Of course, Emmie and Noel return home with us. So it is that Janna and her best friend both awake the next morning to greet the arrival of this auspicious day with joy. I can feel their excitement as they enter the kitchen around nine thirty.
“You two are finally up, huh?” I ask teasingly.
“Mom, we didn’t even get home until nearly midnight last night. I imagine everyone slept in today.” My daughter’s eyes rake me. “I’m surprised you’re not still in bed.”
I chuckle. “I was. I beat you to the kitchen by two minutes.” I take a sip of my water. “Are you two excited about tonight?”
“Tonight?” Janna responds nonchalantly. “What’s tonight?”
I snort softly as I look at her. “I guess I’ll have to offer to go to the Snow Ball with Lyric then.”
“Mom! You’ve already got a date to the Snow Ball. Daddy, remember?”
Ah, yes. We volunteered to be chaperones. Correction: I volunteered us to be chaperones. But I’m not entirely sure that my husband was all that thrilled to be conquering the task of supervising teenagers at a winter dance. He quickly found a way out of it. Reminding me that someone needed to stay home with our younger boys.
“Actually, Daddy’s not going.”
“What?” Janna looks at me in surprise. And disappointment. “But I wanted to catch him dancing with you.”
“Ha. Fat chance. You know your father isn’t much of a dancer. Honestly, I don’t know where you get it from,” I comment as my eyes run down her nimble legs.
“Why isn’t he going?”
“Someone has to stay home with the boys.”
“That’s what babysitters are for,” my sharp daughter points out.
“True, but all my babysitters are going to the Snow Ball,” I smile at her.
“Oh, well. You’re still coming, right?”
I know. You probably think this is odd. My sixteen-year-old daughter actually wants me to attend her high school dance. But it’s true. We actually like each other. And want to share our important moments with one another.
I smile at her. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it. At least, I’ll get to catch Lyric dancing with you.”
She flashes her teeth at me in a colossal grin as she adds, “And you’ll get to see Kookie dancing with Emmie too.”
Her friend looks a little embarrassed now.
“I know,” I smile at them both. “It’s going to be a wonderful evening.” I take a deep breath before asking, “So, what’s the plan today?”
“We’re going to shower so our hair has time to dry. Then we have to paint our nails and do our hair before we get dressed.” Janna glances up at me. “Oh, Mom, did I tell you that Lyric invited us all out for dinner before the dance?”
“He did? Like he’s paying for everyone?”
“Well, actually, I think all the guys are each paying for themselves and their dates. But we’re all going together. Lyric is borrowing his mom’s van.”
“How romantic,” I laugh.
Janna giggles. “No, but his car isn’t big enough to hold us all.”
“So, wait. I don’t get to drive you all to the dance?”
“Mom,” Janna is now laughing at me, “of course not! You’re my mom.”
I sigh in mock disappointment. “So I’ll be driving to the dance all by lonesome self?”
Janna quirks a dark eyebrow. “You’re not really upset about that, are you?”
I shake my head. “Absolutely not. I’m going early to help set up. I promised I’d be there an hour before any of you.”
“Oh, good.” She seems relieved. She’s such a sweet kid.
“All right, ladies, I’m going to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea while I figure out what to make for lunch. Have fun preparing for tonight. Let me know if you need anything.”
But, of course, they won’t. Janna has been fixing her own hair since she was nine years old. And before that, she would never let me do anything with it anyway. She taught herself to French bread before she even entered middle school. She’s been fixing her hair and her friends’ ever since. They won’t require my help to paint their nails either. When did these girls grow up?
Apparently, while I was busy keeping up with three little boys. You look away for just a moment, and the years fly by. At least, tonight I’ll get the chance to enjoy a snapshot in time. A formal dance. At which both of my oldest children will be paired with the objects of their affection. It’s sure to be a good time!
