leaning on the arm of the leather sofa in the family room. Carrie’s fluffy receiving blanket made a nice tent for the baby. “This still looks like magic to me.”
“Not magic. Maybe a little miracle. But one that sure happens for a lot of people.”
“I guess.” Mike looked across the long room into the kitchen where his mother was working on a dessert tray. “What was baby feeding like nearly thirty years ago? This must be a familiar picture.”
Gloria looked startled. “Heavens. I didn’t ever… I mean, you…”
“Nursing wasn’t too fashionable for a while, Michael. Even the doctors didn’t push it much,” Lori said. Gloria gave her a grateful look, as if she’d saved her from something. It was puzzling. The whole exchange made Lori wonder, but the thought was there and gone so fast, she lost it.
“Definitely.” If Lori knew her hostess better, she would say that was relief in the older woman’s voice. “Everybody bottle fed. Mostly that lovely soy formula. I remember my friend Helen saying she never did get the spit-up stains out of her favorite chair.”
“Charming.” Mike headed back to the table. “I’m so glad I asked.”
Lori could hear Mike and Tyler help clear the table, with lots of clanging and rattling in their help. Mike didn’t seem much more gentle with his mom’s good china than Tyler.
Coward that she was, she urged them not to wait for her for dessert. Maybe Tyler would keep quiet if he didn’t have her to make faces at.
Then Gloria brought her delicately arranged trayto the table. Here it came. “Oh. Cookies.” Tyler’s voice sounded flat, even to Lori.
“Sure. What did you expect?” Mike sounded puzzled. Even without seeing him Lori knew his broad forehead was wrinkling.
“Birthday cake. And ice cream.” Tyler’s scornful tone told everyone listening that any idiot knew that.
“Isn’t that for your birthday, Tyler?” Gloria’s voice was gentle but confused. Lori wanted to blurt something out to stop Tyler from his reply. He was much too young to know that his innocent beliefs might hurt someone else’s feelings, or make them uncomfortable. And after all that Mike and his mother had done for them already, challenging their beliefs was the last thing Lori wanted.
“Yeah, that’s for my birthday. It’s the only other time we have it. Then on Christmas we have birthday cake and ice cream again, for Jesus. I guess having cookies means we’re not going to sing ‘Happy Birthday,’ either. I like telling Jesus happy birthday.”
The table was silent. Then Lori could hear Gloria stifle a giggle. “Birthday cake for the baby Jesus. Now why didn’t I ever think of that?”
There were footsteps on the polished parquet, then a soft smack. Without even looking around the corner, Lori knew Tyler’s reaction to being kissed.He had to be rubbing whatever portion of his head or face had gotten Gloria’s lipstick kiss. “I can’t whip up a cake on this short notice, Tyler. But there’s chocolate ice cream in the kitchen freezer. And we can definitely sing ‘Happy Birthday.’ Now come and help me scoop, okay?”
“Okay!” The thump of Tyler’s tennis shoes hitting the floor was followed by him racing across the room.
“Walk in the house,” Lori called out as loudly as she dared without waking Mikayla. The baby was back to sleep, satisfied and full now. And it was Lori who felt foolish.
Tyler hadn’t embarrassed anybody. Like always, he trusted God in his childlike way, and said what was on his mind. So now he was getting his chocolate ice cream and they would all sing “Happy Birthday.”
Maybe how the other half lived wasn’t so different after all. Lori settled her daughter back in the infant seat. Chocolate ice cream sounded pretty good. And Gloria looked like a good substitute for the doting grandmother she’d always wished Tyler could have. And then there was Mike, already working his way into her heart in so many ways. “Thank you. And
“Not magic. Maybe a little miracle. But one that sure happens for a lot of people.”
“I guess.” Mike looked across the long room into the kitchen where his mother was working on a dessert tray. “What was baby feeding like nearly thirty years ago? This must be a familiar picture.”
Gloria looked startled. “Heavens. I didn’t ever… I mean, you…”
“Nursing wasn’t too fashionable for a while, Michael. Even the doctors didn’t push it much,” Lori said. Gloria gave her a grateful look, as if she’d saved her from something. It was puzzling. The whole exchange made Lori wonder, but the thought was there and gone so fast, she lost it.
“Definitely.” If Lori knew her hostess better, she would say that was relief in the older woman’s voice. “Everybody bottle fed. Mostly that lovely soy formula. I remember my friend Helen saying she never did get the spit-up stains out of her favorite chair.”
“Charming.” Mike headed back to the table. “I’m so glad I asked.”
Lori could hear Mike and Tyler help clear the table, with lots of clanging and rattling in their help. Mike didn’t seem much more gentle with his mom’s good china than Tyler.
Coward that she was, she urged them not to wait for her for dessert. Maybe Tyler would keep quiet if he didn’t have her to make faces at.
Then Gloria brought her delicately arranged trayto the table. Here it came. “Oh. Cookies.” Tyler’s voice sounded flat, even to Lori.
“Sure. What did you expect?” Mike sounded puzzled. Even without seeing him Lori knew his broad forehead was wrinkling.
“Birthday cake. And ice cream.” Tyler’s scornful tone told everyone listening that any idiot knew that.
“Isn’t that for your birthday, Tyler?” Gloria’s voice was gentle but confused. Lori wanted to blurt something out to stop Tyler from his reply. He was much too young to know that his innocent beliefs might hurt someone else’s feelings, or make them uncomfortable. And after all that Mike and his mother had done for them already, challenging their beliefs was the last thing Lori wanted.
“Yeah, that’s for my birthday. It’s the only other time we have it. Then on Christmas we have birthday cake and ice cream again, for Jesus. I guess having cookies means we’re not going to sing ‘Happy Birthday,’ either. I like telling Jesus happy birthday.”
The table was silent. Then Lori could hear Gloria stifle a giggle. “Birthday cake for the baby Jesus. Now why didn’t I ever think of that?”
There were footsteps on the polished parquet, then a soft smack. Without even looking around the corner, Lori knew Tyler’s reaction to being kissed.He had to be rubbing whatever portion of his head or face had gotten Gloria’s lipstick kiss. “I can’t whip up a cake on this short notice, Tyler. But there’s chocolate ice cream in the kitchen freezer. And we can definitely sing ‘Happy Birthday.’ Now come and help me scoop, okay?”
“Okay!” The thump of Tyler’s tennis shoes hitting the floor was followed by him racing across the room.
“Walk in the house,” Lori called out as loudly as she dared without waking Mikayla. The baby was back to sleep, satisfied and full now. And it was Lori who felt foolish.
Tyler hadn’t embarrassed anybody. Like always, he trusted God in his childlike way, and said what was on his mind. So now he was getting his chocolate ice cream and they would all sing “Happy Birthday.”
Maybe how the other half lived wasn’t so different after all. Lori settled her daughter back in the infant seat. Chocolate ice cream sounded pretty good. And Gloria looked like a good substitute for the doting grandmother she’d always wished Tyler could have. And then there was Mike, already working his way into her heart in so many ways. “Thank you. And
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