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“Let’s say it’s both and keep the trajectory going. If the same tactic doesn’t work for our fall line, then we’ll step back to the drawing board.”
“Mom, you promised no work talk,” Brody said.
“I did. You’re right. I’m sorry. You ready to watch a movie, kiddo?”
“Yep. Mulan.”
“Oh, so you think you’re just going to choose out of thin air and we’ll go along with it?” I asked.
He beamed. “Yep.”
“I like Mulan. Can I sing along?” Kristi asked.
“Only if you can get louder than me,” Brody said, grinning.
“Oh, you’re on.”
I was squished between two people whose mouths were full of ice cream. They screamed “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” in my ear, and my head was ringing by the time they were done. But I knew Brody wouldn’t get through the entire movie. He never did. His head began to bob about halfway through, and soon he lay on my shoulder and the ice cream spoon slipped from his grasp.
“You get the ice cream. I’ll get the boy,” I said.
“Then I’ll come back out with our Mom juice,” Kristi said, grinning.
She caught the ice cream as it tumbled from Brody’s lap. I hoisted him into the air, then carried him up the stairs to his bedroom. He was as heavy as they came, but I didn’t care. I’d never get tired of carrying my pride and joy into his bedroom and tucking him in. One day, there’d come a time I wouldn’t be able to do that anymore. There would be a day he’d scurry off to bed by himself and watch movies in there because game nights with Mom weren’t cool anymore.
I set him on his bed and took his shoes off, then tucked him in and kissed him on his head.
“I love you so much,” I whispered.
I walked out of his room, closed his door, and made my way back downstairs.
Kristi sat on the couch and held out a glass of wine to me. I took it gratefully. I flopped down on the couch beside her and began to chug, not stopping until I had drained the entire glass.
“Okay, Momma, let’s take this from you.”
“Hey. That’s mine. I want another glass,” I said.
“I’ll get you one, once I finish mine.”
“Then hurry up.”
“Why don’t you start by telling me what’s making you chug this very fine wine I bought?”
“It’s a ten-dollar bottle from the grocery store.”
“Hey, it’s fine wine to me,” she said. “Now spill.”
“So, Brody and I went to our sandwich shop yesterday for lunch.”
“Yeah? And?”
“Guess who we ran into?”
Kristi’s eyes bulged before she pushed herself off the couch. She tossed my wine glass back to me before rushing into the kitchen, then came back with the bottle of wine in her hand. She dropped down beside me and filled my cup to the brim, then poured the rest into her glass.
“Good thing you have these big ones,” she said.
“I bought them for a reason.”
“So you ran into Tyler with Brody. What the fuck happened with that?”
“It was awful, Kristi. I tried to hide Brody from him. That seemed like a shitty thing to do, but it was that protective instinct in me, you know? But Brody was curious, so he stepped out from behind me. The second Tyler saw him, his face paled.”
“Oh shit.”
“Yeah. He just kept looking between the two of us, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.”
“Did you tell him?”
“No! How the hell could I? I mean, I didn’t lie. I introduced Tyler to my son, Brody, but I didn’t tell him who Brody was. I mean, what would that have done to my boy?”
“Understandable. But you are going to tell him now, right?”
“I have to. It was obvious to him who Brody’s father was. At least I think it was.”
“What did you say? What happened?”
“Kristi, it was shit. I introduced Tyler to Brody and he was like, ‘Your son?’ I confirmed it, and then he turned his attention to Brody. And do you know what the first question out of his mouth was?”
“What?”
“He asked Brody how old he was.”
“Oh fuck. He knows.”
“And I wasn’t going to stop Brody from talking. I mean, that’s his father. Brody doesn’t know that, but he met his fucking father, Kristi.”
Tears rose to my eyes as I took another sip of my wine.
“So the two of them kept talking and Brody got so excited. Brody asked if Tyler could come over and play water balloon fight, and Tyler said he’d love to.”
“Love to?”
“Yeah. Love to. And Tyler asked if Brody was taking care of me, and I found out that my son hears me crying in the shower sometimes and that he sits at the bathroom door, listening, so I don’t have to cry alone.”
“He what now? Wait a second. Back up.”
“So much happened, Kristi. All that I’m sure of is that I haven’t been the good mother I thought I was. Maybe I’ve always been a shitty mother.”
