Page 118 of Three Not-So-Little Words
“Whoa!” She matches his level of excitement. “What day?”
“June tenth.”
“Mine is the fifteenth!”
He smiles.
“Do you like to swim?” She asks him.
“Yeah.”
“Maybe next year, we can have a pool party together.”
“Yeah!”
She’s already talking about next year? That has to be a good sign, right?
They go quiet for a moment until Colton asks, “Ronnie, why are we making cupcakes for Mommy if she’s not around to eat them?”
My heart breaks a little. It’s not fair that his mom isn’t around to see how much more amazing he becomes every day.
She messes with the spatula in the leftover batter as she talks. “Because although your mom may not be here with you, I’d like to think that she is still here with you in spirit. And I think that she is so happy watching over you and knowing that you’re thinking about her on her birthday.”
When he doesn’t say anything she keeps going, “I think it’s important to always do things to remember the people that we’ve lost. We can make your mom cupcakes to remind us of her and remind us of all the good times you had with her.”
“Did your mom die too?” He asks.
“No,” she pauses a moment. “But I lost a really good friend of mine a long time ago. I still try to do things that honor his memory.”
As he still works on his cupcake, he says in a low voice, “I really miss her.”
Even from here, I can hear the emotion welling up inside him. I want to run over there and comfort him so badly, but I also don’t want to ruin this moment between the two of them. If I want them to have a genuine bond, I need to let them cultivate that rather than jumping in at every turn.
She takes the icing from him and sets him on the counter. “Hey kid, look at me.”
He does, and she says, “I know you miss her. And that’s okay. You should always miss her. But you just always have to remember that she loved you so much, and more than anything, she just wants you to have a good life and to be happy. And you know what I’m sure would make her really happy?”
“What?”
“Knowing that you’re pigging out on icing.” She takes a giant dollop of it on her finger and plops it on Colton’s nose.
That gets him giggling. “Ronnie! You’re so silly!”
“I’m so silly? I’m not the one with icing all over my nose.”
Both of them laugh, and I decide to walk away and let them be. I just wanted to make sure that everything was going alright, but I don’t want to spy and invade this great moment the two of them are having.
I feel bad for doubting Ronnie.
When will I learn that Veronica Lawson is always going to keep me on my toes? She is always going to be the absolute best kind of surprise.
forty-four
Be Ready. It’ll be Wild.
Ronnie
“Alright, Colton, are we ready to sing your mom happy birthday?” I ask as I light the candle on top of one of the cupcakes.
