“Okay.”
“Jack is strict with Sammi because Sammi needs a high degree of structure. He’s not very independent when he’s little. I know from the outside it can seem harsh?—”
I shake my head. “No, I understand. It just seems unfair because Mary Lisa’s been touching me without permission pretty much since she arrived.”
Warrin’s lips fold together. “That’s not okay. She should have asked. Also, Mary Lisa has a daddy who isn’t here today, and I don’t think he’d be good with her touching you without his permission, either.”
Thatjust pisses me off. I’ve been trying not to hurt her feelings because I understand littles are sensitive, but she’s actually using me to cheat in a sense, and I don’t do that.
“Right—”
“Hold up. Storming back in there and telling Mary Lisa off will ruin playgroup. Seriously, there will be tears, and not just fake ones from her. A lot of the subbies in there are deep in littlespace. Let’s get Ginger out here and figure out how to handle this.”
“She’s pretty busy with the pizzas.”
“I’ll take over pizza duty so she can help with this. It’s important.”
I shrug. “Okay.”
It wouldn’t be a big deal if we were at a bar. I’d just tell her to keep her acrylics to herself. But I get that it will hurt Mary Lisa’s feelings at a time she might be vulnerable and upset the group as a whole. That’s not how I want my introduction to this group to go.
Warrin motions for me to wait while he goes back into the function room. He comes out with Ginger a minute later and leaves her with me while he continues down the stairs toward the kitchen.
“Max, I should apologize. We haven’t had a single daddy come to playgroup since the start of the summer. I should have realized there would be a lot of excitement over you and reiterated the rules to the littles. No one should be touching you without your consent.” She scrubs a hand through her short, brown curls. “I hope this hasn’t given you the wrong idea about the group. Consent is everything to us.”
“No, it’s fine. I just don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.”
A small smile cracks through her stress.
“Thank you for that. Would you mind if I talk to Mary Lisa? I’d understand if you want to speak to her, but I think she’ll respond better if I speak with her away from the group. Minimize the potential for drama, if you know what I mean.”
I know exactly what she means. And I can see how this could escalate quickly.
“That’d be fine.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see Warrin coming up the stairs, followed by a server carrying two steamingpizzas. “Why don’t I help Warrin set up the pizzas to eat so I’m out of the way?”
Ginger claps her hands together and I almost laugh at how motherly a gesture it is. “Perfect. Thank you.”
We all troop back into the function room together and I peel off with Warrin towards a plastic covered table where the server sets down the hot pies. Warrin hands me a rolling cutter and I start slicing while he sets out a pile of plates and napkins.
There’s masking tape stuck to the pizza dishes, so I read out the names. A swarm of littles approach the table.
“Wait a minute,” I say, laughing. “I only read out four names.”
Warrin helps me sort out who gets these particular pizzas and I distract the other three by asking them if their stuffies like pizza, which prompts squeals and involved explanations of why their stuffies can’t eat pizza. I find myself smiling at all of them and laughing outright at an older woman’s explanation that her stuffie is a tiger and on a raw meat diet.
I see Ginger lead Mary Lisa out of the room and figure it’s safe to circulate again. When the tiger-bearing little, Alexis, offers to show me her stuffie, who is currently on a play mat, far away from the food, with a large number of other stuffies, I accept with a smile.
Kneeling on the edge of the mat with Alexis in front of a truly staggering array of stuffies, I’m introduced to her tiger, unsurprisingly named Tigger. Emily sits down next to me and hands me her stuffie, a very tattered bunny in a Hawaiian shirt. I’ve “met” Peter Aloha Bunny before when I’ve slept over at Logan’s townhouse and I know to handle him with care. Peter Aloha Bunny ends up in my lap and that starts the boulder rolling down the hill. Pretty soon I have an entire zoo in my lap. Emily’s bunny is joined by Tigger and then a floppy ostrich named Olly who belongs to a contrite Sammi. Amy gives me agray and white thing that’s been hugged out of all recognition which she tells me is Cushi the dolphin. Warrin’s purple-haired little, Aggie, comes over to show me her kangaroo and an exceptionally battered, once-pink unicorn. Cynnie sits next to Aggie and offers me the fattest, roundest, cutest bumblebee I’ve ever seen. Last, a red-eyed and subdued Mary Lisa sits on the edge of the group and picks up a golden-haired poodle that she puts in her own lap.
I admire all of the stuffies before giving them back to their respective owners. As they get called to their pizzas by their daddies, they put their stuffies back in the pile. Amy and Cynnie leave arm-in-arm to get their pizza. Before Mary Lisa can rise, I hold out my hand for her poodle. She gives it to me with a small smile.
“What’s your poodle’s name?”
“Frenchie. I got him in Paris.”
“A well-traveled doggo,” I say, handing the stuffed animal back to her. “I hope what Ginger had to say didn’t hurt your feelings, Mary Lisa.”
She turns the dog around in her lap, looking at it rather than meeting my eyes. “I just wanted to make you feel welcome.”
