At My Daughter’s Third Birthday Pool Party, She Pointed at My Stepmom’s Belly and Said, ‘Daddy’s in There’ – I Laughed Until I Saw What She Was Really Pointing At
I took her caution for coldness.
Ariel ran toward her with both arms raised.
Clara bent down and hugged her, then handed her the present.
Inside was a wooden tea set painted with tiny strawberries.
Ariel gasped. “Can we have tea now, Grandma?”
“After cake,” Clara said.
Ariel considered this injustice, then accepted it.
Ariel considered this injustice.
***
For the next two hours, the party moved the way children’s parties do… loud, sticky, and slightly dangerous.
Preschoolers chased one another with water guns.
My father fell asleep beneath an umbrella.
Glen burned the first tray of hot dogs and blamed the wind.
Clara stayed near the edge of everything.
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Clara stayed near the edge of everything.
She refilled cups.
Collected paper plates.
Tied a loose balloon ribbon around the fence.
When I asked whether she wanted to swim, she glanced toward the crowded pool.
“Maybe later.”
She refilled cups.
“You’re wearing a swimsuit, Clara!” I said.
Her smile was small. “That doesn’t mean I have to be brave enough to dive in.”
I thought she meant the children splashing everywhere.
***
After cake, the heat became unbearable.
Even Clara finally removed her cover-up.
Clara finally removed her cover-up.
Her swimsuit was a simple navy one-piece. She walked down the pool steps slowly, one hand gripping the rail.
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Ariel was racing past with two friends when she stopped so suddenly that the children behind her bumped into her back.
She stared at Clara. Then she pointed.
“Mommy, Daddy’s in there!”
Every adult within hearing distance turned.
“Mommy, Daddy’s in there!”
For one second, nobody understood.
Then laughter spread across the patio.
My father, who was awake then, nearly spilled his lemonade.
Glen raised both hands from the grill.
“I can confirm I am not.”
I laughed too.
For one second, nobody understood.
Clara looked down at her stomach, then toward me with an expression that said children were strange and we should all move on.
Heat climbed into my face. I hurried toward Ariel.
