Tyler's entire body goes rigid. "Noooo! You broke it! You broke my elephant!" His volume escalates from zero to shrieking in two seconds. "I wanted THAT one! The good one!"
His face turns red. Actual tears roll down his cheeks. Every person in the park stares at us—the hockey player who can't handle a three-year-old crying over a cookie.
"Tyler, look, there are more elephants?—"
"NO! That was the BEST elephant!" He throws himself on the ground. Actually throws himself down, kicking mulch everywhere.
Reese drops to her knees beside him, ignoring the wood chips. "Oh no! The elephant broke? Let me see." She picks upboth pieces. "Wait a minute. Tyler, look. Now you have TWO elephants. A mama and a baby."
Tyler's wailing stops like someone hit pause. He sits up, mulch in his hair. "Two?"
"See? The baby elephant wants to find his mama. Can you help them find each other?"
Tyler takes both pieces, suspicion replaced by interest. "The baby's lost?"
"Very lost. He needs a brave boy to help him."
And just like that, Tyler's marching the cookie pieces around, narrating their reunion.
The other parents go back to their business. Crisis over.
"How?" I ask Reese.
"Practice. Last week I had a kid lose it because his sandwich was cut in triangles not squares."
We stay another hour. Tyler asks me to push him on the swing ("Higher! HIGHER!"), claims there are dragons living under the slide (we have to negotiate safe passage), and needs to pee right when we're farthest from the bathroom. I carry him running while he shouts, "I gotta go NOW!"
We make it. Barely.
And just like that, it’s time to head home.
Walking to Jessica's apartment, Tyler holds my hand with his sticky fingers—when did they get sticky again?—dragging something he picked up along the sidewalk.
At Jessica's door, Tyler won't let go of my jeans while I try to help with his shoes.
"Stay," he says, voice muffled against my leg. "Don't go."
I crouch down. Three-year-old logic required. "Remember what happens at eight o'clock?"
"Story?"
"Exactly. Special FaceTime story. But only if you take your bath and eat dinner first."
"What story?"
"That's the surprise."
"About dinosaurs?"
"Maybe."
"With hockey?"
"We'll see."
Jessica opens the door before I knock. Her hair's pulled back, yoga pants and an old t-shirt. She looks tired. "Hi sweetie. Did you have fun?"
"Mama! Daddy broke a elephant but then Reese made TWO elephants and we saw dragons and I peed in the potty at the park!" Tyler releases me to throw himself at his mother's legs.
