![](\"https:\/\/images.dailykos.com\/images\/1056903\/large\/CoopMolly.jpeg?1649364843\")
Today was Saturday and it was my birthday. Mom made eggs and toast for breakfast instead of me just making my own cereal. The four of us sat at the table in the kitchen eating.<\/p>\nToday was Saturday and it was my birthday. Mom made eggs and toast for breakfast instead of me just making my own cereal. The four of us sat at the table in the kitchen eating.<\/p>\n
\u201cEric\u201d, mom said, \u201cI don\u2019t know if we\u2019ll be able to do Coop\u2019s party out in the park like we planned. The thermometer says it\u2019s 38 degrees out there, the wind\u2019s blowing, and there\u2019s rain in the forecast for later this afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLiz, it\u2019ll be okay\u201d, Dad said, \u201cIt\u2019ll warm up, I\u2019m sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom would always be worried, but dad told her not to be worried though he still seemed worried too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell\u201d, she said, \u201cWe\u2019ve gotten away with it the last two years, but we have no plan B.\u201d She looked at me and then back at him and said, \u201cWe\u2019ll talk about it later.\u201d Mom always said that, and then they would stop talking about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we\u2019ve got everything?\u201d mom asked, \u201cHotdogs. Buns. Beans. Condiments. Pop. Coffee. Paper plates and cups and plastic forks. How about charcoal?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDammit\u201d, dad said, putting his face in his hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cEric\u201d, mom said, like she was trying not to be mad but still was, \u201cThat was on your list, not mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know\u201d, he said, closing his eyes and shaking his head slowly, rubbing his hand over the top of his head. \u201cI\u2019ll run out and get some.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you\u2019ll head over in the car with the food and drinks and all the other stuff and save us a grill and some tables and set up?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
Dad nodded and smiled and said, \u201cYep, that\u2019s the plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom and dad always seemed the most happy when they were planning something together. On other stuff where they had different ideas I could tell that they\u2019d get mad at each other, even if they didn\u2019t say they were mad.<\/p>\n
The door buzzer buzzed. Mom got up from the table and went into the living room and opened the front door.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell hello there\u201d, mom said.<\/p>\n
I heard Molly\u2019s voice, \u201cIs Coob here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom said, \u201cHe sure is, come in Molly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I ran into the living room. Molly was coming in the front door. She was wearing long pants and a dark blue sweatshirt that had the \u201cMICHIGAN\u201d word on it in yellow letters. On her head was a red and white helmet, one of those kind they wore to play football.<\/p>\n
She looked at me with a fierce look and said, \u201cI\u2019m going to your party!\u201d I already figured she was, so I was not sure why she was telling me.<\/p>\n
The phone on the wall in the kitchen rang and dad answered it. \u201cJane, it\u2019s uh Joan, for you\u201d, he called out.<\/p>\n
Mom put her finger in the air. \u201cExcuse me you two\u201d, she said, and went into the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Molly looked at me, her eyes still fierce, but didn\u2019t say anything more.<\/p>\n
I heard mom\u2019s voice in the kitchen talking to someone on the phone where you couldn\u2019t hear what the other person was saying, \u201cHello\u2026 hey Joan\u2026 yes she is\u2026 of course it\u2019s okay\u2026 I see\u2026\u201d. I heard her breathe out air. \u201cOkay\u2026 I don\u2019t know what to say\u2026 of course\u2026 no need to apologize\u2026 I understand, whatever we can do\u2026 we\u2019ll talk later, I\u2019m kind of in the midst of everything here\u2026 right\u2026 you too\u2026 take care\u2026 okay\u2026 I hope we see you\u2026 bye.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at dad, who I guess had listened to mom talking too, and he looked worried. Mom was quiet now, still in the kitchen with David and not coming out yet.<\/p>\n
David walked out of the kitchen, saw Molly, held his hand up in the air and said, \u201cOlly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHi Davie\u201d, she said, making a smile and not looking so fierce. I couldn\u2019t remember her ever calling him \u201cDavie\u201d before. It was like she was happy to see him after not seeing him for a long time, even though she saw him yesterday. Like she was trying to be happy, but wasn\u2019t really happy.<\/p>\n
Mom came out of the kitchen with her hands on top of her head and her lips pushed together and looking like she was thinking what to say.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey Molly\u201d, mom said, looking at her and smiling, \u201cIt\u2019s always a pleasure to see you.\u201d Then mom wrinkled her nose as she was thinking, then stopped and said, \u201cYour mom said you wanted to come over to keep Coop and David company while Coop\u2019s dad and I get ready for Coop\u2019s party. That\u2019d be a big help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly looked at mom and seemed worried. She looked down and nodded but didn\u2019t say anything. I wondered if her mom still didn\u2019t like her dad. I wondered if I should ask her, but not right now with mom and dad around.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you had breakfast?\u201d mom asked her. She nodded. \u201cWell we were just sitting in the kitchen finishing ours, why don\u2019t you join us, maybe have a glass of orange juice.\u201d She nodded again. We all headed back into the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Since David still sat in his special highchair, there was an extra regular kitchen chair for Molly to sit on next to me. Mom made a grunting noise as she lifted David up into his chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cMister D you are getting bigger\u201d, she said, \u201cPretty soon we\u2019ll have to switch you to a regular chair like the rest of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid\u2019s one and three quarters\u201d, Molly said, smiling at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s right\u201d, said mom nodding, \u201cYou know your fractions.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded. \u201cDad told me about them\u201d, she said, \u201cHe\u2019s an engineer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes\u201d, said mom, \u201cYour dad and I both like numbers and math.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom hates numbers\u201d, Molly said, then started drinking her orange juice and looking out the window. Mom and dad looked at each other and both looked worried.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe does, eh?\u201d mom said nodding, like it was a question but it wasn\u2019t really a question. Molly put down her orange juice and nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo are you worried about that?\u201d mom asked. Molly nodded again then drank more orange juice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell\u201d, said mom, looking up at the ceiling thinking and pushing her lips together, \u201cThat\u2019s a lot to have on your mind. I\u2019m glad you told us about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly nodded again and looked at me like she was wondering what I was thinking. I had been eating my scrambled eggs and toast and listening and watching while they were talking. When her eyes looked at mine I nodded too, but I didn\u2019t try to smile or anything.<\/p>\n
Mom said, \u201cYou know dear, both Eric and I know you\u2019ve always been a really good friend to Coop, and also to David. So anything we can help with or you want to talk about, please let us know, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOlly\u201d, David said, reaching a hand out to her.<\/p>\n
Molly finished her orange juice and then looked down and put the tip of her thumb in her mouth. I hadn\u2019t seen her do that since when she told me up in her bathroom that her mom didn\u2019t like her dad anymore.<\/p>\n
She looked at me again and asked, \u201cDo you want to go outside and play?\u201d I figured that’s what she wanted to do so I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope you don\u2019t mind having David go with you\u201d, mom said, \u201cCoop\u2019s dad and I have things we need to get done inside for the party.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure\u201d, Molly said, nodding and smiling even, \u201cWe can put his jacket and hat on too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly and I put David\u2019s jacket on and his hat, then I put my jacket on and she and I held his hands and took him through the kitchen and out the side door to the backyard. Molly seemed happier doing all that.<\/p>\n
