Page 62 of On My Side
Three women stare at me expectantly—Audrey, Piper, and Leia. We finished our fourth episode ofGilmore Girls, and I know no matter what I say, I’m going to disappoint someone.
“I liked it,” I answer, immediately looking at Audrey and internally fist pumping when she beams at me. “I especially liked the pilot and how it introduced the characters.”
“Ugh,” Piper groans, slumping back against the couch. “I should have known you’d betray me.”
“What did you think about Lorelai’s outfit for the first day of school?” Audrey asks, sympathetically patting her daughter on the top of her head. “Have any parents worn something like that when dropping their kid off?”
“Honestly, the weirdest shit I’ve seen has been during private lessons. I haven’t seen anything that memorably strange at school but…” I trail off when I realize both Audrey and Piper are staring at me again. “What?”
“You can’t bring up weird shit happening during private lessons and leave it at that!” Piper exclaims.
“She’s right,” Audrey agrees, turning to face me. “Now you gotta tell us the weirdest things you’ve seen during private lessons.”
I look around cautiously, like I could be caught telling a salacious story by someone. “This one family had a nanny…”
They both groan in disappointment. “The dad and the nanny?” Piper mutters. “How predictable.”
“No, no. Not the dad and the nanny,” I correct, leaning in towards them. “Themomand the nanny.”
They both gasp with the appropriate amount of drama for the plot twist. “Oh, that’s much better,” Piper responds, a glint of mischievous glee in her eyes. It’s a really good thing this kid likes me.
I give them the sordid details, or at least as many as I can give that don’t give away the family’s identity, and what’s appropriate for a teenager. They eat it up. We then watch another episode ofGilmore Girlsbefore Audrey and I clean up after dinner. She washes the dishes, passing them to me to dry while Piper and Leia lounge on the couch.
“Thanks for indulging me and pretending to enjoy my show,” Audrey says, putting a pink ceramic dish into the dishwasher. When she straightens, she’s so close her damn coconut shampoo overpowers the smell of the cleaner she wiped down the counter with.
“I wasn’t pretending,” I say earnestly, putting the pink ceramic dish into the cabinet. “I enjoyed it.”
She ducks her head, but I can still see the smile on her face. “Even if you’re lying, thanks for giving that to me. Piper has made her hatred of the show crystal clear since the first time we watched it. I wonder if sheactuallyhates it, or if she enjoys the show, but enjoys the ritual of hating it even more.”
“Knowing Piper, either option seems plausible.”
“Very true,” Audrey agrees, closing the dishwasher and starting the cycle. “Thanks for getting to know her and teaching her, by the way. She’s always talking about you.”
“It’s honestly nothing. She’s a damn cool kid.”
She meets my eyes, and my knees are wobbly. “Um,” I say, voice as shaky as my legs. “I was thinking since tomorrow’s Sunday and Piper’s having such a good time with Leia… maybe she could spend the night? If that’s okay with you?”
Her smile grows. “Shared custody?” she teases.
“I figure if I voluntarily share custody, your daughter’s less likely to kidnap my cat,” I say, and Audrey laughs that goddamn laugh, making my heart skip a beat. Maybe I should see a doctor about that, it can’t be good for my cardiac health.
“That’s fine with me,” she says when her laughter quiets. I miss the sound immediately. “Wanna go ask Piper?”
“Yes!” Piper screeches when I ask her, leaping to her feet.
“Meow,” Princess Leia says, presumably in agreement with her new favorite human.
Piper starts rambling about how she’ll take such good care of Leia, how she won’t overfeed her and will play with her and will snuggle her all night, unless she’d rather sleep alone.
I’m listening, but I can’t help but peek over her shoulder, at Audrey who beams while leaning against the doorway. She meets my eyes, blushes, and god, I’m glad to know I make her feelsomething, though I don’t know what it is exactly.
“Okay, Piper,” Audrey eventually says, pushing off the door frame. “Why don’t you and Leia start getting ready for bed? I’m gonna walk Mr. Q out.”
I’m thrown off balance—literally—when Piper throws herself at me and wraps an arm around my waist.
“Thanks for letting my best friend sleep over, Mr. Q. And hanging out with me and Mom—you madeGilmore Girlsalmost bearable.”
I have no idea how to respond. Usually when a student hugs me, I’ll hug them back, but they’re also usually much younger than Piper, and I’m not obsessed with their adult.
