Eliahn
My hands and legs shake as I walk up the steps toward my bedroom. I walk into Aiden’s first and see him trying to put on a superhero costume. “That’s a no,” I tell him, and he just looks at me.
“But I can be Batman today,” he says, holding up the pants.
“Or you can be Aiden and wear these shorts,” I say, opening his top drawer and then walking to the closet to see that there are some short-sleeved button-down shirts. I grab a dinosaur one. “You can be Batman when you come home.”
“But Batman is cooler,” he says, looking at me. “I should ask my dad.”
And it starts. “You should ask me who is standing right here. Those shorts and that shirt. Batman is for after school.”
“But, Mom,” he moans, and I cross my arms over my chest.
“Or you can not wear it at all today,” I tell him. He just hangs it up and walks toward his bed with his shoulders slumped down like I just told him I kicked his puppy. “I’ll be in my room getting dressed. Don’t forget to brush your teeth after that. D’accord?”
“D’accord,” he says. I walk into my room, and I open my closet door to see two outfits hanging that my mother must have left for me. I grab the green pants that are hanging, putting one leg through and then the other. Talk about low ride. It fits just on my hips. I pair it with the white long-sleeved shirt that falls off one shoulder. I grab the pair of nude high heels that are in the closet and go to the bathroom, untying my hair and letting it fall. I walk out and see that Aiden is wiping his mouth on a towel. “Look at my teeth,” he says, showing me that he brushed his teeth.
“Perfect,” I tell him and grab his hand to walk down the stairs. I hear Luca talking, but I don’t know what he is saying until I get closer.
“I know, Lauren, but it’s the only thing I can do right now,” he says, then listens to whatever she says. “Yeah, we’ll discuss it later and see what we can come up with.” His eyes lift to see Aiden and me standing here. “I have to go,” he says, disconnecting.
I try to ignore the thumping of my chest. Obviously, he’s with someone. It’s been seven years. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I was just …” I say, looking around. “Are you ready?”
“I am,” he says, getting up and coming over to us. “You guys look nice,” he says, and Aiden sits on the floor and puts on his shoes.
“Ready.” Aiden jumps up and runs over to us. “Look at my shirt,” he says to us, flattening it down. “It’s a dinosaur.”
“That’s cool,” Luca says. “Do you like dinosaurs?”
“Yeah, but I like Batman more,” he says, and I go to turn off the coffee maker.
“Okay,” I say, grabbing my purse and the keys to my mother’s car. “Let’s go.”
“Are we not going to go in one car?” Luca asks, following us out. “It would be silly to go there in two cars. Plus, we have a meeting with your father at noon,” he tells me, and I lock the door and walk down the steps to him and Aiden.
“What do you mean, we have a meeting?” I ask, shocked and surprised, but he just walks ahead with Aiden by his side.
“It means that I called and told him I had to meet with him,” he says over his shoulder. “I wanted to make sure that he was free.”
“Oh my God,” I say under my breath. “I should call my mother,” I tell him. “She is the only one who can talk him down.”
“Do what you need to do,” he says, stopping by his car, not worried in the least. He doesn’t even seem fazed by any of this. “Does he need one of those car seat things?” he asks right before he opens the back door.
“Yes,” I say, slapping my forehead. “It’s in my mother’s car.” Turning around to walk over to the car, I press the button in my hand and hear the car beep.
“Okay,” he says, coming over to me. “I’ll get it.”
“That’s silly. I can get it,” I tell him, and when he tries to walk in front of me, I block him.
“What’s silly is that had you just given me the keys, I could have been halfway back already,” he says with a smile on his face. Moving me to the side, he opens the door and grabs the booster seat. I watch him walk with the booster seat to his own car.
He opens up the back door of his car, putting the booster seat down and then holding out his hand for Aiden to get in. Aiden gets in, and I hear him telling Luca how to fasten his seat belt. I watch Luca maneuver everything and follow Aiden’s direction in making sure the seat is properly secured. When Aiden is finally in, he closes the door and opens the front door for me.
“Oh.” I shake my head and walk toward the door. “Thanks,” I say, stepping in and watching him walk around the car to his side. I look over at Aiden who is looking outside.
“Mom, can I have my iPad?” Aiden asks, and I grab it from his little schoolbag that I always carry with me. The bag usually has the essentials. Change of clothes, snacks, and iPad.
I’m handing Aiden the iPad when Luca gets in, and I’m suddenly consumed with his smell all around me, especially when he leans over and puts his arm on my seat to pull out of the driveway. When he slides on his aviator sunglasses, all this man is missing is a catwalk, and it’d look like he stepped out of GQ magazine.
“Okay, where to?” he asks and looks over at me. I pretend not to be staring at him, but I’m for sure failing miserably. I open my phone, avoiding his stare. After I give him the address, he pulls out of the subdivision. The drive there takes us only ten minutes, and I look around, familiarizing myself with the area. When we pull up to the school, Aiden claps his hands together.
