Just as Luca sat, and Alessia’s turn began, a young man wearing my mother’s famous outfit swagged over to us, smiling like he knew me. He was easy on the eyes, so I returned a polite grin because I was not here for whatever shenanigans he wanted to start. Especially not with my kids around. But the closer he got, the more familiar he looked. When he opened his mouth, I knew exactly who he was.
“Hey, Miss KiKi.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “Dereck?!”
Is it bad I didn’t realize his birthday was around the corner when I saw him a few days ago? I feel awful. Billie always remembers my kids’ birthdays. She only has one, and I never knew when his came around. My focus is always on me and mine. Is that bad?
He looks so much like his father. I never met the man, but he has very few of Billie’s features. I wonder if they have a relationship. We spoke for a couple of minutes. He’s still looking for a job, but he and Darius, Laurant and Diamond’s son, got an apartment together. Apartment living should be easier since the landlord takes care of all the maintenance, but still. Living on your own is no joke, and I hope these young men are ready mentality. Financially…I hope their parents’ set them up nice like mine did because the bills come quickly. Laurant’s parents did well for themselves, so I’m sure Mr. Peters hooked up his only grandchild.
I introduced him to the kids and reminded Luca they knew each other already, even though I didn’t expect him to remember. I reminded him Billie sent a red car for his first birthday. We went to their house to say thank you, and he and Dereck played together with the car. He remembered the car because he still has it, but Dereck was lost on him.
After Dereck left, I told Alessia it was her turn to bowl. To my surprise, she had 17 excuses for why she couldn’t. She needed the special shoes; her ankle hurt; her shoes were too small (she just got those shoes!); her stomach hurt; the ball looked heavy; her finger hurt; her hands are too small. I swear she named everything in the book!
“Lessi…it’s ok if you’re nervous. It’s natural to be when doing something new. No one is gonna make fun of you if you don’t hit anything, ok? Right, Luca?”
“Yes, I promise,” he said.
“See? There’s nothing to worry about. Why don’t you give it a try?”
She got up reluctantly and tossed the ball…
…right into the gutter. Poor thing. She didn’t lose as gracefully as Luca did, but I’d say she handled it pretty well.