When we got outside and closed the door, Molly said, \u201cLet\u2019s take David to the secret place. He\u2019s never been there before.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew she was talking about that place inside the spruce tree at the end of the driveway. The first time we went in there was the day that mom went to the hospital and David came out of her somehow. We\u2019d gone in there after that. Usually Molly was the one who wanted to, but I liked doing it too, because when we were both in there it felt like we were completely the same, which is what we both liked. Molly went in first and had David crawl in after her. Then I finally went in and sat right next to Molly. She had David sitting on her lap.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my favorite place at your house\u201d, she said, \u201cEven though it\u2019s not really in your house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah?\u201d, I said, kind of wanting her to say more about that.<\/p>\n
She nodded and said, \u201cThe grownups can\u2019t come in here. It\u2019s kind of like Captain Nemo\u2019s secret base, though he had to blow that up. It\u2019s just for kids.\u201d Then she looked around at David sitting in front of her. \u201cHey Davie, do you like it too?\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded and said, \u201cRee\u201d. I think he was trying to say \u201ctree\u201d.<\/p>\n
Molly looked over at me and her shoulder touched mine. She said, \u201cWhat if you and I were a dad and mom and David was our kid who got born out of me.\u201d She smiled and seemed like she was finally feeling happy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat would be neat\u201d, I said. I couldn\u2019t remember that we\u2019d ever pretended that before.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t have to be kissy faced\u201d, she said, \u201cUnless you really wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo\u201d, I said, shaking my head, \u201cWe could be regular.\u201d She nodded, happy I said that.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d have to go do working\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know\u201d, I said. She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I would never say you were bad and not like you\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know\u201d, I said again, and she nodded again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish it was real\u201d, she said, and she lay her head against my shoulder. She had never done anything like that before. It felt kind of like being kissy faced, but it was different and better. I leaned my head against her head, because I\u2019d seen older kids do that when they liked each other.<\/p>\n
David turned his head and looked at both of us. \u201cOlly an Coop\u201d, he said. Molly rubbed his hair.<\/p>\n
I figured I shouldn\u2019t say anything and we just sat there together, her warm shoulder pressing against mine, her head resting on the top part of my shoulder, her hair against mine. She smelled good. I had never thought about how she smelled before, but I figured she had always smelled good like that. I imagined we were sleeping in the same bed together, like grownup mom and dad, but different. The three of us just sat there for a long time.<\/p>\n
Then David tried to stand up and took Molly\u2019s hand and said, \u201cOut\u201d. So we went out and played in the dirt pile with the soldiers I had left outside.<\/p>\n
We played Captain Nemo with soldiers, and I went down inside to bring out some boats. We didn\u2019t have Paul\u2019s toy submarine and none of my boats were a good submarine because they all looked too much like regular boats. So we decided we\u2019d play that Captain Nemo was at his secret base with his crew. Molly went down in the basement and made a \u201cgiant squid\u201d out of Tinker Toys and we had it attack Captain Nemo\u2019s secret base, and it killed some of his crew. David liked playing with the dirt and making forts though sometimes he would wreck them instead. So we let him do the squid some. I wasn\u2019t sure what you did with people when they were dead, but Molly said you buried them in the ground, so that\u2019s what we did.<\/p>\n
We got hungry, but when we went in the kitchen to tell mom she said she was busy getting ready for the party. So she gave us a paper plate with six pieces of bread, the jar of peanut butter and a knife that was one of those \u201cplastic\u201d ones you used for eating outside. She said we shouldn\u2019t let David use the knife, but we should make him a sandwich, and to make sure we closed the jar of peanut butter when we were done with it. When we got back in the backyard with all that stuff, Molly said she would make the sandwiches, but she did it inside the spruce tree, because she said that was our \u201csecret house\u201d and she would be the mom.<\/p>\n
So Molly crawled into the spruce tree with the stuff. David watched her from the dirt pile but then got up and walked over to the tree and then crawled in too. I figured I better not go in because there would not be enough room to make the sandwiches. So I worked on making Captain Nemo\u2019s secret base even better until Molly called out, from inside the tree, \u201cLunch is served!\u201d She and David didn\u2019t come out so I figured I was supposed to go in too. I did but there wasn\u2019t much room, but enough to sit kind of squished and eat the sandwiches Molly made. They had some of those green \u201cneedle\u201d things in them, but didn\u2019t taste so bad mixed with the peanut butter.<\/p>\n
While we were in our secret tree place, dad came out and was putting some stuff for the party in the car. When he looked in the backyard and didn\u2019t see us, he called out to me.<\/p>\n
Inside the tree Molly looked at me with fierce eyes and shook her head, like I shouldn\u2019t tell him where we were. But I told her he\u2019d get worried and then mom would get worried, and then mad, and it would make my birthday party bad. So she nodded and I called out to him that we were with David in the tree and I stuck my hand out so he could see it. He did that \u201cchuckle\u201d thing, waved back and drove off in the car.<\/p>\n
When Molly and I finished eating our sandwiches, and David had kind of squeezed his and wrecked the part he hadn\u2019t eaten, we came back out into the yard. Mom came out and said she would change David\u2019s clothes and diaper and then we could all walk over to the park to the party. She looked at Molly and me and our clothes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre your clothes okay for the party?\u201d she asked, \u201cHow \u2018bout you Molly?\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly looked down at her sweatshirt and pants and said, \u201cMom said I could wear regular clothes this time, but I have to wear the football helmet when I play on the merry-go-round in the park.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom pointed at Molly\u2019s leg and said, \u201cYou got some peanut butter on your pant leg.\u201d Molly looked down at her leg, saw it, and tried to rub it with her hand, but it was still kind of there only flatter and bigger.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want some help with that?\u201d mom asked. Molly nodded. Mom got a paper towel and kind of squeezed it together and touched it to her tongue and wiped it over and over on that spot on Molly\u2019s pants until it was a darker color like it was wet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u201d, she said, \u201cThat\u2019ll dry in no time. Let\u2019s head out. I\u2019ve got my purse and this last bag of stuff for the party, So someone needs to hold David\u2019s hands when we cross the street. \u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can do it\u201d, Molly said. She always liked helping David, and I think that she wanted mom to know that she wasn\u2019t such a little kid anymore. It also seemed like maybe she wanted David to be her brother too, and mom to be her mom.<\/p>\n
So Molly and I each held one of David\u2019s hands as we walked across the street and then up the edge part by the lilac bushes and into the park. The sky had gray clouds instead of all the blue, and the wind was blowing.<\/p>\n
