“Invite them to dinner too. Let’s make it a whole family affair. Baby, when Graham drops us off, we need to go to the grocery store to get the things I need for Sunday dinner.”
“You see what you started.” My father pretended to fuss.
“Let me confirm first, Ma. They may have plans.”
“That’s true. I guess I can wait until tomorrow to go to the store, but let me know as soon as possible.”
Our food arrived, and we continued to enjoy each other’s company while we ate. By the time I dropped them off at home, I was slightly behind schedule and had to play catch-up. As I worked and handed out orders to others, someone commented about my jovial mood.
I was typically a nice person who worked well with others, but I had to admit, today I had a little more pep in my step. As I thought about my plans with Keelan and the conversation with my parents earlier that day, I had a few things to be excited about.
My eyes popped openwhen my alarm blared. I already had Friday afternoons off, but I took the morning off to make a big birthday breakfast for my baby. It was something I’d started doing when he turned five.
I couldn’t believe my baby was eleven. It seemed like I just brought him home from the hospital yesterday. He’d experienced and seen so much negativity in his young life, and I was grateful to God that it hadn’t affected him.
After I picked him up from art class last night, we had a great conversation about art while eating dinner, and when I told him that Graham wanted to hire him to do at least one of the murals in his studio, he was beyond excited.
When we finished dinner, he showered while I cleaned the kitchen, then we watched one of his favorite shows. He went to his bedroom to read after his show went off, and when I was preparing for bed, he knocked on my door.I thought about our conversation, and it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
“Come in.”
“Hey, Mom. Tomorrow is my birthday.”
I giggled. “I’m well aware of the day I gave birth to my greatest blessing.”
“Umm, did you have a chance to talk to Mr. Graham?”
“I did.”
His expression changed from anticipation to disappointment.
“Oh. I guess he’s busy.” He put his head down and turned to leave my room.
“Wait a minute. Where are you going?”
“It’s my bedtime.”
“You don’t want to know what Mr. Graham said?”
“I thought he was busy since you didn’t say anything yet.”
“Actually, he’s not busy, and he’d love to hang out with you. He’s gonna see if Trey and his dad are available too. If not, it’ll just be you two.”
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Thanks so much, Mom.”
He ran and jumped on my bed, hugging me with all his might. I didn’t realize how important it was to him, but I was glad Graham was available.
“You’re welcome, Son, and guess what else?”
“What?”
“I was going to wait until tomorrow, but look what I got.”
I retrieved the cell phone I’d gotten him from my bedside table and held it up. His mouth almost dropped to the floor when he realized what it was.
“Yes! Mom, you’re the best.”
He hugged me again, even tighter than before.
