38. Reese
“I’m not playing house. This is stupid.”
Winnie scowls at me and her brother. “I do everything you guys want. I just want to play with my new baby dolls, and I have no other friends to play with.”
She puffs her bottom lip out, and Elijah and I take turns groaning because we know we are going to give in to her pouts like we always do.
“Okay, how do we play?”
Winnie bounces around, grabbing various items from her messy room. She thrusts a baby at me and a toy car at her brother. My eyebrows pinch, and he chuckles.
“Why do I get a baby and he gets a car?”
“Because you’re the dad and he’s the brother.”
“Well, I don’t want to be the brother.” Elijah drops the car and crosses his arms over his chest. “I want to be the dad so I can boss you two around.”
Winnie rolls her eyes as if that’s the dumbest thing she’s ever heard.
“You can’t be the dad. I’m the mom, and we are brother and sister. That would be weird.”
Elijah ponders that thought, tapping his finger to his chin. He looks at me, and I shrug. I’m not in charge of this game.
“Well, it’s weird for you two to play Mom and Dad too. He’s like your brother.”
“Yeah, but no blood relation. Now shush or you get to clean the toilets.”
I bite back a laugh because Winnie really does sound like a mom, specifically her mom. I’ve heard Mrs. Lewis say that exact thing when Winnie and Elijah are fighting.
Playing house is actually kind of fun, but I’d never admit that out loud. Because I’m the dad, I’m in charge of the house. Even Elijah gave in to the part when I told him if he cleaned his “room,” he could play games. His room being a corner in Winnie’s room, but he really did disappear to play games.
Winnie hums across the room. I think she’s pretending her bed is the kitchen and she’s making dinner. I place the baby doll in its crib and wander toward her.
“Is the baby asleep?”
“Yep.”
She eyes me and smiles. “Good, you can help make dinner.”
Oh, great.
“Okay, what are we making?”
She falls out of character and whispers, “What’s your favorite food?”
“Uh, I like spaghetti, I guess.” Her mom made that for dinner last week, and it was the best food I’ve ever had, so I guess that works.
“We’re having spaghetti.”
I grin. “My favorite.”
Winnie giggles. “I know.”
I set Winnie’s tiny table with plastic plates while she goes and gets her brother—er, son, I guess right now.
To my surprise, Elijah behaves himself at the fake dinner, and it’s actually a nice time. I wonder if we will ever have dinner together like this when we’re bigger.
I hope so.