Mom said, \u201cI just hope we can get this party in before the rain comes. I can feel it out there somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were kids playing in the park. I could see some girls on the swings and girls and boys on the monkey bars. There were a bunch of kids playing baseball at the baseball place over to the right of us. They all were wearing orange t-shirts and black caps, so I figured they were a regular team and not just kids playing together. And then I saw a grownup with them, and he also had an orange shirt and black cap, so he was probably their \u201ccoach\u201d.<\/p>\n
As we got to the middle part of the park I saw dad waving to us. He was in the tree part where the picnic tables were. I could see a giant box wrapped up in blue and green present paper. I figured that had to be my bicycle. I felt really excited. I looked at Molly and could tell that she was looking at it and was really excited too.<\/p>\n
There was a grownup woman sitting next to dad and a man sitting across from him on the picnic table. That man turned to look at us and it looked like Molly\u2019s dad. Molly let go of David\u2019s hand and started to run toward the picnic table.<\/p>\n
\u201cOlly\u201d, David said, pointing at her running away from us and still holding my hand. He wanted me and him to run too, but I didn\u2019t want to. This felt like something that was just about Molly and her dad, and if David and I ran over too we might mess it up. There was some bad thing happening with her mom and dad and I couldn\u2019t figure it out. Molly had said that her mom didn\u2019t like her dad anymore, but they were a mom and dad so I didn\u2019t know what that meant.<\/p>\n
I got mad at Kenny when he told mom and dad that I accidentally broke a part of the battleship model his dad made for him, and I told him I didn\u2019t like him anymore and wouldn\u2019t talk to him. But then a few days later I talked to him again. And mom and dad got mad at each other, mostly mom at dad, and wouldn\u2019t talk to each other for a while. But this seemed worse, like it wasn\u2019t going to get better even after a while.<\/p>\n
I could see now that Molly was giving her dad a hug for a long time. By the time mom, David and I got there, she was sitting next to him on the picnic table with dad and that grownup woman sitting across from them.<\/p>\n
With his hand on Molly\u2019s shoulder, her dad turned towards us and said, \u201cThere\u2019s the man of the hour. Happy birthday Coop!\u201d I always got a little worried when grownups said stuff like that to me, pretending I was special because that was what you were supposed to do on someone\u2019s birthday. So I just nodded but didn\u2019t say anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd there\u2019s David looking grown up\u201d, he said. That was another thing grownups always said, because I guess they thought being grown up was better than being a kid. David nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey there Jane\u201d, he said to mom.<\/p>\n
\u201cJack\u201d, mom said, \u201cWasn\u2019t sure you were going to be able to make it. Thanks for contributing to Coop\u2019s gift.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course\u201d, he said, \u201cHappy to. Molly insisted.\u201d He chuckled and rubbed her hair.<\/p>\n
The woman sitting across from him next to dad stood up and reached out her hand towards mom. \u201cJane. I\u2019m Matilda, Paul\u2019s mom. It\u2019s a pleasure to finally meet you. We enjoy your son\u2019s visits.\u201d Mom reached out and shook her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd this must be David\u201d, she said, pointing a hand at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMus be\u201d, said David. Paul\u2019s mom laughed through her nose.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh and here\u2019s something toward the big gift\u201d, she said, handing mom a white envelope thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks so much Matilda\u201d, mom said, \u201cGood to finally meet you as well. Paul\u2019s such a bright kid with quite an imagination. He and Coop will figure out how to transform the world someday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah\u201d, Paul\u2019s mom said chuckling, \u201cIf they don\u2019t blow it up in the meantime!\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom nodded but her nose wrinkled like she didn\u2019t like that, but she didn\u2019t say anything and just did her big smile. \u201cSo I see you\u2019ve met my husband Eric and Molly\u2019s dad Jack?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI HAVE\u201d, Paul\u2019s mom said, making kind of a silly face, \u201cWe\u2019ve had quite the discussion about engineering and literature. Eric says you’re a tennis player. He said you won some tournaments back East.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom made a sad face and said, \u201cI did actually, but now it\u2019s more WERE than ARE.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hit the ball occasionally with my girlfriends over in the park\u201d, she said, \u201cYou should join us sometime, maybe give us some pointers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom nodded, her lips also pushed together, laughing through her nose and then shaking her head and saying, \u201cI\u2019m out of practice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paul\u2019s mom laughed through her nose too and said, \u201cTell me about it!\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s a good week when I get out even once to hit a few balls with the girls. The rest of the time it\u2019s wifey and mommy duty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she looked at me and into my eyes and said, \u201cForgive me young man for talking \u2018girl talk\u2019 at your birthday party!\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t know what to say, or what \u201cgirl talk\u201d was. Because I was a boy, should there only be \u201cboy talk\u201d, whatever that was, when I was around? Did women talk about very different stuff when there were no men or boys around? Did girls do that too? I thought about asking Paul\u2019s mom what \u201cgirl talk\u201d was, but I was worried that she might think I was a \u201csissy\u201d for even wanting to know, and mom and dad might worry I might be too. I figured I\u2019d ask Molly about it all when it was just her and I, because she would never think I was a \u201csissy\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cPaul\u2019s over on the monkeybars\u201d, his mom said pointing, \u201cYou and Molly might want to join him.\u201d Then she looked at dad and Molly\u2019s dad and chuckled. \u201cYou two guys might want to join them too, or fuss with the barbecue, rather than listen to us hens cluck!\u201d<\/p>\n
It was interesting that Molly\u2019s dad nodded his head, smiled and chuckled like what she said was funny and he was happy to still listen. But dad got kind of shy, though he ended up doing the same kind of nod, smile and chuckle like Molly\u2019s dad, though he seemed kind of worried about it. I couldn\u2019t quite figure dad out sometimes. Molly seemed happy right now to sit next to her dad, who had put his arm around her shoulders.<\/p>\n
Paul\u2019s mom patted the top of the picnic table in front of her and said, \u201cSo the guys here seem to be leaning toward Nixon this fall, but your hubby said you were big Jack Kennedy fan.\u201d She looked at dad and then Molly\u2019s dad, nodded her head and said, \u201cI think Jane and Joan made good choices in their fellas, but that Jack Kennedy just makes a girl\u2019s heart go pitter patter.\u201d She put her hand on her chest and patted it really fast.<\/p>\n
Mom nodded and grinned and said, \u201cHe certainly has that something. But I feel like he\u2019s the kind of man who can make things happen. Really lead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paul\u2019s mom made a silly face and said, \u201cMake things happen indeed!\u201d like that was funny and the other grownups would think so too. Dad and Molly\u2019s dad chuckled. I couldn\u2019t figure it out though it sounded like \u201ckissy face\u201d stuff.<\/p>\n
Mom made one of those smiles she did before she said something that she really wanted to say. \u201cSo Matilda\u201d, she said, \u201cIs there something incompatible about having charisma and even sex appeal and being an effective leader?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUh, no\u201d, she said, turning her head to look at dad and Molly\u2019s dad again and saying, \u201cWow, she\u2019s good!\u201d Then she looked at mom. \u201cJane, you should be the one running for President. You got my vote!\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom smiled and nodded and said, \u201cRight. Maybe I\u2019ll think about running in the next election.\u201d But I could tell that she liked it.<\/p>\n
Paul had run down from the monkeybars to where we were at the picnic tables. He looked at me and Molly and said, \u201cWhat are you guys doing? I can\u2019t run the submarine by myself!\u201d<\/p>\n
