As I stand in the kitchen preparing one of the plates of food for tonight’s party, my husband suddenly enters the room to discover me pulling crackers out of a box. As I begin to arrange them neatly on the plate, he picks up the box and studies it.
“Golden round crackers?” he queries. “We couldn’t afford Ritz, so you had to buy golden round crackers instead?”
He sounds quite offended, so I smile sweetly and ask, “Is that an affront to your pride, darling?”
He turns towards me and wags his dark eyebrows at me. “Next, you’ll be buying round O’s cereal.”
I chuckle and slap him playfully on the shoulder before returning to the task at hand. But he reaches down to undo my handiwork as he lifts a golden round cracker off the plate and pops the entire thing into his mouth.
“Hey! What are you doing?” I exclaim, frowning down at the plate whose pretty arrangement is now suffering from a gaping hole.
“Taste testing,” he mumbles as he crunches the round between his teeth. He grimaces. “Yep. Definitely not a Ritz. Though, I suppose to be fair, I would need to sample a Ritz now to know for sure.” He glances around the kitchen. “Do we really not have any?”
I shake my head. “I didn’t realize what a cracker connoisseur you were,” I remark as I giggle. “I bought the golden round crackers at Aldi. The boys don’t seem to notice any difference. Though, Nana complained. Just like you. I guess the cracker doesn’t fall that far from the tree.”
He looks at me like I’m nuts. “Crackers don’t grow on trees.”
“You know what I mean,” I murmur, still chortling under my breath.
“Do we have any orange cheese squares to put on these golden round crackers?” he quizzes me.
I start laughing again. “Indeed. That’s the next thing I was going to put on this plate. Of course, Aldi is well known for its orange cheese squares.”
“Do we have some red and green triangle chips to eat too?”
“Now you’re just taking it too far,” I tease him.
But then my mouth drops open as I notice the bag in his hand. It’s full of Christmas-colored tortilla chips.
I groan. “I forgot to make those! I bought those to make nachos at the kids’ Christmas party, but I forgot we had them.”
He grins at me. Right before he opens the bag. And pops a red chip into his mouth. He crunches happily away before sampling a green one. “Yep. They still taste good. Make nachos tonight.” He sets the bag on the counter, and I glance up at his twinkling eyes.
“I never realized that a shopping trip to Aldi could be included in a preschool lesson involving colors and shapes,” I comment as I pull the orange squares of cheddar from our fridge drawer.
Of course, that statement isn’t strictly true. That’s just the sort of lesson which I created for my children when I homeschooled them in that parallel universe. You remember the one. When Kookie wasn’t my child. That was such a sad existence. This one is much better.
My husband is now digging in the pantry. “Surely, there must be some blue hexagon cereal in our cabinet here.”
“Now you’re just being ridiculous!” I turn towards him as he retrieves another box of cereal.
“Maybe, but we do have Marshmallows and Stars, which pretty much includes all the colors of the rainbow.”
I glance at him with mock irritation playing out across my countenance. “Are you actually going to help me prepare for the party? Or are you just here to film an episode of Sesame Street?”
He flashes his brilliant grin at me before sliding the box of cereal back into the cupboard. “What would you like me to do?”
I allow him a quick peek at my own teeth before responding, “You can cut these orange cheese squares into smaller orange cheese squares.”
A moment later, we’re happily working side by side. Preparing for a party that is sure to be a lot of fun. And replete with golden round crackers. I love New Year’s Eve.
––
Lyric arrives before anyone else. At six thirty, he knocks on the front door. Janna, already anticipating his arrival with excitement, leaps up to answer the door.
I know she was disappointed that he couldn’t hang out with her all day today, but he had to work. Lyric’s dad owns his own business, and today he gave someone the day off, so Lyric was filling in for the lost worker. But his dad promised he’d let him off in time for our party.
I glance up to greet him. “Lyric! Are you hungry?”
“When am I not hungry, Mrs. Franklin?” he queries with a twinkle in his eyes.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen you not hungry. When are you not hungry?”
That boxy grin is bouncing up and down now. “When I find out, I’ll let you know.”
“It’s a deal. In the meantime, would you like to make a homemade pizza? I’ve got a cooked crust all ready for you out in the kitchen.”
“Did I ever mention how much I love your mother?” he murmurs to Janna suddenly.
She laughs.
I beam at him. “So, when do I get to adopt you?”
He rolls his eyes. “When my pesky mother decides to disown me. Right now, she’s still far too fond of me. I’ve tried to fall out of her favor, but nothing is working.”
“Today probably didn’t help your efforts either. I imagine you now have amazing favor with your dad too after helping him out all day long.” I turn to head out to the kitchen. “Come on. I’ll get you your crust. I need to turn on the oven too.”
I nearly run into Kookie as I enter the kitchen. He’s carrying a platter full of crackers, cheese, and summer sausage. He and Emmie have just spent the last half hour getting the food ready for the party. Lyric reaches up and snags a piece of meat off the tray as he passes my son.
“Thanks, Kook. I’m starving.”
Kookie stops and holds the tray out. “Help yourself.”
Lyric makes a sandwich from two crackers, a slice of cheese, and a piece of sausage. I watch as he crams the entire thing into his mouth before crushing it between his teeth. I chuckle and shake my head. Teenage boys. Do they even taste anything they eat?
A few minutes later, the rest of our guests begin to arrive. Noelle ends up being the first. I finally get to meet her brother, John.
