“See you, EJ,” Angie says, her eyes holding my gaze. She turns back to her customer.
I pivot and walk out of the salon with a smile that won’t quit plastered on my face.
Chapter 7
Angie
It is a happy talent to know how to play.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thursday, after work, I’m making my way through the grocery store with the twins in tow. Mom had a church meeting, and we’re almost out of milk and bread. A woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do.
Both boys are in the cart. They’ve gotten too big to ride up top and they’re too wild at this time of day to stay near me if I let them run loose.
“I want Pop Tarts!” Levi says.
“Please,” I say, reflexively. “When we want something, we sayplease.”
“Please, I want Pop Tarts!” he says at the same volume.
“We’ll see,” I say, stalling out and hoping he loses interest in the idea by the time we make it through the store. “Let’s play a game.”
“I love games!” Jack says.
“Me too,” Levi says. “I love games too. You don’t love games most.”
“Do too.”
“Do not. I loooovve games.”
“I love love love super love games.”
I stop the cart, rubbing my temple to keep the low-grade headache that’s threatening to form at bay.
I put my finger to my lips. “Shhhh. Boys. You both love games. I love games. Want to hear what this game is?”
“Yeah!” they both shout.
“Okay. This game is called The Hunt.”
“I love hunting!” Levi says.
“Do we shoot sumping?” Jack asks.
“We can shoot with our finger guns when we find the thing we’re hunting for, okay?”
“Okay!” they both shout.
“The first thing we’re hunting for is bread,” I tell them. “And we have to be very still or we’ll scare off what we’re hunting for.”
“The bread will get scared?” Jack asks.
“And run away?” Levi asks.
“Like a big scaredy cat?” Jack adds.
They both bust up. I laugh along with them. Then, in a whisper, I say, “Yes. We don’t want to scare off the bread.”
