They shook hands.
Suddenly, Arthur realized—“Why don’t I hear the TV anymore?”
Moments later he came sprinting out of the house, Grandma behind him, swinging a bat over her head like a helicopter propeller.
“Wren, start the engine!” he yelled. Wren, just waking up from a car nap, eyes wide, did as she was told. Arthur made a mental note of how quickly and smoothly she shifted into Getaway Driver mode. He would have to ask her some additional questions about her past.
But only if they survived this.
Arthur stumbled down the stairs, sprinted across the front lawn, and dove in. In an instant, they peeled away, just in time to dodge the bat, which Grandma had hurled at them like a tomahawk.
“So…how did it go?” Wren asked.
13
Wren:Have a Birthday Party at Chuck E. Cheese
With less than three weeksnow left until baby, until parenthood, until full life upheaval was upon them, Arthur was driving blind.
Wren would have driven herself, but squeezing in behind the steering wheel was getting more than a little uncomfortable. Plus, it was more fun this way.
“Right at this light,” she called out at close to the last second, reading off her phone’s GPS. Arthur just barely made the turn, sending the loose car seat in the back tumbling. He was really going to have to get around to putting that in, or they’d never let him take the baby home. Worse, he’d be the laughingstock of all the other new dads at the hospital.
“You could just let me see that map; that would be easier. And safer,” he said.
“It’ll ruin the surprise. A left up here.”
“You said this was an experience foryou,” he said, jerking the wheel again, “so why do I need to be surprised?”
“Because it’s clearly annoying you.”
Wren gave his leg a squeeze above the knee, then anotherhigh up on his thigh. Arthur let out a yelp and jerked the steering wheel.
“Woman, what are you doing?! You know driving in the city stresses me out; you’re not helping.”
“I know,” she said, beaming. “I’m just excited.”
So it hadn’t gone great with Martin. But at least it had gone at all. Maybe getting right back on the horse was the smart thing to do.
A few minutes later, they arrived, pulled into the parking lot, and stepped out. Wren needed an extra hand from Arthur to make it all the way out of her seat. Her legs were feeling like jelly and her energy was low. She knew Dr. Abadi would tell her she should be at home resting. But she wasn’t going to pass this up, not a chance.
Before them was one of the few remaining Chuck E. Cheeses in the greater Baltimore area, and even though it had seen better days (theHhad fallen off of the sign, making it justC Uck E. Cheese), it lit Wren up on the inside like Christmas morning.
“This is what you drew out of the jar,” Arthur said. “This is what you’ve been so secretive about today?”
“Not just today,” Wren said wistfully. “I’ve been waiting for this.”
Inside, the place was dark, a little damp, with flashing neon lights and upbeat synthetic music pouring out of all the machines. A children’s casino. They walked up to the front desk, where a bored-looking teen girl twiddled on her phone.
“Welcome to Chuck E. Cheese,” she droned.
“Hi,” Wren began. “I’d like to book a birthday party.”
She could feel Arthur looking over at her now, no doubt wondering what the hell she was doing. Wren’s birthday wasn’t for another two months. But by then, she knew, no one would care. The day would be like any other, going by in a haze of diapers and bottles and all the day-to-day tasks that couldn’t be paused just because Wren wanted to feel special. God, being a grown-up sucked.
“What day?” The teen still wasn’t looking up.
“How’s about right now?”
