a bunch of us hanging out.”
“Does Emily have family coming in today, too?”
“Yeah. She’s got to go to the airport to pick up her gran.”
“Well, you’d better get over here pronto. You know how it is. Everyone’s getting antsy.”
“Will you tell him something for me?” Eric asked. “Tell him we want to take him to dinner before baccalaureate. Baccalaureate
is tonight, isn’t it?”
Seth must have heard his dad. He groaned. “Mom. Baccalaureate? Tell me I don’t have to go to that thing.”
Hilary let her silence speak for her.
“Who wants to sit in a room and listen to more people talking behind a microphone? It’s time to celebrate . Besides, I need to write my own speech.” Hilary tried to remember if she’d even mentioned the speech to Eric yet. A few days ago, Seth’s friends had elected
him to speak during the ceremony.
“So you can stand behind a microphone. Make people listen to you. ”
“Right. It’s sure better than the other way around.”
Hilary finally laughed. “Just get your sweet self over here,” she told him in that tone of voice that implied she was almost
exasperated. “I’m going to let you deal with this.”
“The video went great. We got this great close-up shot of Remy dissecting a frog in Biology. It’s going to gross everybody
out. Then we got my touchdown reception and the parade when the swim team won regionals and Jess Forney’s mom turned in about
a dozen pictures of girls having a mud fight at Jess’s birthday when they were four.”
Ah, Hilary loved the parts of his life that Seth was willing to share with her. She also knew that he was trying to divert
her attention away from baccalaureate. “Sounds like it’ll play well to an audience.”
“Oh, it will, all right.”
“Ben said you promised to shoot hoops with him.”
“I did. Oh, and Mom? When we get a minute, I need to talk to you about the senior party.”
Once more, Hilary’s mind went to the party the parents had been planning, the rental of the rec center with the pool, the
DJ they’d hired, the ice-cream sundae bar and the inflatable outfits for sumo wrestling.
“I’d be willing to pay big money to see you in a sumo suit,” Hilary said.
“No, Mom. I’m talking about that other party.”
“Oh. The campout.”
“Yeah.”
“I just —”
“What?”
“Well, I’m so lucky. I know I can talk to you about anything.”
“Yeah. So?”
“Well, a lot of the other parents don’t know about it. A lot of the other kids didn’t tell. So you shouldn’t say anything.”
Hilary had to be honest. Her son’s request made her feel half-proud and half-uncomfortable. “Seth. If there’s this much secrecy
attached, maybe you guys shouldn’t go.”
“Mom, you know how things are. It’s got to stay quiet. Somebody might call the police or something.”
Silence.
“It’s just one night. You know nothing’s going to happen.”
“No, I don’t know that.”
“Dad’s standing there, isn’t he? You’re not going to let him have anything to say about this, are you? He isn’t even a part
of our lives anymore.”
“Oh,” Hilary said, smiling at Eric, who had stopped beside her. “I’d say he’s very much a part of our lives right now.”
Hilary had a disappointed little boy sitting on her couch spinning a basketball with small, dusty hands, and a campout seemed
like such a fleeting, small detail. She had a woman waiting in her living room with her two perfectly behaved children, a
woman who probably waxed her floors weekly. “Seth. Are you coming home now, or not?”
“I’m on my way.”
“That’s better.”
“Okay.”
“Yeah.”
“Love you, Mom.”
Lily had started spinning again, her tiny feet crossing one over the other, toes barely touching the floor. And when Hilary
hung up the phone, all she could see was the child her husband had given his new wife. The little girl turned dizzily, laughing,
her arms splayed,
“Does Emily have family coming in today, too?”
“Yeah. She’s got to go to the airport to pick up her gran.”
“Well, you’d better get over here pronto. You know how it is. Everyone’s getting antsy.”
“Will you tell him something for me?” Eric asked. “Tell him we want to take him to dinner before baccalaureate. Baccalaureate
is tonight, isn’t it?”
Seth must have heard his dad. He groaned. “Mom. Baccalaureate? Tell me I don’t have to go to that thing.”
Hilary let her silence speak for her.
“Who wants to sit in a room and listen to more people talking behind a microphone? It’s time to celebrate . Besides, I need to write my own speech.” Hilary tried to remember if she’d even mentioned the speech to Eric yet. A few days ago, Seth’s friends had elected
him to speak during the ceremony.
“So you can stand behind a microphone. Make people listen to you. ”
“Right. It’s sure better than the other way around.”
Hilary finally laughed. “Just get your sweet self over here,” she told him in that tone of voice that implied she was almost
exasperated. “I’m going to let you deal with this.”
“The video went great. We got this great close-up shot of Remy dissecting a frog in Biology. It’s going to gross everybody
out. Then we got my touchdown reception and the parade when the swim team won regionals and Jess Forney’s mom turned in about
a dozen pictures of girls having a mud fight at Jess’s birthday when they were four.”
Ah, Hilary loved the parts of his life that Seth was willing to share with her. She also knew that he was trying to divert
her attention away from baccalaureate. “Sounds like it’ll play well to an audience.”
“Oh, it will, all right.”
“Ben said you promised to shoot hoops with him.”
“I did. Oh, and Mom? When we get a minute, I need to talk to you about the senior party.”
Once more, Hilary’s mind went to the party the parents had been planning, the rental of the rec center with the pool, the
DJ they’d hired, the ice-cream sundae bar and the inflatable outfits for sumo wrestling.
“I’d be willing to pay big money to see you in a sumo suit,” Hilary said.
“No, Mom. I’m talking about that other party.”
“Oh. The campout.”
“Yeah.”
“I just —”
“What?”
“Well, I’m so lucky. I know I can talk to you about anything.”
“Yeah. So?”
“Well, a lot of the other parents don’t know about it. A lot of the other kids didn’t tell. So you shouldn’t say anything.”
Hilary had to be honest. Her son’s request made her feel half-proud and half-uncomfortable. “Seth. If there’s this much secrecy
attached, maybe you guys shouldn’t go.”
“Mom, you know how things are. It’s got to stay quiet. Somebody might call the police or something.”
Silence.
“It’s just one night. You know nothing’s going to happen.”
“No, I don’t know that.”
“Dad’s standing there, isn’t he? You’re not going to let him have anything to say about this, are you? He isn’t even a part
of our lives anymore.”
“Oh,” Hilary said, smiling at Eric, who had stopped beside her. “I’d say he’s very much a part of our lives right now.”
Hilary had a disappointed little boy sitting on her couch spinning a basketball with small, dusty hands, and a campout seemed
like such a fleeting, small detail. She had a woman waiting in her living room with her two perfectly behaved children, a
woman who probably waxed her floors weekly. “Seth. Are you coming home now, or not?”
“I’m on my way.”
“That’s better.”
“Okay.”
“Yeah.”
“Love you, Mom.”
Lily had started spinning again, her tiny feet crossing one over the other, toes barely touching the floor. And when Hilary
hung up the phone, all she could see was the child her husband had given his new wife. The little girl turned dizzily, laughing,
her arms splayed,
Similar Books
