Page 80 of Nathan
Confusion
Serena
Lola picked me up at the airport. I was wearing sunglasses and a large hat to avoid being recognized. It was a lost battle because several of the passengers on the plane had spotted me as they passed through business class.
“You should have chartered a private plane. It’s not fair to me and the boys that we had to wait around for you to write autographs and take selfies with your fans,” Lola complained.
“I’m sorry, but we all have to think about the environment, and chartering a plane to fly across the Atlantic for one passenger is selfish.”
“So is putting everyone before your closest family,” Lola muttered while gazing in the rearview mirror. “Anton, stop.”
I turned to my two nephews, who were sitting in their car seats.
“Lola, what are you going to do when the baby arrives? I don’t think you can fit in another car seat back there.”
“I’ll have the baby in front or something. I haven’t figured everything out. I mean it, Anton. If you hit your brother one more time, I’m going to pull this car over and come back there.”
“But he it me the firt,” Anton whined.
I didn’t understand a thing, but Lola was an expert at deciphering her two-year-old boys and answered, “I don’t care if he hit you first. You both need to stop it!” With a sigh of exhaustion, my sister pushed loose strands from her hair back before leaning her left elbow on the side of the door. “I’m so tired of them fighting.”
“I thought you said it was getting better.”
Lola gave an eye-roll. “I was lying so you wouldn’t think I’m hopeless as a mom, but the truth is that they fight all the freaking time, and it’s driving me insane.”
When another fight broke out in the backseat, I stepped in to give my tired sister a break.
“Hey, Anton and Thomas, I have a secret to tell, but I can only tell it if there’s complete silence in the car.”
It worked, as they stopped fighting.
“I brought something for the both of you from Europe. I was gonna keep it a secret, but maybe you want to know what it is now?”
“YEEESS!!!! Thomas screamed while Anton sat with his arms crossed and a big pout on his cute face.
“You don’t want to know what I brought you, Anton?”
“Only if it’s a crone. I want a crone.”
“What’s a crone?”
“He means a drone,” my sister translated. “We saw one at Costco, and he’s obsessed. Marvin thought we should give them one for their birthday next month, but that thing costs two hundred dollars, and they’d break it in an afternoon.”
“I want to know what you got me,” Thomas said and was much easier to understand than his brother.
“All right, but first, let’s play a game. Who can spot when we get to Grandma and Granddad’s street? It’s very close now.”
Both kids stretched their necks to see out the window, and Lola gave me a grateful smile for keeping the peace in the car.
Once we got to my parents’ house, I found the toys that I’d bought in Europe and let the boys have them.
As we watched our dad take Anton and Thomas outside to test the 3D kites that I’d bought for them, Lola sighed.
“If only I could get that excited about anything anymore. Look at them, skipping and jumping.”
“It’s because I told Anton it’s a European drone.” With a big smile, I hugged my sister. “It’s so good to see you.”
She hugged me back. “Same. I’ve been screaming at the TV lately whenever they gossip about you.” Her voice got emotional. “I hate when anyone talks trash about you.”
