Page 14 of Family Bonds: Alana & Brennan
“Are you all done eating?” Alana asked Becca.
The little girl was gobbling up her tiny pizza bites fast enough that she did worry about it being a choking hazard.
“I’m done!” Becca shouted. “That was yummy.”
“You ate two pieces.” She stood up and got a napkin and wiped Becca’s hands and face, then undid the belt holding her in the seat and picked her up to put her on the floor.
“You did too,” Becca said.
“I was hungry,” she said. “Just like you.”
“It’s time to play,” Becca said, reaching for her hand.
“I’ve got to clean up dinner first so when your father comes home he doesn’t have a mess. Why don’t you get your toys ready?”
“They are ready,” Becca said, nodding her head.
She grabbed the two plates and stacked them, picked up the empty sippy cup, and turned to see the little girl’s wide blue eyes pleading with her to go play. Or maybe it was the tiny prayer hands in front of her face.
“Then you can follow me to the kitchen and tell me what we are going to play first. How about that?”
“Okay,” Becca said, tagging at her heels. “First is my favorite. It’s Bluey. Just like my plate.”
She rinsed the plate and stuck it in the dishwasher, then did the same with hers.
“I’ve heard of Bluey before.”
“I like Bingo almost as much as I like Bluey. Bingo is the doll I’ve got second. I play with things in order. Do you want to be Bluey or Bingo?”
“You pick who you want and then I’ll take the second,” she said. “Do you want something else to drink?”
“Water, please?”
She popped the top that was holding the milk, washed the cup and top off and then filled it from the pitcher of water in the fridge and handed it back. No reason to dirty another cup in the dishwasher.
After opening a few cabinets, she found cleaner and ripped off a paper towel. Going to the table, she wiped that all down, rinsed out the sink and filled her glass with more water too.
“I’m ready,” she said.
Poor Becca hadn’t left her pose. Still standing with her hands in prayer, the cup between them this time.
“Yes!” Becca held her fist toward her. “Pump it.”
She frowned and put her hand on Becca’s tiny fist and pushed it up and down as if shaking.
Becca giggled. “Did I do it wrong?”
“Make a fist and hit mine back.”
“Oh,” she said. She was getting schooled by a three-year-old.
She did what she was told and got a fresh round of giggles from the little girl. Then was dragged into the living room to attack the toys in order.
Twenty minutes later, they’d gotten through half the introductions lined up when her phone dinged.
She pulled it out of her back pocket and saw the text from Brennan asking if everything was going well.
That was odd considering he was on a date. Must not be going well for him.
