keep my ex away from here for as long as possible.
