18 The Anniversary
Beau
July 4, 2023
Sea Springs Texas
First off, I wouldn’t have chosen a tuxedo. Then the white suit jacket against all black slacks, ties—his a bow tie, mine a standard knotted necktie—dress shirts and vests, was also weird to me. A Great Gatsby-themed party in a world of graphic arts and anime was a bold choice. I readily admitted the use of CliffsNotes when my class read the book in high school.
I had no idea what was really happening in our backyard for that matter, but Dash had again taken my year to plan our anniversary, and gone way overboard on the theme and the decorations. Well, maybe Stone, Dash’s personal assistant, had done most of the work, but no doubt he’d only followed Dash’s vision.
Round tables and chairs were sprinkled over large portions of the backyard, enough seats to have our hundred or so guests be comfortable. A large, multi-course buffet was set up on one side, both jazz and swing bands on the other, playing in intervals. The porch had a full bar and bartender. Dash and I were swaying together on the portable dance floor between the bar and the swimming pool which was currently full of children.
Twinkling lights, sashes, and beautiful fresh flower arrangements decorated the yard. The same style flowers were made into centerpieces atop the white table drapes. Candles flickered, adding a softness to the party. Somehow the bugs stayed away, and Dash cooled the air from one side to the next, with equipment that made very little noise.
The beautiful part of tonight was the happy love that seeped off Dash into me. We danced together arm in arm, listening to an older multi-genre playlist while the last remaining band took a break. While we swayed in place, everyone else danced to the rhythm of the complicated jazzy tune. The fringe on period dresses bounced this way and that, and spiffy suits and tuxedos topped with straw hats moved all around us.
Amelia handmade the girls’ flapper dresses, and the boys’ wore three-piece suits. They looked adorable until they stripped down to their bathing suits. Fisher and Hunter were the first inside the swimming pool. It was all it took for the other children to follow.
“The next song’s our song,” Dash said, tilting his chin up to me, lips puckered.
I eyed him closely before bending down to accept the offer. “We apparently have lots of songs. Which one’s this one?” I asked. Over twenty-three years of bimonthly new songs, we had to have amassed over a hundred and fifty by now.
My guy, with his love of music, knew exactly when the next song was slated to begin. He stepped fully into me. No space between us. “When I heard it again, it imprinted on me. This is our official song. Nothing can change it. It fits us.”
The songs changed with a small pause.
He rested his cheek against my shoulder, our elbows tucked into our sides. Tingles raced across my body as I pressed my cheek against his forehead.
“Unforgettable…” The song hit emotionally right where Dash had wanted it to. My guy nailed it. I listened to the sultry tune, holding Dash closely. The lyrics were hypnotic and truthful. I squeezed Dash tighter to me. He held me in just the same way. My emotions laid bare as the words resonated.
On one side of my leg, Fisher circled his arms around my knee. He was still wet from the swimming pool, moving back and forth with us to the end of the song. Our tiny dancer had no shame in joining our special moment and was probably the only thing that might pry Dash and I apart. We glanced down between our bodies to see Fisher’s giant smiling grin staring up at us.
“Dance,” he stated proudly.
Another small hand tugged at the end of my jacket from the other side. I suspected it was Hunter, mirroring Fisher in every move.
“Abuela says we have five minutes before the fireworks. So you have to stop ignoring your guests and take a seat,” Mia said, and hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “Abuela said that, not me.”
“Hmm.” Dash tilted his face to mine as if remembering where we were, then glanced beyond.
He and I were the only ones on the dance floor. No one remained in the swimming pool. He brought his hand to Mia’s shoulder.
“Go get the blanket we brought outside and bring it over here. We’ll watch the fireworks from the floor.”
Where Stone had helped create Dash’s vision, Amelia was the sergeant at arms, taking the role seriously.
“Okay, but she’s gonna lift her eyebrow when I tell her,” Mia said. I chuckled softly. My girl wasn’t wrong. Ava, Fisher, and Hunter saw the look regularly.
