Page 77 of A Whole New Play

My family laughs again. Next to me, Valerie is oddly silent.

“The potato project sounds lovely, honey,” my mom tells Abby, gently nudging her shoulder in encouragement. “You should do it.”

Abby beams, but her smile falters the next moment. “I’m not sure,” she mumbles, looking down at her lap. “Mom said it sounded boring.”

Blood roars in my ears.

The noise in the stadium dulls in the background as I digest the absolute bullshit my ex said to our daughter. The only sounds that penetrate my anger are my pulse thumping in my ear and my rapid heartbeat pumping adrenaline into my bloodstream.

Mom clears her throat. “Oh, I see.” Her eyes dart to mine before focusing on her granddaughter once more. “Well, some people might think something is boring when other people like it.”

“Yeah, like baseball,” Morgan quips, doing a hell of a job appearing unaffected by my daughter’s reveal. But I see the way her hands are clenched into fists. She’s never liked Laura. Neither has Carlee.

“It’s like… super boring,” Morgan adds in a dramatic, valley-girl accent.

Abby’s lips twitch. “Yeah… baseball is kinda boring.”

“Totally,” Morgan says then waves a hand at the crowd. “But look at all these people here. They love baseball. They don’t think it’s boring at all.”

Abby purses her lips as she takes in Morgan’s words.

Andy lifts his hand in the air as if asking for permission to speak then promptly declares, “I think the science fair is cool, and it would be awesome if you could use a potato as a flashlight.”

Abby rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling when she says, “The potato won’t be a flashlight. It will power one.”

“Oh. How?”

“Science,” Abby says in such an obvious tone that we all can’t help but laugh again.

Andy grins bashfully but takes our amusement in stride.

My heart swells with love for my gentle-souled son, and his support of his sister penetrates through the worst of my angry haze.

The twins can fight like cats and dogs at times, but there’s no denying the love they share for one another. They’re constantly looking out for each other, and I am grateful they’re so close.

Mom wraps an arm around Abby and encourages her to explain the details of her project. She begins discussing things I had no idea she knew about.

Heck, I barely know anything about electrical current in wires. I might have a little genius on my hands.

I look over to catch Morgan’s gaze and give her an appreciative smile.

She dips her head in a subtle nod.

I’m not sure what Carlee’s told her about my recent issues with Laura, but I appreciate her help in showing Abby not everyone thinks the way her mother does.

Laura’s not a terrible mom. She loves the twins, but I wouldn’t say she was meant to be a mom.

Sometimes, I’m not certain I was meant to be a dad. It’s the most demanding job I’ve ever had—and it requires a level of selflessness I wasn’t sure I was capable of. But when your kids’ tiny hands wrap around yours and they look up at you with adorable grins—when they tell you how much they love you—all the struggles are worth it. Your life’s purpose becomes making sure they are taken care of and supported.

You certainly don’t abandon them or criticize their hobbies and interests just because it’s not something you like or understand.

“Excuse me.” Valerie stands, jolting me out of my thoughts. Her legs brush against my knees as she shuffles past me. I will her to look at me, but she keeps her eyes trained on the ground under her feet.

I watch, confused as hell, as Valerie climbs up the narrow steps toward the first-level concourse.

Something is wrong.

I debate going after her, but just as I go to stand, Andy asks, “Is Valerie okay, Dad?”

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