Sarah manages to hold back her guffaws for two seconds. “I don’t care how many times Hung goes after work with the guys to the Brewhouse. This lunch was so worth it.”
For me too. Instead I just take another bite of our appetizer as we catch up on our mutual high school friends and where their lives are. And we make plans for Sunday.
I’m so excited I can barely eat.
Sunday seems to take forever to come around. I’m not entirely certain if I should bring anything, so I call Sarah. “My two would eat anything. Bea has a peanut allergy, Richie has a seafood one. Diane, Wendy, and David aren’t allergic to anything.”
“How about ice cream?” I ask faintly.
Sarah hums her approval. “Stick with chocolate and vanilla,” she says before hanging up the phone.
I drive up to the Lis’ home and find kids everywhere. Sliding from my SUV, I stand back for a moment and observe the two girls battling with the three boys just as ferociously. One boy is chasing another girl around yelling, “I’ll get you! Then you’ll be it!”
And then the sun lights upon a brown-haired boy sitting in the middle of a mud puddle, building a pie. Happily, he decorates it with bits of grass and rocks before calling out, “Who wants some pizza?”
His “siblings” begin to laugh. “David, you’re playing pizza parlor again?”
“Yeah, come play chase with us.”
He shrugs, unconcerned. “I like pizza parlor.”
One of the girls comes over and screams, “Oh, my! There’s a dead bug on his pizza! I’m going to tell Ms. Sarah,” before running toward the house at a dead run.
My heart’s pounding not out of fear, but at a memory that’s shoving its way to the forefront of my mind that was locked away.
“Maris! Let’s pretend we’re working at the Brewhouse,” Jed urged.
I glanced back at the house. “Will we get in trouble?” I knew only adults were supposed to drink. Mama and Daddy had made that very clear to Jed and me.
“No, Sunshine. See? We’ll use the tree to mix drinks. The ground will be our bar,” he declared.
I frowned. “Daddy doesn’t let people sit on the bar, Jed. And Mama’s gonna get mad. You’re sitting in the mud.”
Jed laughed and laughed. He pulled me down onto his lap, his behind sinking deeper in the dirty earth. “One day, we’re going to run that bar, Maris. And who’s going to care if we sit on the bar or not?”
I thought for a few minutes about his words because I didn’t like the idea that one day we’d run the bar. That would mean Mama and Daddy wouldn’t be here. Still, I said with authority, “Cust…cust…”
“Customers? Is that what you’re trying to say?” Jed gave me his big smile that turned his face kind of weird.
I nodded.
Jed shrugged. “Then we get new customers. People have to accept us for who we are, or they don’t deserve our loyalty and love.”
I’m ripped from the memory as Sarah is dragged from the house. “David, sweetheart. Just tell me you didn’t eat the bug this time.” I can’t prevent the giggle at the sound of her aggrieved voice.
Her head snaps up at the sound. “Hey, Maris! Come on over and meet the kids.”
“Let me get the ice cream out of the car.” You’d think I just announced that Santa was coming for the second time in a year. Children flung their swords in every direction. Ones who were chasing each other began to race in my direction. They all found a new toy, and apparently, I was it.
All of them, except David. He observed me from a distance with wise eyes that burned through my soul.
Sarah took pity on me and yelled, “Everyone, go clean up. That means your rooms as well as your bodies. No ice cream for anyone who doesn’t pass inspection in one hour. Miss Maris and I will be in the kitchen.” Just like they swarmed me, the children scatter. Maybe they were supporting me, because my knees almost give out once I have some distance.
David ambles to his feet. My breath whooshes out as he swaggers to the house with mud all over the back of his little jeans.
“David,” Sarah calls.
“Yes?”
“New clothes, and leave those in the laundry,” Sarah adds to his list. She walks back over and inspects his work. “That’s a mighty impressive pizza though. Good thing it’s a special occasion with Miss Maris visiting and we’re having it for dinner.”
He turns and beams at me. And that’s when I see them. One, two dimples pop out in apples of his cheeks.
Just like Jed’s.
Holy shit.
My stomach begins to cramp. I press a hand to it. Don’t get your hopes up, Maris. He’s probably Sarah’s biological child. That’s likely why you feel such a deep pull to him.
“Well, you wanted to meet all the kids, Maris. First impressions?” Sarah’s voice is laced with amusement.
“You’re a saint. And I’m glad I brought you and Hung a bottle of wine as well as ice cream.” I open the car and pull out the bags from our local grocery
Sarah’s grin widens. “Just wait until you see pizza prep. That’s when you’ll begin nominating us for sainthood.”
“Should be fun to watch.” I tell her the truth as we make our way up the flagstone steps.
“And participate in,” Sarah tacks on.
“Wait, what?”
“Everyone makes their own. And trust me, there’s a competition on whose pizza is the best.”
“You know I practically flunked art,” I growl.
“That’s why I thought this would be fun,” she chirps as we make our way to the side-by-side fridge and freezer.
“Fun? When did your sadistic side come out?”
“I think after child number four.” She purses her lips. “Definitely before number six. You have to be creative as a mom, Maris. Might as well start early.”
“Why me?” I ask jokingly.
“Exactly. Why you? Are you ready for the never-ending questions? The help they need? The love they have to give?” Even as I’m pondering that, she wedges the ice cream in an overstocked freezer that looks like it’s going to explode any moment. “There. Now, while we have a few minutes, let me give you the lowdown on who’s who around here and we can prep dinner.”
I catch sight of the clock. “You know it’s only four, right?”
She nods. “It takes a while to prep for nine.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m used to running a restaurant.”
After dinner, dessert, washing of faces, brushing of teeth, and lots of thank-yous, Sarah, Hung, and I are relaxing in their family room. “So, what do you think, Maris? Now that you’ve spent some time with our brood, is fostering something you’re interested in?” Hung asks.
I shake my head. Both of their faces fall. “But adopting is. I’m ready. I want this, the kind of unequivocal love you all have here.”
“There’s nothing else like it in the world,” Sarah agrees.
“What do I have to do to get started?” I ask.
For a long time, we talk about what to do next. And I gratefully accept the invitation to spend time with the Li family to understand more about the fostering process. “Who knows, Maris? You might be able to give me tips on things like paperwork that will be huge time-savers.”