Chapter 9 #2
Once I’m in sweats and thick socks, I return to the kitchen and put on the rest of my winter gear. Once my boots are laced up, I shove my gloves in the pocket of my coat, pull my hat on my head, and walk out the door. Before I even hit the steps, I hear, “Cam!”
I hold up a finger and go to my truck, pulling the new sled and the bag out.
The moment I reach his driveway, he’s off the disc sled and running toward the chain-link fence. “What’s dat?”
“Well, I saw this snow stuff at the store and thought you might like it,” I tell him, opening the latch on the gate and stepping inside their backyard.
“Yay! Anoder swed! I wove sweds.”
“I figured you did,” I tell him, setting the bright orange toboggan sled down on the snow-covered ground. “Want me to pull you for a while?”
“Yes!”
“Yes, please,” Maren chastises gently, shaking her head.
“Come on, little dude. Let’s give your mama a break, and then we’ll see what other fun things I found for you.” He runs straight for the disc sled and plops back down on it, holding on to the two rope loops with his hands.
“Hi,” I say as I approach where Maren stands.
“Hi.”
“You don’t mind if I give him a ride for a bit, do you?”
“Of course not,” she says immediately, handing me the pull rope.
Since she’s wearing gloves, our fingers don’t touch, and that’s probably for the best. The last thing I need is to be skin on skin with her, even in the most innocent and slightest of ways, like a finger graze.
“All right, little dude, let’s tear up the yard.”
I don’t know how long I pull him around the fenced in area, but it’s quite a while. We’ve made several laps, figure eights, and zigzags, and he never says a word. Every time I glance back at him, he’s just grinning from ear to ear, like he’s having the best day ever.
After what feels like hours more, I stop and ask, “Want to see what I brought?”
He runs toward the bag and waits anxiously for me to open it. I pull out the snow brick mold first. “We can make bricks and make a snow wall or fort,” I tell him, demonstrating how it works by packing it with snow, turning it over, and carefully pulling the mold off the snow brick.
“Cool!” he proclaims, running over and stepping on the freshly made brick. As if it’s the funniest thing in the world, he busts out laughing, his head thrown back as he giggles at the silliness of smashing the brick.
With my own smile on my lips, I glance at Maren and find her watching her son with so much love and fondness, it steals my breath. Of course, I blame it on the colder temperature and not the emotions I’m doing everything I can to ignore.
“Look at this snowball maker,” I say, distracting him from stomping on the already smashed brick.
He stands beside me as I demonstrate how to scoop the snow up with the snowball maker and toss it at his leg. Theo giggles, picking up snow and tossing it back at me.
I glance toward Maren and say, “I guess I didn’t think this one through.”
She just smiles.
“But I saved the best for last, little dude. Look at this,” I insist, removing the monster feet from the bag and ripping the plastic tag off that’s holding them together.
“What’s dat?” he asks, his eyes wide as he looks on.
“Watch,” I state, getting down in the snow on my knees. Using the monster footprints, I make tracks as best I can, considering it’s all pretty packed down.
“Rrrrrrr!” he hollers, using his best monster growl voice. “Mommy, wook! Monster!”
“I see,” she replies with a grin.
“Wanna try?” I ask, handing over the two pieces of plastic. “Just be careful not to put too much pressure on them. We don’t want the plastic to break.”
And just like that, everything else is forgotten as Theo makes monster foot tracks all over the yard.
Leaning against the fence near Maren, I say, “I’ve never seen anything like those.”
“Snow toys have definitely come a long way since we were kids, huh?”
“What toys when we were kids? All we had was a shovel and our hands.”
She grins. “And a sled.” Glancing to the longer one, she asks, “Did you buy that for him too?”
I look over at the heavy-duty toboggan sled, perfect for two people. “I did. While I was standing there, looking at all the snow stuff, I had an idea. I wasn’t sure if you’d go for it or not, but I thought I’d get the sled on the off chance you said yes.”
She’s hesitant but asks, “Say yes to what?”
“Taking the two of you sledding. We can go tomorrow out at Wyatt’s farm.”
Her gaze returns to her son, who is still happily making monster tracks across the yard. “What would you use to pull us?”
“My four-wheeler. It’s stored at Wyatt’s with the rest of my family’s.”
“Oh.” I can tell she’s processing. She used to do that in high school. She’d get very quiet, her brain working overtime to run through every angle or option.
“I’ll give you time to think about it, and it’s okay to say no.
I know he’s young, but I’m a safe driver, especially when I have someone with me.
I’ll go slow, and we can keep it short. I’d never risk you—either of you,” I quickly add, trying not to let the focus fall on…
her. This is about giving Theo an experience.
Right?
Keep telling yourself it’s just about that…
“Why?”
Her question is soft, as if she’s somehow protecting herself. From me? From the answer? I’m not sure, much like I’m not sure why I’m doing this for them. It’s not my place. Clearly they’re fine sledding in the backyard.
But I can’t help but want to give him—both of them—this.
“Because of him,” I reply, nodding to where her son plays in the yard. “And as much as I may not like our history, I would never hold it against your son. He’s…pretty cool, and I’d love to give him this experience.”
Maren doesn’t respond, and we both return our attention to the little boy in the yard. After a few more minutes, she whispers, “Okay.” I almost don’t hear her.
“Okay…you’ll go?”
She glances at me and nods. “Yes.”
I’m unprepared for the wave of relief washing over me. “All right.”
She lets him play a little longer before finally hollering, “All right, Theo. It’s time to go in and warm up.”
“I not want to!”
“But we need to. You don’t want to get sick, do you? Then you won’t be able to come outside at all.”
He seems to consider that before dropping the monster track molds and running toward us.
“No, we have to pick up our toys. We don’t leave them in the yard,” she states.
He spins around and grabs the plastic feet and brings them over to us. “We’ll put them in the garage for now, okay?”
He nods, helping gather all the new toys I purchased.
I retrieve both sleds and follow them to the small structure.
It’s mostly cleared out now, with the exception of a few stacks of boxes she still needs to sort through.
Soon, she should be able to park her small SUV in here, which I’m sure she’ll be grateful for.
When all the toys are placed on one of the shelves and the sleds are stacked against the wall, she turns toward me. “Thank you.”
Knowing she’s referring to the new toys, I nod and reply, “You’re welcome.”
We step outside, and she locks the door. I turn to head toward my own home when she asks, “Would you like to come in for some cocoa?”
I shouldn’t.
I have a list of things a mile long to do at my own home. Some laundry, vacuum, dishes. I have my truck in the garage finally and need to do a little more body work.
But all that is brushed aside the moment she invites me inside.
“I’d love some.”