David grabbed my hand and said, \u201cGo!\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood up from sitting and looked at Molly. Her dad looked at me, puffed out his cheeks and blew air out of his mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cJane, Eric, I\u2019ve gotta go take care of some business\u201d, he said, then looked at Paul\u2019s mom, \u201cMatilda, it was a pleasure to see you again. Paul\u2019s a super kid.\u201d She pushed her lips together and nodded.<\/p>\n
Then he looked down at Molly and said, \u201cSweetie, I\u2019ll see you soon. We\u2019ll do more practice on your bicycle, okay?\u201d Molly nodded, but I could tell she was sad, she even put the tip of her thumb in her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd remember that your mom wants you to wear that football helmet when you go on the merry-go-round\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I don\u2019t want to\u201d, she said to him, \u201cNobody else wears one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell you know your mom\u201d, he said, \u201cShe wants things her way.\u201d He looked at all the rest of us with a sad look in his eyes, \u201cHave a good party you all, I know Coop will enjoy his present.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd thanks for chipping in on it Jack\u201d, mom said. She looked sad too. I knew something bad was happening with Molly\u2019s mom and dad but the grownups weren\u2019t talking about it.<\/p>\n
Molly\u2019s dad stood up and started walking away from us, and then Molly got up and ran after him. When she got to him he turned around, went down on one knee and said something to her. I saw her shoulders go down and her head look down at the ground, thumb in her mouth again. He stood up and walked away from her.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo Olly\u201d, David said, pulling on my hand.<\/p>\n
So David and I walked over to where she was standing watching him walk away and David followed me. I didn\u2019t say anything, but tried to do the same thing she was doing, and watched him walk over to, get into his little car, and then drive off. David watched too. I could tell she knew I was next to her but she didn\u2019t look at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom\u2019s STUPID\u201d, she said, looking at the ground. David looked worried and looked at me. I couldn\u2019t think of anything to say so I looked at the ground too, like she was doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaptain Nemo should sink her\u201d, she said, and turned and ran towards the monkey bars where Paul had gone back to.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo Olly\u201d, David said again, and he and I ran after her, but more slowly because he couldn\u2019t run very fast yet.<\/p>\n
When we got to the monkey bars Paul was up at the very top part, the control room of the submarine. \u201cI want to be Captain Nemo\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
Molly shook her head as she climbed on the monkey bars up to the top part by Paul. \u201cI\u2019M Captain Nemo\u201d, she said, looking at him with a fierce look in her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u2026\u201d he said, then seeing how mad she was, decided that it was okay. He looked at me like he was wondering what was happening with Molly. I lifted my shoulders and shook my head. He climbed down out of the top part to where I was below. Molly stood at the very top middle part of the monkey bars and looked out. David looked up and pointed at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurn on the engine and get ready to sink every ship\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes Captain\u201d, we both said and looked at each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cEngines full speed ahead Captain\u201d, Paul said, pretending to push buttons and turn wheels.<\/p>\n
Danny walked up from the picnic tables. \u201cWhat are you playing?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaptain Nemo\u201d, I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s Captain Nemo?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cMolly is\u201d, Paul said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGirls can\u2019t be Captain Nemo\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
Molly looked down at him. \u201cI\u2019m not a girl!\u201d she said fiercely.<\/p>\n
Danny put his hands on his hips and looked up at her. \u201cThen what ARE you?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaptain Nemo!\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
I could tell Danny was thinking, then he looked at Paul and me like he couldn\u2019t figure out what was going on. We both shook our heads like we didn\u2019t know what was going on either.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaptain\u201d, I said, looking up at Molly, \u201cHe wants to come aboard. We need more crew if we\u2019re going to sink all those ships.\u201d The Captain didn\u2019t look at us, but nodded.<\/p>\n
I looked at Paul. \u201cCrew guy, open the hatch and let him on board\u201d, I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s \u2018crewman\u2019, not \u2018crew guy\u2019\u201d, James said as he turned the pretend wheel thing and opened the pretend door.<\/p>\n
Danny ducked his head and climbed into the monkey bars. \u201cI\u2019ll be in charge of the galley\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s \u2018the galley\u2019?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like a kitchen on a ship\u201d, Paul said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo\u201d, said Danny shaking his head and wrinkling his nose, \u201cIt\u2019s totally different than a kitchen. It\u2019s where you make the food on a ship, or a submarine. Totally different.\u201d Paul looked at me and shook his head and moved his shoulders up and down but didn\u2019t say anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurn on the engine\u201d, said the Captain from above, \u201cWe gotta get those ships.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking on it\u201d, said James, not looking up at her but turning more pretend wheels and pulling down other pretend things.<\/p>\n
David figured out how to climb up so he had his feet on the lowest bar and his hands holding the bar above it. He seemed happy he could do that and just watched everybody else when they talked.<\/p>\n
Two girls I didn\u2019t know came up to the monkey bars. \u201cCan we play too?\u201d asked the older one. The younger one nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure\u201d, I said, \u201cWe\u2019re playing Captain Nemo and his submarine.\u201d Then looking at James, \u201cCrewman, let them on board!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot girls!\u201d said Danny, like girls had \u201ccooties\u201d and if they played with us it would wreck things.<\/p>\n
The younger girl pointed to Molly up in the top part of the monkey bars which was the control room of the submarine. The older girl looked up at her too.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe looks like a girl\u201d, the older one said to Danny. Then she looked at him and tilted her head. \u201cYou\u2019re Danny, right? We\u2019re in Missus Kelsey\u2019s class at Bach. I\u2019m Marybeth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh yeah\u201d, Danny said, \u201cYou\u2019re that girl that likes to play kickball.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah\u201d, she said, \u201cSo what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing\u201d, said Danny, shaking his head really fast, \u201cJust sayin\u2019\u2026 you\u2019re not bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know\u201d, she said, \u201cI\u2019m pretty good. So can my sister and I play?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure\u201d, said Danny, like he kind of liked her now because she did sports stuff. I did the pretend hatch opening thing and the two of them climbed into the monkey bars submarine.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s Captain Nemo?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell\u201d, said Danny, \u201cHe\u2019s kind of a badguy, but he has this really neat submarine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy is he a badguy?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he sinks ships\u201d, said Paul, \u201cBecause they\u2019re even more bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy\u2019s that?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cUh\u2026\u201d, Paul said, having trouble figuring out how to tell her, so I did.