Ellis’s eyes widen. “My—my mommy is in heaven.”
Vienna rubs her thumb across Ellis’s hand. “I know.”
“What was your friend’s name?” Ellis asks as I swallow down the lump in my throat, guilt consuming me even more as I watch and listen to them.
“Lydia, and she was my best friend in the whole entire world.”
“And now she’s an angel,” Ellis whispers.
“Yes, sweetie. Now she’s an angel. But…” Vienna inhales again, as if trying to fight back her emotions. “Lydia loved cupcakes, especially cupcakes with sprinkles. So, since I was missing her today, I thought I could make some for her and share them with you since I know you love sprinkles too.”
Joanne reaches up to brush a tear from her cheek, and that’s when my stomach turns even harder.
Ellis reaches for the bottle of sprinkles. “These cupcakes need more rainbow sprinkles then.”
Vienna and Joanne start laughing, but I can’t watch anymore. Turning away, I head down the hallway to change out of my uniform while berating myself for the hundredth time about what an insensitive asshole I was.
Yesterday was not my finest moment, I’ll be the first to admit that. But just like I tell Ellis, everyone makes mistakes. It’s what we do next that matters the most.
By the time I shower and have a fresh pair of jeans and T-shirt on, I return to the kitchen to find Ellis coloring on a piece of paper and Joanne washing dishes in the sink.
And no sign of Vienna.
“Hey.”
Ellis peers up at me from her coloring, but only briefly. “Hi, Daddy.”
Scratching my neck, I say, “Uh, where’s Vienna?”
Joanne glares at me over her shoulder. “She went home.”
“Why?”
“Wanted to be alone. She left some cupcakes for us.” Joanne wipes her hands on a dishtowel as she walks over to me and lowers her voice while placing her hands on her hips. “Feel like an ass yet?”
I grind my teeth together. “No need to rub salt in the wound.”
Joanne huffs out a laugh. “You may have wounds, Rhonan, but what you fail to realize sometimes is that other people do too.”
Ellis pulls on my shirt. “Daddy?”
I drop my gaze to her. “Yeah, sweetie?”
“I drew this picture for Ms. Lewis.” She holds out the paper to me, showing me what looks like two female stick figures standing next to each other, both with wings.
“What did you draw?”
“That’s Ms. Lewis’s best friend and my mommy, up in heaven together.”
My shoulders fall. “Oh. That’s…”
“Can I give it to her?”
“Uh…”
“Please, Daddy?”
“It’s almost bath time, Ellis.”