“Guests,” Amelia beckoned a moment later, her voice amplified by the microphone she’d purchased years ago in order to talk over the children. “Please take a glass of champagne and get comfortable. The fireworks begin in four minutes.”
I lifted Fisher into my arms. He crawled high until he circled my neck. My fearless boy didn’t like the dark.
A waiter came to us with two glasses of bubbling champagne. Our children were like adorable little magnets, wrapped in terry cloth towels, holding plastic glasses of sparkling juice. Mia graced me with the blanket. I fluffed it out, letting it float to the floor. The family, once you included my mom and Kailey, barely fit on the surface. Carter was stuck in an airport somewhere between here, and the other side of the world.
Scott and Lauren, his parents and their children were somewhere around there too. As if on cue, Scott cleared his throat into the microphone to gain everyone’s attention. “I have a few words to say before the fireworks begin and while everyone can still hear me. Beau, we’ve been friends since birth. As you brought Dash then each of the children into our lives, you’ve given me, and Lauren, a larger family to love.
“The preparin’ of this anniversary party has brought back some pretty amazin’ memories for me. Beau, remember when we were children, and we raced across the football field, end zone to end zone, and I won?” Most everyone there knew about the constant competition Scott and I still lived under. The laughter was irritating, but I tried my best to hide it, not wanting to give him the win. Scott nodded happily at me. “Then the time we bet on who caught the most fish from Dog River in a day? I won that too.”
He wasn’t shy, I’d give him that. Luckily, Lauren swooped in, snatching the microphone from his hand. “Since Scott’s told you about the two times he bested Beau, I’ll add we couldn’t have asked for better friends than Dash and Beau. Together we share an unbreakable bond, and Scott and I are better off in the world because of you two. Please raise your glasses to celebrate Dash and Beau’s anniversary. Twenty-three years is a long time to be devoted to one another.”
Cheers erupted, glasses clinked, including ours with our children, before we all took sips.
“Get comfortable,” Amelia said. Fisher, who sat between my legs, stood and wrapped himself around my torso, until I was forced to hold him there. His face ducked into my suit coat. “We have a firework show to rival the City of Seas Springs’ show last night. We’ll begin in one minute.”
Dash shrugged his suit coat off and began untying the bow tie. The property lights darkened. The candles were already blown out. Darkness enclosed us in her warm blanket. Hunter screeched and scrabbled for me. He trembled at the first boom. When the fireworks burst brightly in the sky, Fisher was torn between the color of the lit sky and the darkness that always followed. By the end, Hunter had crawled in the circle of my lap too, mimicking Fisher.
My little guys.
Late July 2023
“But I saw the invoice for the fireworks show,” I hissed, making it around the hood of the Tahoe in record time, stepping on Dash’s heels as he left the SUV parked in front of the house. “You spent more than I make in a year just on the fireworks. I get having a big deal for our twenty-five-year anniversary, but why twenty-three? And why so much money? We agreed to a budget.”
Dash trotted up the front porch steps as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Beau, we’re not hurting for money, and we celebrated an anniversary that means everything to me with these people we call children. After being on deaths door, I want to build lasting memories. The kids were delighted with the party. You were doe-eyed, and my heart was full of joy. Our friends and my staff haven’t had any sort of formal celebration since the practice opened. On a normal day, the only people we hang with are Scott and Lauren. The entire evening was perfect for all of us.” Dash clutched the front doorknob, and I slapped my hand against the wood to keep it closed..
“Did the party cost more than fifty thousand dollars?” I asked.
Dash pushed open the front door, causing me to topple past him into the house. Damn, he had me so flustered I got mixed up on what way the door opened.
“It cost about half that,” he said, surprising me with his honesty.
“Why would you spend so much?” I asked, once I managed to keep my body upright.
“For you,” he answered as if that was the obvious response and leaned in with puckered lips. I left him hanging and aimed for a critical brow raise and set jaw so he’d get a full sense of my displeasure.
“What did the school say?” Mia said from the kitchen table. She was the pixie-est looking one of the three with a new Tinker Bell hairstyle for the start of school. The cut fit her face perfectly, but I missed her long hair. They weren’t little anymore, but sometimes, I was lulled back into those sweet toddler years, where we had to be careful of color placement between them, otherwise we wouldn’t know which child was which.