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ships take stuff from the mines back to the places where they use that stuff to make bombs and shells for canons\u201d, I said, \u201cBut Captain Nemo\u2019s submarine tries to sink those ships so they can\u2019t make those bombs to blow up people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that sounds like they\u2019re goodguys\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they\u2019re not\u201d, Danny said, \u201cThe regular goodguys are making the bombs to fight the regular badguys.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah\u201d, I said, \u201cCaptain Nemo and his crew are more like pirates.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah\u201d, said Danny, \u201cWe\u2019ve got to get the regular goodbuys AND the badguys, because the regular good guys really aren\u2019t that good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah\u201d, said James, \u201cWe\u2019re badguys until we can get all the regular goodbuys, then we can be the even better goodguys.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one likes us, but we have a job to do to make things better\u201d, said Danny.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s no fair\u201d, said Marybeth\u2019s sister.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt never is\u201d, said Marybeth, then looking up at Molly, \u201cWe\u2019re ready to join you, Captain.\u201d Molly nodded. David nodded too.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet that engine going\u201d, she said, \u201cLet\u2019s get them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then we saw Kenny walking up from the picnic tables.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you guys doing?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t ask questions\u201d, Danny said, \u201cJust get on board. We\u2019re going to sink some ships!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d asked Kenny.<\/p>\n
\u201cUh\u201d, said Danny shaking his head, \u201cThat\u2019s a question. No questions or we\u2019ll throw you in the brig.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s \u2018the brig\u2019?\u201d asked Kenny.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a jail on a ship\u201d, said Danny.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr on a submarine\u201d, said Paul.<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen the hatch and let him on board and then close it\u201d, I said, \u201cWe\u2019re about to go underwater.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up at Molly. \u201cI think we\u2019re ready Captain\u201d, I said. Marybeth and her sister had climbed up to the top part of the monkey bars just below Molly who was at the very top. I could see David wanted to climb up to Molly too, but he looked worried he might fall so he stayed where he was.<\/p>\n
I pretended to look out with one of those little telescope things that Captain Nemo used in the movie. \u201cEnemy ship dead ahead, Captain!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBattlestations\u201d, said Danny.<\/p>\n
Marybeth looked down at Danny. \u201cI think the Captain is supposed to say that\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s right\u201d, said Paul.<\/p>\n
Danny held out his hands and shook his head. \u201cWell SOMEONE has to say it!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Marybeth looked at Molly. \u201cWell?\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally Molly, who seemed to be looking at things far away rather than down at us said, \u201cBattlestations!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the first mate\u201d, said Marybeth.<\/p>\n
\u201cUh uh\u201d, said Danny, pointing at me, \u201cHe\u2019s the first mate cuz it\u2019s his birthday. He should be Captain Nemo but he let Molly do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell then I\u2019m the other first mate\u201d, Marybeth said, then looking at Molly, \u201cFull speed ahead?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFull speed ahead!\u201d Molly said, nodding.<\/p>\n
Marybeth looked down at Danny. \u201cAre we going to shoot torpedoes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNope\u201d, said Danny, \u201cWe don\u2019t have torpedoes. We\u2019re going to ram them. Brace for impact everybody!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShouldn\u2019t the Captain say that?\u201d Marybeth asked Danny.<\/p>\n
\u201cNah\u201d, said Danny, shaking his head, \u201cAnybody can say that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marybeth looked at her younger sister and said, \u201cBrace for impact Hannah.\u201d<\/p>\n
Danny made a big crashing noise, and grabbing the bars on either side of him shook his body back and forth. Paul, Kenny, Marybeth, Hannah, Molly and I all grabbed bars and shook our bodies back and forth too.<\/p>\n
I remembered the picture from the movie of the ship sinking underwater but still exploding and on fire. \u201cThey\u2019re sinking!\u201d I said. Then I looked at everyone else, \u201cIs everybody okay?\u201d I asked, trying to sound like a first mate.<\/p>\n
\u201cCheck\u201d, said Danny and then Kenny.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re okay up here\u201d, said Marybeth.<\/p>\n
\u201cArgh, I\u2019m wounded\u201d, said Paul, \u201cBut I\u2019ll be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marybeth looked at her sister. \u201cHannah\u201d, she said, \u201cYou can be the doctor. Go down and fix him up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hannah nodded and climbed down to where Paul was and pretended to put stuff on his arm to fix it. David watched like he was trying to figure out what he was doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn a submarine you call them a \u2018medic\u2019\u201d, Danny said.<\/p>\n
I looked out my pretend telescope again and saw another enemy ship, this one was a warship.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnemy ship off there to the right\u201d, I yelled out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe right is called \u2018starboard\u2019\u201d, Marybeth said, \u201cThe left I can\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPort\u201d, said Paul, calling up to her as Hannah continued to fix his wounded arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it broken?\u201d asked Danny.<\/p>\n
Hannah nodded. \u201cPretty bad\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust patch him up\u201d, Marybeth said from above.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me some whisky\u201d, Paul said, \u201cTo kill the pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hannah looked around the part of the submarine where Paul was and found the pretend whisky bottle, picked it up, and gave it to Paul, who did a big pretend \u201cswig\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks\u201d, he said, handing the pretend bottle back to her.<\/p>\n
I looked out my pretend telescope again. \u201cUh oh\u201d, I said, \u201cThis enemy ship has canons Captain!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter\u201d, said Molly, \u201cLet\u2019s get them!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing starboard\u201d, said Marybeth, pretending to turn that big wheel thing.<\/p>\n
Danny looked up at her. \u201cCoop should be doing that. It\u2019s his birthday!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know\u201d, she said, \u201cBut the wheel is up here and the Captain said to get them and I gotta follow orders.\u201d<\/p>\n
And even though one of the cannon shells hit the submarine, and Kenny was almost killed, we were able to wreck that ship and sink it too. And then we sank five more ships after that, though by that time we were all wounded, even the Captain.<\/p>\n
When Captain Nemo got wounded, Molly let herself kind of slowly fall down through the monkey bars until she fell onto the sand on the ground under them. It was pretty neat how she did it.<\/p>\n
\u201cOlly okay?\u201d asked David, looking worried as he now looked down on her instead of up at her.<\/p>\n
I crawled between the bars to where she was in the sand. \u201cCaptain, are you all right?\u201d I asked. Molly groaned with her eyes closed.<\/p>\n
Marybeth had climbed down from the top part too. \u201cGive her room\u201d, she said, \u201cLet the doctor look at her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMedic\u201d, said Danny.<\/p>\n
Hannah sat next to Molly and touched her stomach. \u201cShe\u2019s really bad!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs everything okay?\u201d It was the voice of Danny\u2019s mom, she was holding two paper plates full of hotdogs. She saw Molly lying on the ground with her eyes closed. \u201cIs Molly okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
