Chapter 82


    He leaves without another word. I go to the living room and put Danny on a nket on his stomach. He


    pushes himself up in the cobra position. I mimic him and his little eyes go big. He lifts one hand and


    overbnces. Iically over-exaggerate falling over, too. Danny giggles uncontrobly, beginni


    ng to roll around on the nket. He''s so easy to please, so easy to love. I tickle his full tummy. I don''t


    think that he''s sick anymore. He seems happy enough.


    Thai Dinner


    Elia


    By the time that Jeffes home at 7 PM, I''m pooped. I normally work during the more regr 8 to 5


    hours, so today is the longest that I''ve ever been over here. I honestly don''t understand how working


    mothers could possibly handle the double shift,ing home and cooking dinner and cleaning the


    house and checking homework after driving the kids around...I have a headache just thinking about it.


    The smell of food perks me up. "Is that dinner?"


    "Yeah. I picked something up on the way home. There''s a Thai ce that we...that I love."


    I feel like someone just clenched a hand around my heart. It''s so thoughtful of him to bring dinner


    home, but I understand that it''s a pattern of behavior that was established with her.


    "Well, it smells great."


    "I didn''t know what you liked, so I thought that Pad Thai was pretty safe."


    "I love Pad Thai," I say. "Danny can''t eat solids yet, right?"


    "Not yet. The doctor said to wait to introduce solids until we felt ready. He''s fine as he is now."


    I pop Danny into the Pack n y. He''s upied by brightly colored rings, which he stacks in the


    absolute wrong order. He''s perplexed about why he can''t fit other rings on top of the smallest one,


    which has settled at the top of the toy.


    Jeff takes tes out of the cab.


    "Fancy," Iment.


    "Food tastes better if you use real dishware and silverware." He yanks cloth napkins out of a drawer


    and there are utensils rolled inside.


    "This is like a restaurant," I exim.


    Jeffughs a little. "I guess."


    "Maybe this is an everyday thing for you, but I didn''t grow up with a mom. Thank you for setting the


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    table."


    "No problem." He opens up the Pad Thai container and puts half on my te and half on his. "Do you


    like Golden Purses?"


    When I look at him, totally bemused, heughs. "It''s an appetizer thates with sweet chili sauce."


    He has a tiny sauce container, which he opens. He dips a spoon in it, just wetting the edge of it.


    "Taste." He guides the spoon to my mouth with a hand under it to catch anything that would drip.


    Something that could be really casual turns zing hot as we make eye contact while he puts the


    spoon to my lips. I lick the sauce off.


    "Spicy!" I yelp.


    "It''s Thai," he says. "What did you expect?"


    "I need milk," I say, fanning my mouth as if it will help, even though I know it won''t.


    Jeff opens the fridge and pulls out a small half gallon of 2%. He pauses for a minute before taking out a


    bottle of port. "I''ll pour you a ss." I watch as he pours the milk out into a small ss for me and


    grabs a generously sized winess for himself. He puts the milks away. He brings the bottle,


    winess, and my ss to the table. I gratefully ept the ss and pour it down to put out the fire.


    He pours a ton of red wine into the ss and drains the ss.


    "That kind of day, huh?" I ask.


    "Your dad is gone, and it was kind of abrupt."


    "But he had to," I say.


    "Yeah." Jeff fills his ss again. "It was chaos today. I really couldn''t have stayed home." He stops.


    "You didn''t call me today. How was Danny?" "He was an angel. No barf other than spit up when I


    burped him."


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