What a serious mistake it had been to tell the girls that their school wanted to speak with us before the year began again. They’d been hounding us for days, wanting answers.
“Go get your sisters and Amelia,” Dash said. “Meet at the kitchen table in five minutes. I want to change my clothes.”
“I’ll get the boys watchin’ television on the porch while we talk to them,” I added, heading for the backyard to bring the little guys and the dogs to the porch where they could be seen from the kitchen. I whistled and gained their attention like every other time. The dogs made it to me first for a good rubdown before the boys skidded to a halt in front of me. Hunter bent with his hands on his knees, dramatically puffing out breath like he’d run a mile in a matter of minutes.
“We need to talk to Livie inside the house. I’m gonna turn on the television out here. I need you to sit down properly, and be good until we’re done,” I said, using the remote to find the Nickelodeon channel. It usually held their interest.
“Livie’s in trouble. Livie’s in trouble,” Fisher chanted, rocking his hips as he did his best to climb into the chair while keeping the dance going.
“Do you wanna watch another episode of Blaze?” I asked, ignoring Fisher.
“Yeah!!!!” That was all it took for them to scramble for their seats. I grabbed juice boxes from the outdoor fridge, and stuck the straw inside each one before handing it over.
“Put these headphones on,” Dash instructed, coming toward the porch from our bathroom door. “They should be synced. Test ’em out while we’re here.” He offered each dog a treat, quickly gaining their favor.
I motioned for them to a seat near the boys. In addition to the huge windows separating the kitchen from the back porch, Duke and Dixie were the best sitters. We’d know before any of the boys’ feet hit the ground, if they decided to leave the patio.
Who knew how long we had for serious talk time. It had to be fast.
“What’s going on, Dasham?” Amelia asked, handing out juice boxes to the girls, sitting around the table that doubled as a kitchen and dining room table, as well as a laundry folding station, and desk for homework.
“It’s funny when she calls Daddy Dasham,” Ava said. She had gone with a shaved sides haircut, making her hair look normal when it was down, but cool and edgy when it was up. She was drawn to the darker side of life, and deftly opened her own juice box by ramming the straw through the small opening.
“Little Miss Ava,” Amelia warned. “What have we talked about? You don’t need to say everything you think aloud.”
“Sorry,” Ava said, of course without an inkling of remorse.
Dash had to help Mia with her juice box—she was our scatterbrained child, only because she read emotion and energies in people, while always giving a kind hand. She was also our most normal child in her jean shorts and a tee. If a bug dared to invade our property, Mia swooped in on a rescue mission, happily lifting the insect to safety. She applied the same techniques to snakes and spiders too, which was a win for me as well. Too bad her strengths didn’t include inserting the plastic straw into the juice box without spilling it everywhere.
“What did they say, Paw?” Livie asked, exuding elegance in the same manner as a presidential first lady. Her hair was long, not a strand out of place. She sat naturally with her hands in her lap, her ankles crossed. “Do they want us to skip a grade again?”
“Sort of,” I said, taking the seat beside her. We waited to explain once Amelia joined us.
“Those boys are gonna be the death of me,” Amelia said, taking a seat next to Ava. “They have so much energy.”
The trio of girls had already skipped the first grade together. They were all smart. I expected other years and classes to be jumped over, but Livie had a rare next-level intelligence. When the school nudged us to pinpoint her brilliance, we spoke with her pediatrician who agreed to work with their elementary school to perform a series of IQ tests. Today’s meeting was the grand finale of everyone’s efforts.
I threw out a hand when Dash stayed quiet. He needed to lead this charge. I felt like the village idiot surrounded by all these excessively smart people. “As we all know, this is really about Livie, and all the meetings she went through this summer. We’ve agreed to have Ava and Mia tested in the same way.” Dash nodded. He did that a lot when trying to get the answer he wanted. “But today’s results are all about Liv.”