I get out of the car and open the back door to help Aiden down. His hand goes into mine right away. Luca walks around the car, grabbing Aiden’s other hand. Anyone looking at us would think we look just like a family, and I guess we are in our own unconventional way. “Shall we?” he says, and I look up at the two-story brick school. Three steps lead you to the front door, where you have to be buzzed to be let in. “Is this a private school?” Luca asks.
“Yes,” I tell him, and then I wonder if he’s worried about being able to pay for it. “But my father said he will pay for it.”
“Forget it,” he says, putting his glasses in his pocket. “I’m going to cover it. Things have changed now that I’m in the picture.”
“But—” I don’t have a chance to say anything when the buzzer sounds, unlocking the door and allowing us to step into the hallway. We walk down the light gray floor with blue trim. Colorful pictures are up all along the walls. A classroom door is open, and you can hear the teacher inside reading them a story. A couple of kids are in the hallway walking, blue lockers fill one wall. We follow the sign to the main office, walking into the big room. A counter is in the middle, and a woman sits at the desk behind it.
“How may I help you?” She gets up and comes to the counter.
“We have an appointment with Mrs. Lambert,” I tell her, and she just nods at me when a little boy comes in.
“Mrs. Hope,” the little boy says, “I fell in the gym and hit my head.” She walks around the counter and squats down in front of him while she touches his head.
“Okay, go have a seat. I’ll call your mother in a second,” she tells him, and he walks to the seat propped against the wall. She walks back behind the counter going to the door on the left knocking. “Mr. and Mrs. Coco are here for the visit,” she says, and I see Luca look at me, but I just stare ahead. Mrs. Lambert comes out of her office, and I stop and stare. The woman must be in her early thirties with long blond hair curled to her waist that must be a size zero. Her gray skirt hugs her, matching the fuchsia button-down shirt that shows off her pale skin and blue eyes. She smiles at me and then turns and smiles at Luca.
“Mr. and Mrs. Coco.” She holds out her hand to me to shake.
“I’m Mr. DiMarco,” Luca tells her, and she smiles at him. I swear I can see a little twinkle in her eye, and I almost roll my eyes. I’m standing right here. How does she know I’m not with him romantically?
“Nice to meet you,” she says, shaking Luca’s hand, then looks down at Aiden. “And you must be Aiden.”
“I’m six,” he tells her, and she ruffles his hair, laughing.
“I’m Ms. Coco,” I say, holding out my hand for her, and she smiles at me, not saying anything.
“Let’s begin the tour,” she says, walking out of the office and turning right down the hallway. “The school sits on two floors, grade kindergarten to three is on the first floor and four to six is on the second floor.” We follow her, both holding Aiden’s hand.
“How big are the class sizes?” Luca asks, looking around.
“Each class is with a maximum of fifteen students,” she answers his question.
“Are there any special clubs?” Luca asks again as we follow her down the hallway.
“What do you mean?” She turns to look at Luca.
“Is there a chess club, math club, science club, music club?” I look over at him, and I have to smile. I wouldn’t have even asked these questions.
“Yes, those are all available, depending on what the student wants,” she says and then adds in, “We have a great music option that many students take.” We slowly stop in the cafeteria.
“Is the food cooked here or brought in?” I ask her.
“It’s cooked on site. Every child has the option to either bring in their lunch or buy it,” she tells us.
“How much is technology used?” Luca asks her.
“Each child has their own laptop and iPad,” she says, smiling at him.
“That sounds great,” Luca says, “but I want to know that my son is able to write. How often would you say they actually write?”
Her smile fades a little, and mine perks up. “I would say it’s a good balance. Of course, writing is also our focus as is literacy.”
“What about extra-curricular activities?” I ask. “Or after-school programs?”
“We have a great soccer, football, and even a hockey team,” she says. “As for after school, there is a whole list of activities that you can sign him up for.” The tour remains the same with Luca asking the majority of the questions. “If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.” She smiles, and Luca nods at her.
“We will discuss this and get back to you about our decision,” Luca says.
She smiles at him, and her handshake lingers a touch longer than it should. “I look forward to it,” she says and then turns and walks away.
“Well, it was nice meeting you also,” I say under my breath and then look at Luca. “She didn’t even acknowledge me.”
He tries not to smile. “She did when you asked her questions.” He puts his hand on the lower part of my back and pushes me toward the door. “What do you think, Aiden? Would you like to come here?”
“Yeah,” he says, “I want to play soccer and hockey.”
“Since when do you want to play hockey?” I ask him, and he shrugs his shoulders.
Luca puts him in the car while I open my own door this time. “Are you guys ready to go and see Grandpa?” he asks us, and Aiden is the only one happy to actually see my father. I, on the other hand, hope the floor opens up and swallows me down.