“Thank you, Mrs. Franklin, for inviting Noelle.”
Is it my imagination, or is he relieved to finally be getting a break from playing parent to an orphan?
“She is welcome to stay as long as you’d like. Within reason. I’m asking everyone to head home by twelve thirty.”
“I will pick her up at twelve thirty then. Thank you so much. I was invited to a party tonight and was planning to take her with me, but she would have been bored stiff.” He leans towards me and whispers quietly, “She’s been ecstatic ever since your son called to invite her. I know she’s been looking forward to tonight.”
“I hope she has fun then.”
Just then, another knock sounds on the door. As I open it, Noelle spies Allie standing on my porch. They both squeal as they recognize the other. Allie comes running into my house and throws her arms around Noelle.
“I didn’t know you were coming tonight!” they both screech in unison.
I catch John’s eye.
“I think there is no doubt of that,” he murmurs in reference to the last comment I made to him.
“Well, you have fun at your party too.”
He smiles and pivots towards the front door.
“And, John?”
“Hmm?” he asks as he turns back towards me.
“If Noelle enjoys her time here, she’s welcome to visit us again. Especially if you need a break for a little while.”
His face grows somber for a moment. “She’s a really good kid. I just…”
“…didn’t sign up to be a single parent?” I ask very softly, so only he can hear me. “I admire you for taking on such a task. I’m sure it’s extremely rewarding, but being a parent is challenging enough for a man and woman who planned to do it together. It’s got to be even more difficult for a young man navigating the turbulent waters of parenthood by himself. If you ever need help, please…don’t hesitate to call me.”
He just stares at me for a moment. “Thank you, Mrs. Franklin. Where were you when we lost our parents?”
I smile ruefully at him. “Well, I’m here now. So if you need help…or advice, just let me know.”
“I am a little concerned about the next two years. She’s about to hit puberty….”
“I’ll be here,” I nod. I know exactly what he’s talking about. “If she needs to talk to someone, she’s welcome to come to me. Anytime.” I pause for a moment before adding, “You don’t have any other family? Aunts? Uncles? Cousins? Grandparents?”
“We do. But we’re not close to my uncle. And only my dad’s father is left. Not a lot of help when raising a girl.”
“Yeah. Well, I’m glad that Noelle found Everett then.”
“I was nervous about making this move, but I can see it’s going to be a good one. I stayed in our hometown for as long as I could after they died, but my job required this move. I must admit I’ve been really worried how Noelle would do with the transition, but she’s found some really good friends at her school. We left behind a bit of a support network, but I didn’t have a choice. I would have lost my job if I’d turned down the move.”
“It happens. It’s not your fault.”
“Anyway, I really appreciate you reaching out to us. And thanks for tonight. One of the guys from work invited me to his party. This is my chance to get to know a few people better. But I don’t think there’s going to be any kids there. Everyone I work with is pretty young.”
“Not an experienced father like you,” my lips quirk as I tease him affectionately. I have immense respect for this young man already. He’s taken on a task a lot of men would have turned down. I can tell that he clearly adores his little sister. “Have a good time. We’ll see you in a few hours.”
He steps out the door.
“Oh! Would you like my cell number in case you need to reach me tonight?” I ask.
“Please.”
We exchange numbers, and I prepare to shut the door, but then I see Yoon pull his car into my driveway. A moment later, Lyric’s sisters emerge from his car. So does Jimmy.
Hmm. Perhaps he’s going to stay for the whole party. I expected him to drive himself so he could head home early to check on his mom.
As they approach my door, I greet them all before turning my attention to him. “Jimmy, how is your mom?”
“She’s doing really well. She swore up and down that she’s feeling good tonight. She encouraged me to come for the whole time. I don’t have my own car, so I had to catch a ride with Yoon. My mom’s car has been acting funny.”
I frown. This poor woman. What hasn’t gone wrong for her in the last few weeks?
“If you decide you need to head home sooner, Kookie can give you a lift,” I offer.
“Thanks,” Jimmy smiles at me. “You’re so nice.”
“It’s the only way to be,” I murmur as I swing the door wide and invite everyone into the house.
I find Harper at the tail end of the group. “Why, hello, Harper!” I greet her.
“Hi, Mrs. Franklin,” she responds sheepishly.
“Come on in. Janna’s in the kitchen. Right through that doorway there,” I point across the room.
She bobs her head and makes a beeline for the kitchen.
I do some quick calculations. I’m pretty sure all our guests have arrived. I glance around at those hanging out in the living room. I see that my husband has – in typical fashion – already made himself scarce. He’s probably camped out in his office playing a video game on his computer. Oh, well. As long as he’s comfortable.
The kids are having a great time. I hear laughter erupting from the kitchen. Janna, Lyric, and Harper are still out there. Kookie is sitting on my couch. His arm is around Emmie. They’re chatting with Harmony and Melody. Yoon is quietly standing behind his new girlfriend, but he’s laughing at something Kookie just said. Jimmy is grabbing a snack from the tray on the coffee table.
Everett, Noel, Allie, and Noelle are all sitting around the dining room table playing a board game. The two girls are seated next to each other and across the table from the boys. I notice that Allie is seated directly across from my son and Noelle is facing Noel. They keep smiling shyly at one another. Adorable. Just adorable.
I grab a cup of tea and sit down in my recliner with my laptop. Time to write a story while all these kids ring in the new year.