“We aren’t smart like Livie’s smart,” Mia said, reasonably.
“She’s not wrong,” Ava interjected.
“We’ll circle back to you two, but we have some big decisions to make before school begins in a couple of weeks,” I said, motioning Dash to take the reins again.
“Before your paw and I sign any papers, we want to hear from you. Specifically Livie.” Dash faced Livie. I put my arm on the back of her chair, sliding a reassuring hand up and down her back.
“Honey, you’re in a league of your own. Your IQ’s a whooping one hundred and sixty-nine. You’re exceptionally gifted.” Generally, Livie was selective in giving a smile, but that did it. She beamed at Dash, then turned the smile on me. Butterflies took flight inside my belly.
“I’m proud of you,” I said, returning the grin.
Her happy face turned to Abuela, then her sisters. Mia was already grinning brightly. “I told you that you’re smarter than everyone else,” Mia said, reaching a hand across the table, encouraging Livie into the hold. Of course she didn’t voluntarily take Mia’s hand, germs and all, but they shared a silent stare while grinning at each other.
The doorbell rang, drawing everyone’s attention in that direction. “That’s your counselor, Mrs. Pinkney. She’s here to answer the questions you have, Livie.”
I let her in, skipping the greeting formalities since Dash and I were the ones asking her over tonight and started this meeting without her.
We probably should’ve waited… I’d have to apologize later for the misstep.
“So, how far have you gotten?” she asked, laying a pad and paper on the table before her.
“Just gettin' to the good stuff,” I said. Dash and I had expected pushback from the girls. Livie, Mia, and Ava were a squad. They went most places together. How would they feel about being broken apart?
“We believe you should begin the new school year in junior high school,” Mrs. Pinkney said. “With many reassessments as we go. This will be new territory for us all.”
“Without Mia and Ava?” Livie asked. Her bright eyes turned worried. “What about my friends?”
“You don’t have friends,” Ava chirped, not mean-spirited, but as if only stating a fact. “Me and Mia have friends, and you tag along with us. You’re smarter than the teachers, and you follow all the rules. Nobody else likes that.”
“Ava,” Mia said, her brows knitted together as she put her sister on notice.
My heart gave an ache for Livie. I had no idea this was happening. Tears instantly fell from Livie’s eyes, her forehead hit her crossed arms on the table. Amelia was up, going to Livie’s other side to comfort her. Dash looked as confused as me.
“I wanna… have friends. No one… likes me.” Each word was said between pain, tears, and hiccups.
“Here, baby. Stop crying,” Amelia said, pushing a napkin between her arms. “Take a drink from your juice box and find your calm. We can talk through it.”
“What about your dance classmates? Aren’t y’all all friends?” I asked, since that was why she had started dance lessons in the first place.
“They don’t like her either,” Ava blurted.
“Ava, are you talking badly about your sister?” Dash asked, using the serious tone reserved only for his work.
“No, Daddy, she doesn’t,” Mia the peacemaker jumped in. “Ava stomps on their crayons and breaks their scissors when they talk bad about Livie.”
Whoa. Where had this solid left turn come from?
“Livie,” Mrs. Pinkney said gently, but firmly. “Look at me, please.”
Livie did. Her red face and swollen eyes broke my heart in two. I couldn’t take the tears, but I knew they hit Dash harder. He looked ready to cry. The hiccups never stopped as she did her best to gain control.
“Mrs. Crabtree felt like you’d feel this way and has offered her office to become your classroom. We’ll set you up remotely with the junior high. You know the office is only a hall away from your grade. You can learn at an accelerated pace while still being with your peers.”
“So I’ll attend class online at school with Ava and Mia?” she asked, the sniffles and quick breaths still making it hard to speak. Amelia handed her the juice box and encouraged her to drink, pressing additional napkins into her hand.
The counselor’s warm, encouraging smile gave my heart a chance again as I scooped Liv into my lap, hugging her tightly.
“Yes. And you’ll probably see them more each day than you did last year,” Mrs. Pinkney said, then turned to explain that statement to the adults at the table. “As you know, they don’t attend the same classrooms together, but Livie will have her sisters popping in and out throughout the day.”
