Page 38 of Together Is Where We Belong

“Where’s your car?” Luke asked as soon as he stood in front of Leo.

“It’s parked right there,” Leo said as he pointed to his red pickup truck in the driveway next door.

“Why didn’t you park in our driveway?” Luke asked, ever the inquisitive child that he was. Leo looked up at me for directions, and I just shrugged. There’d be no going back once Luke knew Leo was right next door.

“I live next door,” Leo admitted, and Luke jumped up and down.

“That means I can see you all the time,” Luke said as he raced up the steps, almost tripping on the next to the top step, and stood in front of the door.

“Let me grab that for you,” Leo said as he took the pizza box from my hand.

“Thanks,” I said as I dug around in my bag for my keys.

As soon as the door was opened, Luke ran inside and down the hall, hopefully to wash up before dinner, but knowing him, he was off to grab the Lego set he wanted to build.

I walked inside and kicked off my shoes, and Leo followed behind me.

“Where should I put this?” Leo asked, and I told him to put it on the counter.

He walked in the kitchen and did as I instructed as I dragged my feet behind me. I didn’t know how I’d stay awake tonight, but I promised Leo he could see Luke, and I wasn’t going to back out.

Luke came down the hallway with the Lego set he’d talked about building with Leo, a race car of some sort.

“Did you wash your hands?” I asked sluggishly.

“Yes, ma’am. Do you want to build this with me after dinner?” Luke excitedly asked as he held out the box to Leo.

He took the box from him and said, “Sure thing, buddy.” I didn’t think I’d ever seen Leo smile that big before as he looked down at our little boy.

“Hurry up. Let’s eat so we can build it,” Luke said as he tugged on Leo’s hand. Leo followed him over to the table and sat down.

I gathered the plates and put one slice on Luke’s and two on mine and Leo’s. Carefully, I carried all three plates over to the table and sat down.

“Can I have some juice with dinner?” Luke asked as he took a bite of his pizza.

“I’ll grab it,” Leo said, and I sighed in relief as Leo stood and walked over to the fridge. I wasn’t sure why I was so exhausted suddenly, but I was grateful I didn’t have to move.

“Thanks,” I muttered as I took a bite of my pizza. It was good, but for some reason I didn’t think I could stomach another bite.

To my surprise, Leo returned with a juice box for Leo and a glass of tea for each of us.

“Thanks, Dad,” Luke said as Leo handed him the juice.

“You’re welcome, buddy.” Leo beamed. I noticed that every time Luke called Leo dad that Leo’s smile grew.

I took a sip of the tea and could feel the exhaustion take hold. Looking at my watch, I noticed I had two more hours until Luke’s bedtime. I wasn’t sure how I’d make it, but I’d find a way.

“You, okay?” Leo asked. I turned toward him and tried to mask my tiredness, but apparently, I hadn’t done a decent job if he was asking.

“Yeah, I just had a long day at the office,” I explained.

“What is it that you do?” Leo asked.

“My mom’s a hero,” Luke shouted, causing me to cringe at the loudness of his voice. Every time I got this tired, a migraine ensued. I wasn’t even sure if I had my medication on hand, but hopefully I did.

“She is?” Leo asked as he looked at me to further explain.

“I’m a nurse at the family practice on Main St,” I told him.