“They’re on my hand, silly!” Oliver holds up his hand, and I can see a discoloration. Walking to him, I peer down, noticing a circle mark. I pull his hand to my nose and sniff.
“Huh. Blueberries.”
“It’s my favorite one. She has a whole set. They look like lip ticks.”
“Lipsticks?”
“Uh-huh. Lip ticks.” Whipping out my phone, I google scented lip products, and a line of lip balms come up. I show Oliver the image, and he squeals with excitement. “That’s them! They’re my favorite.”
“Good to know,” I say with a smile. The mind of a four-year-old. Always intrigued with unique things and easily amused. How nice it must be to get smelly stickers, have a personal chef, and never have to drive anywhere.
As I’m plating up the mac and cheese, the power goes out.
“Shit,” I gasp.
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Oliver chants gleefully.
“Shoot. Oliver, don’t say that.” It’s already dark outside, and the only flashlight I own is in the other room. I feel along the roomuntil I reach the couch, finding Oliver’s head. “I’m going to go grab the flashlight, okay? It’s by my bed. You stay right here.”
“Okay!” he exclaims. The darkness doesn’t faze him. Even Violet is cooing and shrieking in the highchair, oblivious to the distress I’m feeling.
As I feel my way down the hallway, I’m running through my options. What if the power doesn’t come back on quickly? I live in an older building. The windows aren’t the best at keeping outside temperatures where they should be. I can certainly keep the kids huddled up with me in one room, but we’re bound to get cold. How much of the town is out?
I’m in my room when my cell phone rings, sitting on my nightstand. The flashlight on the phone sure would have been nice moments ago. I look at the screen to find Gia calling.
“Hey,” I answer.
“You okay?” she asks immediately.
“Uh, yeah? Why?”
“The whole town is without power. A transformer blew. They’re not sure when power will be restored.”
My stomach sinks. “Damn. I’m glad I just finished cooking dinner so I can at least feed the kids.”
“Nuggets or mac and cheese tonight?” Gianna muses.
I snort. “Mac and cheese.”
“We’re headed up to Everlasting for the night. There are a bunch of open rooms. Do you want to come?” she asks.
“I can’t afford that,” I confess. We’re living paycheck to paycheck right now. I love Everlasting, and I’ve stayed there a couple of times, but right now, I can’t drop that much money on a hotel room. “How do they still have power?”
“Bunch of generators. Besides, I’m sure you could get the friends and family discount,” she teases. “Especially after what happened with you guys on the phone last week. Did I tell you that Leo reached out to Luca for advice, and Luca threw him in a group chat with all the guys? Even Travis. The thread was hysterical.”
“I don’t think I want to know what anyone said,” I say hurriedly, grabbing the flashlight on my dresser. Turning it on, I walk back to where Oliver and Violet wait patiently. “I’m going to act like it never happened, so you should too. Everyone should. Besides, it’s not like your family is hoping we start back up. I broke up with him last time. Anytime I’ve seen your mom, she’s crossed the dang street.”
I grab Oliver’s mac and cheese, place it on the table, then motion for him to follow the flashlight into the kitchen. Once he’s situated, I make Violet’s bottle. My goal for her tonight is to try five bites of the sweet potato puree, but I know the majority of her meal is the bottle.
“My mom said she’s done that because she didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. Not to avoid you.” Gianna’s voice is hesitant, like she wants to tell me more. I hear murmuring in the background, recognizing Travis’s deep timbre. “We’re heading out. You should come to Everlasting, El. Get out of the apartment for the night. You know the buffet always has nuggets and mac and cheese anyway.”
“Thanks, but we’ll be okay.” Putting a small dollop of sweet potato on the tiny baby spoon, I push it through Violet’s pursed lips, then wait for her reaction.
“Are you sure? Snow is supposed to start tonight. I don’t want you to be stuck, especially with that creepy neighbor of yours.” Violet’s face is screwed up in confusion as the puree hits her taste buds, and I wish I wasn’t on the phone so I could take a video.
“We’ll be fine.” God, I’ve really used the word “fine” way too many times over the past few weeks. I’m not sure I even know what it means anymore to be “fine.” When Violet pushes my hand away after the fifth bite, I set the container down victoriously. She ate solids!
“I’ll check in with you in the morning, okay? If it gets too cold, come find me!”