“And I’ll get recess and lunch with my sisters?” Livie asked. “Because they’re my best friends and make me stronger.” Livie raised her chin as if she’d made her decision and wouldn’t back down.
“Absolutely.”
I felt the relief flood her small body. Her hand covered mine, wrapped around her. She glanced at me with her swollen, tear-streaked face.
“I think I’m okay now,” she said and hiccupped again in my face. Her entire body shuddered.
“Livie,” Ms. Pinkney started. “You’re part of a small group of exceptionally-bright young minds. That’s the way they reference you.” She tore off a sheet of paper from her notebook and handed it to Dash. “This is the contact information for American Mensa. Mrs. Crabtree has taught Livie for the last two years and feels like she needs a support group. Once you give me the green light, I’ll send her test scores over with the other information they’ll need. They have appropriate age groups, and instruction lessons to keep their minds active. Most of the gatherings will be online, but there are in-person groups in Houston as well. They’ll require parental involvement to create safe spaces for her to meet other children like herself. I believe that’ll do her wonders in meeting friends.”
Dash took the piece of paper, reading over it before passing it to me. “Livie, if you’re in, we can do this on a trial basis. When you find your place, you’ll sprout like a weed, nothing will hold you back.”
She nodded and only gave a single hiccup while turning her body to better face me. “Paw, can we try the group in Houston? Daddy will say yes, but you have to too.”
I glanced at Dash who smirked brilliantly at me.
“Livie-baby, I’ll always do my best for you, but we didn’t know this was a problem. You need to talk to us more.”
She reached up, circling her arms around my neck, squeezing me. I accepted my hug and gave one in return while staring at Ava.
“What I want to know about now is this stepping on crayons. That seems excessive.”
“Paw, you can’t be mad. They’re mean to Livie to her face, because she’s better than they are in everything,” Ava started, talking so fast I had to replay her words over. “It makes me mad. People are stupid.”
“Ava,” Dash’s hands splayed across the table. “You aren’t helping your case by calling other children names.”
“Should we have been notified about her behavior?” I asked Mrs. Pinkney.
“I knew,” Amelia confessed, her tone holding hints of possessiveness and anger. “I’ve never disciplined her for protecting her family.”
Ava bubbled up with a laugh. “Abuela told me to squirt glue on their hair.”
“Okay. Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that,” Mrs. Pinkney said, getting to her feet again. “Can’t blame her for family protectiveness, and Amelia always sends new supplies to school for the other children.”
“That’s right,” Amelia said, her arms crossing defiantly over her chest. “Better than they deserve.”
“Okay, again,” Mrs. Pinkney said, taking her purse and notebook. I rose too, bringing Livie up and on my hip. I couldn’t remember the last time she let me carry her this way, but I missed her as a baby and got a few moments to pretend we were still that family. “No, stay together, you don’t have to show me out. Livie, I hope you like our idea. We’ll be there to support you the whole way.”
She nodded and extended her hand like an adult would do. I loved her so much. “Thank you, Mrs. Pinkney. My Paw’s strong. He can carry all of us at the same time.”
“I see,” Mrs. Pinkney said, waggling a brow my direction. “I’ll be in touch tomorrow. When I get a solid move forward, we’ll begin getting her room together.” She lifted a hand, waving goodbye to the group. Liv and I followed her out. When the front door closed tightly, Livie hugged me again.
“I feel better, Paw. You can put me down,” she said, her legs going straight until I put her down.
“Ava, no more breaking other people’s stuff,” Dash started before I had a chance to say the same thing. Dash veered in a different direction. “Tell them your paw’s stronger than their fathers, and he’s going to beat them up.”
I agreed with the sentiment completely, but I wasn’t sure it was the right thing to say.
“Really, Paw, will you beat them up?” Ava asked, hopefully.
“Your fathers will do anything to protect their girls,” Amelia explained, getting to her feet. She saved me from answering. I’d seen a lot of those dads, I could take them. Still might have to if their children don’t get under control.