Page 98 of In The Game

“Very cool.” He hands it back. “Have you ever been on a helicopter?”

“No!” Arthur giggles.

“How about a plane?”

This motherfucker is smooth.

“No.”

Barrett looks up at me, and I nod. We’re really doing this.

“Well, I thought it would be fun if we went for a plane ride.”

Arthur sets the helicopter down and hops to his knees, both hands pressed to Barrett’s shoulder. “A real one?”

“Yeah. You, and your mom, and me. And we could have the plane take us to an island—”

His eyes grow wide as he grabs onto Barrett’s arm. “Like Australia!?”

We both laugh. “Well, we can definitely go to Australia someday. But that’s a really long plane ride. I was thinking somewhere a little closer and a lot smaller, like Hawaii. We could go on a vacation.”

“Does Hawaii have koalas?”

“Unfortunately, they don’t. It’s the one downside. Actually, I’ve heard tourism is down because of the lack of koalas.”

“I believe that,” Arthur says, scrunching his eyebrows and nodding in agreement.

“Do you think you and your mom would want to come?”

He looks back at me for permission, and I nod.

The whole sofa shakes as he bounces on his knees. “Yes! When do we go?”

“In just over a week.” Barrett laughs.

“A week?!” I interrupt. I didn’t know it was so soon. “A week isn’t long.”How am I going to get us ready in a week?

“It’s ten days away. Is that okay?”

My hand rests on my forehead, thinking of the mile long to-do list I have now.

Shit, we don’t even have suitcases. Arthur needs a new swimsuit. And I’ve got to close the loop on a few things at work still. How do you travel with a booster seat? The travel and lodging might be covered, but I’m going to be dropping a few hundred dollars before we even get in the air. The last time I traveled was before I found out I was pregnant.

“Yeah, I’ll figure it out. I need to get some things together.” I bite my thumbnail, making a mental packing list.

Shit, I need to get a wax, I wonder if there’s any openings at my salon this week.

“Raleigh.”

“Uh-huh…”

He needs new shorts. And I’ll need those little travel bottles for shampoo and conditioner. Do they make hiking boots for five-year-olds? They must. I wonder if I can get them shipped here in time. Where the hell did I pack away those water shoes he has? WillIneed water shoes too?

“Okay, buddy, do you mind if your mom and I chat for a little bit about the trip?”

“I’m gonna start packing!” His little legs leap from the couch and he runs down the hall to his room. I’m sure he will start pulling out everything he owns, but I’ll deal with the mess later. I need to think.

What about my yard? There’s gotta be a high school kid around here that wants to make some money over the summer by mowing lawns. But I won’t have time to ask around. And who will pick up my mail? What if something important is delivered? What if packages show up?

---