Page 18 of Daycare Santa

“Real talk.”

They laughed, acknowledging that man and dog only tolerated each other because of their parents. Eli accidentally stepped on Champ’s tail when he was a puppy, and since then the dog steered clear of him.

Friday afternoon was an exception to their parents’ rule about seeing to Champ’s welfare themselves. Anthony and Icilda went for their comprehensive health checkup, which fell on the same day as Champ’s appointment with the vet. Since Zack was at the daycare, the visit with the veterinarian fell to Eli, who didn’t dare tell their mother he wouldn’t do it. Nobody said no to Icilda Winters.

Lizette giggled, then sipped from a coffee mug. “I don’t suppose Champ feels any differently about you after his trip to the vet.”

“The issue is, he thinks he’s one of us.” Eli looked up from his laptop again. “I don’t know who gave him that impression.”

The three of them had a good laugh until their mother appeared in the doorway with a tray in her hands. “What’s so amusing?”

“Lizette and Champ,” Eli said, to which the dog gave a sharp bark.

“It’s breakfast time,” Mom declared. “Get the computers off the table and let’s eat.”

“The queen has spoken,” Zack said, “Gotta go, Liz.”

“Hi, baby.” Their mother laid the tray down, hunched next to Zack, and waved at the screen. “Love you, but the boys need to eat and you know how I feel about technology mixing with mealtimes.”

“I understand, but we were discussing how your sonandyour dog are trying to put me out of business.”

“Nobody sent me the memo, but I’m sure they’ll fill me in while we eat. Later, sweets.”

“Talk later, Z,” Lizette said, “And don’t make me have to reach out first.”

“I’ll do it when I get to Wintertime.”

“You better.” She smiled sweetly at him. “You look nice in uniform.”

He smirked and looked down at the black polo he wore. Although he’d only be at Wintertime for a short stint, Lizette insisted he look the part and got him a few shirts.

“Goodbye, Lizette. Enjoy today’s session.”

“Love you too, big brother,” was her snappy comment.

Zack closed the screen and sighed. He’d been uncharacteristically upbeat when Gina walked into the center and laid down money for her son’s care. While she was in-house, he forgot about the ring she wore and enjoyed the short time her company.

She was the opposite of Alana in some ways, and maybe that’s what attracted him. Her focus and the air of independence that said she was all business until it came to her son. Then, she turned into a fierce mama bear.

He lowered the laptop screen and set it on the lounge chair a few feet away, while Mom placed the dishes on the table and went back inside. Eli and he pulled the place mats with wrapped silverware in front of them as their father emerged through the glass sliding door.

Anthony Winters was a vintage copy of his sons, as he liked to say. They preferred telling folks they were the more vibrant version of their dad, teasing him about his salt-and-pepper beard. He sat at the head of the table and unwrapped the cutlery. “Good morning. Since you’re helping Lizette, I didn’t expect to see you today, Zack.”

“Mom ordered me to come. She thinks if she doesn’t feed me, I won’t eat.”

“And I’d be right,” she said, setting a plate in front of her husband.

They poked fun at Zack and his tendency not to eat until late in the day when his stomach was growling for all to hear, while Mom laid out the rest of their meal. Champ drew closer, hoping to score scraps from their plates, but backed away when Mom gave him a stern look.

When she finished saying grace, they passed around dishes filled with eggs, ham, fried dumplings, and ackee and codfish—their national dish.

For a while, they didn’t talk, a habit from when they were children and taught not to speak with food in their mouths.

“What’s the plan for today?” Mom asked, placing her teacup on the saucer.

Eli stretched and earned a frown from her, which made him lower both arms and sit straight. “I’m doing some coding. Hopefully, by the end of the day, I can wrap up this project.”

“Meanwhile, I’ll be over at Wintertime babysitting.”

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