Danny looked at her. \u201cWell\u201d, he said, \u201cFor real she\u2019s okay, but for pretend she may be dead soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou alright dear?\u201d she said to Molly. Molly nodded just a little bit but didn\u2019t open her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust checking sweetie\u201d, said Danny\u2019s mom nodding, \u201cDanny, will you make sure everyone on the crew gets a hotdog once y\u2019all have sorted out the medical emergency? I think there\u2019s enough for everyone. If y\u2019all want mustard or ketchup you\u2019ll just have to come onshore down where we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Marybeth and Hannah. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve met you two young ladies\u201d, she said, waving at them, \u201cI\u2019m Lennice, Danny\u2019s mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGeez mom\u201d, said Danny, \u201cYou don\u2019t have to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always good manners to be polite young man\u201d, she said, \u201cEven if someone\u2019s on their deathbed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m Marybeth, I\u2019m in Danny\u2019s class at Bach\u201d, said Marybeth, \u201cAnd this is my sister Hannah. We were just playing on the swings and they said we could play with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell of course\u201d, said Danny\u2019s mom, \u201cMore the merrier I\u2019m sure. Help yourselves to a hotdog dears.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMOM!\u201d said Danny.<\/p>\n
His mom shook her head and blew air out of her nose. \u201cDon\u2019t \u2018MOM\u2019 me young man. When I meet someone I always have the courtesy to make introductions, welcome them and share.\u201d Then turning towards Marybeth and Hannah. \u201cPleased to meet you girls\u201d, she said, and she handed the plates of hotdogs to Danny and turned and walked back down toward the picnic tables.<\/p>\n
Danny handed out hotdogs to everyone and they started eating. Marybeth said that David should only have half a hotdog and ripped one in half and gave half to him. There were two and a half hotdogs left, but Molly hadn\u2019t had one yet.<\/p>\n
Molly groaned pretending she was really wounded bad, still not opening her eyes. I knew she always liked that kind of stuff, getting blown up or knocked over or getting pretend dead even.<\/p>\n
Hannah shook her head. \u201cShe\u2019s not good. We have to feed her.\u201d Molly groaned again with eyes still closed but opened her mouth. Hannah took a hotdog from Danny and put the end in Molly\u2019s mouth and she bit some off and started chewing. Even though she was pretending to be wounded really bad, she seemed happier that everybody was all around her and pretending to worry about her.<\/p>\n
After a few more bites she said, \u201cI want something to drink.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe needs water\u201d, said Hannah.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, pop\u201d, said Molly.<\/p>\n
\u201cKenny\u201d, Danny said, \u201cGo down and bring back seven cups and one of those big bottles of pop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGeez\u201d, said Kenny, \u201cWhy me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone on the crew has to do their part\u201d, said Danny, \u201cThis is your chance to do yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenny pushed his mouth together but couldn\u2019t think up something to say that was better than what Danny had just said. \u201cOkay\u201d, he said, and walked down toward the picnic tables.<\/p>\n
Molly groaned some more, opening her eyes for a little bit but then closing them again. \u201cDid we sink all the badguy ships?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did\u201d, I said, \u201cAll seven of them. They won\u2019t be able to make any more bombs to blow people up\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s good\u201d, she said, \u201cMore hotdog.\u201d Hannah gave her another bite.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you\u2019re all here with me\u201d, Molly said, smiling but eyes still closed and pretending she was wounded.<\/p>\n
\u201cOlly okay?\u201d David asked. I tried to look at him and nod that she was because I didn\u2019t want to have to tell him because that would wreck the pretending.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll stick with you to the end, Captain\u201d, said Marybeth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s right\u201d, said Danny, \u201cDo you want us to sink you in the sub?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo\u201d, Molly groaned. She was really good at pretending. It was almost like she was really wounded. \u201cYou should keep going without me. Coob should be the Captain now. There\u2019ll be more of those bad ships to get.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHmm\u201d, said Marybeth, \u201cI\u2019m the first mate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah\u201d, said Danny, \u201cBut Coop is the other first mate and it\u2019s HIS birthday party.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHmm\u201d, she said again, \u201cOkay I guess. But when he gets killed I get to be the Captain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah we\u2019ll see\u201d, said Danny, like he didn\u2019t think so but he wasn\u2019t going to tell her yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad I at least had all of you\u201d, said Molly, \u201cMy best crew.\u201d Then she said \u201cgoodbye\u201d and opened her mouth up and stuck her tongue out and said \u201cAaaaaa\u201d and closed her eyes and let her cheek fall into the sand.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s pretty dead now\u201d, said Hannah.<\/p>\n
Kenny came back with a big bottle of Seven-Up in one hand and a stack of paper cups in the other.<\/p>\n
Hannah looked at him. \u201cIt\u2019s too late, she\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you can give the rest of us some\u201d, said Danny.<\/p>\n
We saw Molly\u2019s mom walking towards us carrying Molly\u2019s red football helmet.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh boy\u201d, said Danny, \u201cKenny what did you say to the grownups?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing!\u201d said Danny, looking worried, \u201cWell, not very much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Danny blew air out of his mouth and shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey guys\u201d, said Molly\u2019s mom, \u201cI just wanted to check in with Molly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s only pretend dead\u201d, said Danny.<\/p>\n
Molly\u2019s mom nodded and looked at Molly lying on the ground with her eyes closed. I could tell she was thinking a lot, maybe wondering if Molly would look at her and say something. I wondered too, but Molly didn\u2019t open her eyes OR talk.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I just wanted her to know that I\u2019m here\u201d, her mom said, then she looked at me, \u201cWas her dad here earlier?\u201d I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay good\u201d, she said, nodding her head thinking, \u201cThat\u2019s good.\u201d She said it was good but she looked worried.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad she\u2019s here with all her friends\u201d, she said. Grownups didn\u2019t usually say stuff like that so I was wondering if it was about what was going on with Molly\u2019s mom and her dad.<\/p>\n
Then she held Molly\u2019s red football helmet up. \u201cI brought her this if she needs it for the merry-go-round.\u201d She put the helmet on the ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh and Cooper\u201d, she said to me, \u201cYour mom said that they\u2019re ready to serve cake and open presents, including the big one.\u201d She looked at Marybeth and Hannah, did a smile at them and said, \u201cAnd your new friends are welcome to come down and have a piece of cake too.\u201d She did another smile at me and said, \u201cHappy birthday\u201d. But once she said it she went back to looking worried and thinking and not smiling, and then walked back down to the picnic tables.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d forgotten about my big present, the bicycle, because of all the pretending with the other kids, and Molly kind of mad and wanting to be Captain Nemo and then pretending she was dead.<\/p>\n
\u201cMmm\u201d, said Danny, \u201cBirthday cake. Cmon Molly, time to get up!\u201d She still pretended to be dead.<\/p>\n
He got down on his knees next to where she was lying under the middle of the monkey bars. \u201cI know how to bring dead people back to life\u201d, he said, \u201cEverybody gather around and help me.\u201d All the rest of us got down on our knees like Danny around where Molly was lying. Even David did too.<\/p>\n
