“Nah, give me the circles and the scissors.I’m pretty fast at this stuff.Remember all the things we cut out for my mom when she was teaching Sunday school?”
Esther chuckled.“I remember you whining about having to do it.”
“Yeah, well, I was a kid who didn’t like to sit still.Sitting still was for Eddie.”
That was true.Eddie had always been a bit more sedentary than Fred or any of his other brothers.Well, except for Will, Fred’s oldest brother.Will would do whatever he needed to do to be the best at something – anything, really – including sitting still longer than any of his brothers.
Esther pulled open the side drawer on her desk and fished out the adult scissors as she pondered the Bennett brothers.
Apparently, the “Sitting Game” was something that their mother had taught them as youngsters, and they continued it as they grew older, while making it “more fun” by adding in one person who could torment the sitters.
She shook her head in amusement as she took a folder of circles she had photocopied this morning from the shelf behind her desk.How Mrs.Bennett had survived raising five fun-loving boys like hers and still managed to look younger than her age, she’d never know.But, she might, one day, ask her for the secret.Because too many more days like today were likely to give her grey hair before she was thirty.
“Here you go,” she said as she placed the folder next to the scissors on her desk.“And you can sit over here to cut them out.I’ll pull the recycling bin over for the scraps.There are far less sparkles at my desk.I’d hate to send you home too shiny.”
Fred chuckled.“That would be the opposite of how I go home most days.”
“Hey.”Steve White, Madison’s dad, poked his head into the room before stepping in completely.“I was going to text, but it seemed easiest to just stop by when picking up Maddie.”He nodded to Fred.“Is it Fred or Eddie?”
“Fred.”He held up his page of circles.“Just helping Esther get out of here in time to do some unwinding before the big date.”
Esther rolled her eyes.Did he really think he needed to explain why he was here, sitting next to her, at her desk?
“That’s kind of you,” Steve replied.
“I was here to play for the kids because Monica – I don’t know her teacher name – was sick.”
And why was Fred shrugging off Steve’s compliment?Athank youwould have sufficed.
“You play the piano?”Steve asked.
“Nah, that’s Eddie’s instrument.I play the guitar.”
“And a few other things, including the keyboard when needed,” Esther inserted.
“Yeah, but not like Eddie, and I only know a few worship songs.”
“Worship songs, eh?”Steve leaned against the doorframe and nodded as if he was impressed.“I knew you were part of the same group at your church as Esther.That must come in handy if the regular keyboardist is unavailable.”
“We have more than one who plays keyboard for us, but I’ve had to fill in a few times – mostly at practice and not on Sunday.”
“He organizes the worship team schedule.”Esther rose from her desk and crossed the room to where Steve was standing.That way, whatever he needed to tell her wouldn’t be called across the room, since it looked like he didn’t plan to actually come into the room.
“You’re shining brighter than most days,” he said with a smirk.
“Glitter was as bad of an idea as you warned me it was.”He had tried to talk her out of it twice before today.Once over a cup of hot chocolate after school and then again last night when he had called her.“So, what did you need to tell me?”
“Can I come get you tonight half an hour later than planned?My babysitter had a meeting for some school club come up unexpectedly and asked if it was okay.I said yes, but I can call her back if it doesn’t work for you.”He took her hand and twined their fingers together.She liked it when he did that.
“Oh, no.Seven is fine.It’ll give me a few more minutes to try to de-glitter myself.”
“I don’t care if you sparkle.I think it’s cute.”He tugged her a little closer to him.“It means we might have to rush dinner a bit so we can make it to the movie on time.I can send you a link to the menu of the place where we’re going and that way we won’t have to wait to order.”
“That sounds perfect.”She liked how organized he always seemed to be.He had planners and apps galore that he referenced about this or that thing that needed doing.She could remember how discombobulated her father was after her mom left.Mom had been a planner gal.Dad had been a show up when Mom said guy.Mostly when he was supposed to, but not always.
Maybe if there had been as many apps then as there were now, he would have made it on time to her activities more often?No, probably not.Her dad was just not the super organized sort and his job made doing things on time challenging.
“Okay.Well, then, I guess I’ll see you later.”