He gave all the rest of us a sneaky look and a smile, then said very softly, \u201cWe just need to TICKLE her.\u201d I could see Molly, eyes still closed, make a little bit of a smile and shake her head just a little bit too.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh yes\u201d, said Danny, \u201cIt works every time\u201d, and he stuck his fingers into her side. Everyone else tickled the part of her body they were closest to, even David. Molly started laughing and throwing her arms and feet around and moving her body back and forth. It was a while before she finally told us to stop, and a while after that before we finally did stop.<\/p>\n
Then she sat up breathing hard, her face all pink. She looked at all of us and smiled. We all crawled out of the monkey bars and walked down to the picnic tables, Marybeth and Hannah brushing the sand out of Molly\u2019s hair. All eight of us kids sat at the same picnic table. I sat down first in the middle of one side and Molly quickly sat down next to me, because we always liked to be next to each other. I guess Paul liked being next to her too because he sat on the other side of her. And Kenny seemed happy to sit next to me so we were all good. David wanted to sit next to me too, so Molly and I helped him sit between us. Marybeth and her sister Hannah sat next to each other on the other side of the table and Danny sat next to Marybeth on the other side and he seemed happy too, because she was older like he was.<\/p>\n
Mom walked over behind dad and put her hands on his shoulders and looked at everybody with her lips together and then made a big smile. \u201cCan I have everybody\u2019s attention!\u201d she said. All the grownups and kids turned to look at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks everyone for being here today\u201d, she said. \u201cI was concerned that it was going to be too cold or even rain during the party. But Mother Nature held off and I thank her for that. But we best move it along because the wind\u2019s picking up and I can smell the rain coming.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here today to celebrate Coop\u2019s fifth birthday. I don\u2019t know about you, but I think it is a very momentous age. I remember being five. I was ready to start exploring the world around me, my neighborhood, on my own or with a friend. We lived outside Boston then, and my best friend Gertie and I used to go into the woods behind our house and explore the little swamp with all its interesting plants and creatures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom held her arm out towards Molly and said, \u201cMolly reminded me the other day that I said that \u2018bright kids will tell you what they need\u2019, and I truly believe that should guide all parents. Coop and Molly, and the rest of his friends over here are all, in my opinion, bright kids. Someday, not too too long from now, they\u2019ll be running the place, and so I think we do them, and the rest of us a service by giving them as much freedom and independence as possible to explore and broaden their world. What better way to help them develop the skills and wisdom they need to be the leaders of the future!\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned and looked at me and did her biggest smile showing all her teeth. \u201cHappy birthday Coop!\u201d she said, her eyes twinkling.<\/p>\n
All the grownups clapped. They looked at me and said \u201chappy birthday\u201d as well, raising the cups they were drinking out of. Danny and Marybeth, I guess because they were the older, clapped too.<\/p>\n
Mom and Molly\u2019s mom lit the candles on the cake. Mom shook her head and said, \u201cPlease, don\u2019t make me start the singing! Eric, would you do the honors?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad nodded and said, \u201cMy pleasure\u201d, and started singing the birthday song. All the other grownups started singing, even mom. The other kids started singing too, even Molly this time. Mom brought the cake over to where us kids were sitting and set it down on the picnic table in front of me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMake a wish\u201d, Molly said.<\/p>\n
I wished to myself that mom and dad would always like each other and that I would learn to ride my new bicycle really quickly. That was two wishes, so I wasn\u2019t sure that would work. I blew the candles out.<\/p>\n
Danny\u2019s mom and Paul\u2019s mom handed out pieces of cake to everyone, and Molly\u2019s mom poured all the kids cups of Seven-Up and coffee for the grownups. We all ate our pieces of cake quickly and drank our stuff and didn\u2019t say anything.<\/p>\n
Mom looked at me. \u201cShall we open presents?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
I nodded. There was the giant box that I figured was my bicycle and one much smaller present on top of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat one on top is from your Uncle John and Aunt Ruth\u201d, mom said, \u201cThe big one of course is from your dad and I and everyone here, plus your grandparents and your dad\u2019s friends Walter and Frank.\u201d<\/p>\n
The wind was starting to blow harder now, and the sky off by Paul\u2019s house was getting dark gray clouds. I opened the small present on top first. It was a spacesuit for playing like I was in space. There were also these glasses things that Danny said were \u201cspace goggles\u201d. Then I opened the big one. It was a box with a picture of a bicycle on the side.<\/p>\n
There it was, my bicycle!<\/p>\n
Molly\u2019s mom said, \u201cJack told me he volunteers to help you assemble it, Eric. He said he\u2019d call you later today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad nodded. \u201cShouldn\u2019t be too bad\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
I could see the gray clouds going above us.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what do you think, Coop?\u201d mom asked. The wind blew some of the paper cups off the table. Others just tipped over and the clear Seven-Up or black coffee spilled out.<\/p>\n
I really liked it but didn\u2019t know what to say, since all the grownups were looking at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s perfect\u201d, Molly said, looking at me, \u201cAnd I\u2019ll show you how to ride it, but I still have the training wheels on mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt drops of rain blowing in my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh boy\u201d, said mom, \u201cThanks everyone for coming and contributing to the bicycle. It\u2019s what Coop really wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n
All the grownups went to work grabbing all the party stuff. Dad and his friend Frank carried the bicycle box down to our car. Mom, Molly\u2019s mom, Danny\u2019s mom, Paul\u2019s mom and Kenny\u2019s mom all grabbed stuff and put it in bags and ran down towards our car. It was really starting to rain now with big drops that banged against your head and your body.<\/p>\n
Mom said goodbye to each of the grownups, shaking dad\u2019s friend\u2019s hand, and just taking the hand of the other women but not really shaking it. Danny\u2019s mom gave mom a hug.<\/p>\n
She said, \u201cJanie, let’s talk soon, we need to catch up!\u201d<\/p>\n
Though she was getting wet she quickly called out the names of each of the kids, nodded at them and said, \u201cThanks for coming!\u201d<\/p>\n
The backseat and part of the front seat of our car was full of party stuff, so mom asked Molly\u2019s mom if she could drive me home with Molly. The rain was falling harder and we were all getting wet. Molly\u2019s mom said she\u2019d also drive those other two girls home that had joined us on the monkey bars. Molly\u2019s mom said Molly and I could sit in the front seat because it was just a short drive home. Marybeth and her sister Hannah sat in the backseat. I thought Molly would get in the front seat first next to her mom but she didn\u2019t, and looked at me like I should go first, so I did. I wondered if she was mad at her mom. She got in after me and pushed herself right next to me. She looked back at Marybeth and Hannah and smiled.<\/p>\n
Marybeth looked at Molly and I could tell she was thinking. \u201cIs he your boyfriend?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
Molly shook her head and said, \u201cNope. He\u2019s my BEST friend!\u201d<\/p>\n
Marybeth told Molly\u2019s mom where she lived. It was a house just across from the park on that \u201cHutchins\u201d street. Molly\u2019s mom drove up the driveway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope your parents aren\u2019t worried about you and your sister\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNah\u201d, Marybeth said shaking her head, \u201cMy mom and dad are out of town and our grandma is staying with us.”<\/p>\n
\u201cWell she may be worried\u201d, Molly\u2019s mom said, \u201cWith the rain and all. Would you like me to come in with you and talk to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNah\u201d, Marybeth said, \u201cShe\u2019s probably taking a nap!\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly\u2019s mom looked a little bit worried and asked, \u201cDid she know you and your sister were in the park?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marybeth wrinkled her nose and said, \u201cSort of.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly\u2019s mom nodded and said, \u201cI\u2019d feel better if I went inside with you and just talked to your grandma.\u201d The rain was falling harder on the front window of the car and banging on the top part of the car above us.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll get wet!\u201d Marybeth said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s all right\u201d, Molly\u2019s mom said, \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d Then she looked at me and Molly and said, \u201cYou two stay here okay?\u201d Molly didn\u2019t say anything but she nodded, so I nodded but didn\u2019t say anything too.<\/p>\n
Molly\u2019s mom got out of the car and opened the back door so Marybeth and Hannah could get out. The two girls ran to the front door of the house which had a little roof part over it. Molly\u2019s mom ran after them, but more like a grownup than a kid, looking like she was walking fast rather than really running. I saw Marybeth open the front door and they all went inside the house.<\/p>\n
Since Molly and I always wanted to be the same I figured I could ask this question. \u201cAre you mad at your mom?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
She looked at me with fierce eyes then put the tip of her thumb in her mouth between her teeth but didn\u2019t say anything. I could see in her eyes she was thinking and for a while she looked mad and then for a while she looked sad.<\/p>\n
She finally took her thumb out of her mouth and said, \u201cOnce your bike is put together I\u2019ll show you how to ride it. Then we both can figure out how to ride without training wheels. Then we\u2019ll be just like big kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Molly\u2019s mom finally came back to the car she drove us back to my house, and Molly came in with me but her mom went home. Mom and dad were there in the kitchen putting away all the stuff in bags from the party. The big box with my bicycle in it was sitting in the middle of the living room floor. Dad saw Molly and me looking at the big box.<\/p>\n
\u201cMolly\u2019s dad said he\u2019d come over tomorrow and help me put it together\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll come over too and help\u201d, said Molly, \u201cAnd then I\u2019ll help teach Coob how to ride it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSounds good\u201d, said dad, smiling as he took stuff out of the bags, \u201cI\u2019m sure Coop\u2019s really looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly looked at me kind of fierce and nodded like I really should be \u201clooking forward\u201d to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cCoolie\u201d, said mom, \u201cWe need a picture of you in the space suit your Uncle John and Aunt Ruth sent you. I\u2019m going to send them a thankyou card once we get the picture back, and I\u2019ll want you to write your name on it.\u201d I could tie my shoes and write my name, and other words too.<\/p>\n
She gave me the box with the spacesuit and space \u201cgoggles\u201d. I looked at mom and dad. I didn\u2019t want to put the suit on while they watched me because that seemed like they told me to do it. Molly looked at me and pushed her lips together trying to think what I was thinking.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s put it on in the basement\u201d, she said. I nodded and ran to the basement stairs and then down the stairs, Molly running behind me.<\/p>\n
I tried to put it on with my shoes on but my feet got stuck. So I took my shoes off and then I could do it. I really liked that Molly watched me as I tied both my shoes, so she saw that I could just like she could. I put my arms in the arms parts of the suit and Molly zipped it all the way up. She gave me the belt thing to put around my waist and hook together. She gave me the glasses and I put those on too. I had my space helmet on my toy shelves so I put that on too. She looked at me, pushing her lips together again thinking.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need more stuff\u201d, she said. I nodded.<\/p>\n
I went back to my toy shelves and saw the straight wood pieces of train track. They looked like things you\u2019d wear in a space belt, so I stuck one on each side and then showed Molly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need more tubes and stuff\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
I looked at all my toys. I had a plastic chain thing and some cords that kind of looked like tubes. I showed them to her and she nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s good\u201d, she said nodding, \u201cI\u2019ll help you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She took the smaller cord and wrapped it around my middle and tied it together in the back. Then she took the bigger cord and put it over my left shoulder and it hung down between my legs. Holding the part over my shoulder, she kneeled down behind me and reached between my legs to grab the other part and then tied the two ends together behind me. I then stuck the chain thing under my belt and then up under the cord over my shoulder.<\/p>\n
Molly came around in front of me, put her hands on her hips and looked at me, pushing her lips together again. I closed the front part of my helmet that I could see through but made things kind of dark.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s really good\u201d, she said. She seemed happy to be helping me.<\/p>\n
We ran up the stairs back into the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Mom and dad looked at me. Mom looked like she was starting to laugh through her nose, but pushed her lips together and just nodded. \u201cOkay then. That\u2019s quite the outfit\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
Dad had the camera he took from a dead German guy during the war. He put it up to his eye, pointed it at me, moved the controls on it and then brought it back down again. \u201cMolly, why don\u2019t you get in the picture too next to Coop\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
Molly wrinkled her nose and didn\u2019t move. \u201cBut I don\u2019t have a spacesuit\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
I could see dad thinking, then he saw the football helmet. \u201cPut on your football helmet. It looks like a space helmet so at least you both have helmet\u2019s on. And it will give you both something to remember about today.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could see Molly thinking about it, but then she stopped wrinkling her nose, nodded, put the helmet on and stood next to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Coolie\u201d, mom said, \u201cCan I get you to put your helmet visor up so we can see your face in the space glasses?\u201d I didn\u2019t want to, because with it down I felt more like a real spaceman.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah Coob\u201d, Molly said, \u201cIt\u2019s no good if they don\u2019t know its you.\u201d So I opened my visor.<\/p>\n
Dad put the camera up to his eye again, looking at us. He moved the controls and then pushed the button and it made a clicking noise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today was Saturday and it was my birthday. Mom made eggs and toast for breakfast instead of me just making my own cereal. The four of us sat at the table in the kitchen eating. \u201cEric\u201d, mom said, \u201cI don\u2019t know if we\u2019ll be able to do Coop\u2019s party out in the park like we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[13,1773,515,1775],"class_list":["post-7340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","tag-ann-arbor","tag-childhood","tag-human-development","tag-memoir"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leftyparent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leftyparent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leftyparent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leftyparent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leftyparent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7340"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.leftyparent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7349,"href":"https:\/\/www.leftyparent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7340\/revisions\/7349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leftyparent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leftyparent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leftyparent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}