“Love you, too, Mommy.”
I jump off the bed and run to the door, then go down the stairs. Shadow is standing at the bottom of the stairs, kind of like he’s been waiting for me. I pet him on his back, then scratch at his ears ’cause that’s what he likes, and he licks the side of my face with his big pink tongue.
My feet are cold, so I sit on the very bottomest step and put my socks on. Then I put on my shoes and tie the ties like Eden showed me. I get it wrong the first time, but then I get it right the second time.
I go to the kitchen. Daddy’s sitting on a stool at the counter, and he has his big mug that says “World’s Best Dad” on it that Eden and me gave him for Christmas, even though it was really Mommy who bought it and wrapped it and then had Eden and me write our names in the card. Eden said my writing was too sloppy, but Daddy read it just fine and he was so happy to get our present, he got up from the floor where he opened it and went into the kitchen to put some coffee into it. He uses it every morning unless it’s dirty from yesterday. Then he uses the Minion mug instead. I like the Minion mug better ’cause I love the Minions—they’re so funny—but I know he likes his “World’s Best Dad” mug, so I don’t say anything about it. I’m just glad he likes the present from Eden and me.
“Hey, Buster Brown,” he says when he sees me. He gets off the stool and bends his knees so that I can look right at his face. “Are you ready for some coffee?”
I can’t stop the giggle. “I don’t drink coffee, Daddy. I’m too young.”
He makes a funny oops face. “Of course you don’t. What was I thinking?”
“Eden says coffee stunts your growth.” I don’t know what stunts means, but the way she said it, I know it’s not a good thing.
“Well, lucky for me, I don’t need to grow any more,” Daddy says. He stands up tall and walks to the fridge. “So, what’s your poison? OJ? Milk? Almond milk?”
I’m big enough to know that he’s only joking about poison. It’s a funny thing to say about something I’m going to drink, but grown-ups sometimes say funny things and don’t even know they’re funny.
“OJ?” I ask, and he nods.
“Coming right up.”
“Mommy says can you put some toast in the toaster?” I ask him.
“Your wish is my command.”
I know what that means, ’cause I saw Aladdin.
“Thanks, Daddy,” I say, and he smiles at me, then reaches down and picks me up and gives me a squeeze.
“You’re very welcome, Jonah bologna.”
He sets me down and goes back to the fridge and pulls out the OJ and the loaf of bread.
“So, what’s on your agenda today?” he asks.
I don’t ’zactly know what a ’genda is, but I think it’s like what I’m going to do. It’s silly that he asks, ’cause he knows what I’m going to do. But it’s fun, too.
“It’s the spring egg hunt at school today,” I say and feel myself get all excited all over again.
“That sounds like fun. I wish I could have a spring egg hunt at work.”
“You could, Daddy,” I tell him. “You could hide eggs all over your office and let your friends find ’em.”
“You know what?” he says. “That’s a great idea. It’s too late to do it this year, but next year . . . Will you help me hide them?”
I smile at my daddy, happy that he needs my help. He’s like a superhero guy—he fixes everything when it breaks and he can lift really heavy stuff and he can draw anything and he knows everything about sports. Him needing my help makes me feel glad. I already can’t wait till next year.
THIRTY-THREE
EDEN
I can hear Mom coming down the hall, and I put my pillow over my head. I hate getting up in the morning. I know I’m not supposed to hate anything because hate is a bad word and Dad says that hating can make you sick. But I’ve always hated getting up, and I’ve never felt sick because of it. I don’t know why school can’t start later. I mean, like, why can’t we go at ten or eleven instead of eight fifteen? It’s stupid. I’m not supposed to say stupid, either, but it just is.
“Good morning,” Mom says from outside my door in her happy voice.
“I’m awake,” I tell her from under the pillow.
“Wonderful,” I hear her say. “Why don’t you get out of bed and get dressed without me having to yell? We have to get to school on time this morning. You know what day it is, right?”
I let out a groan, and I know she hears me because I can feel her in my room next to my bed. All of a sudden, the pillow is yanked off, and my mom’s big face is staring down at me. I roll over away from her and pull my covers over my head.
“It’s spring egg hunt day,” she says, like I didn’t know that already. They’ve been talking about it at school all week, like it’s some big deal. It’s not, not for me, because fifth graders don’t get to look for eggs—we just get to watch the little kids look for eggs and make sure they find them and don’t wander off too far from the school. Like that’s a big deal. I’m sure.
“I don’t get eggs,” I say from under my blankets.
“You know your brother will share,” she says. And I know she’s right. Jonah will give me anything I want, even the cookies-and-cream eggs that are his favorite. He’ll give them to me to make me love him because he’s not sure I do. Of course I do, he’s my brother, but I let him think maybe I don’t just to get the cookies-and-cream eggs.
“You know what else today is?” my mom asks, yanking at my covers. “The last day of school before spring break.”
She’s right. I hadn’t thought of that. Just one more day, then we’re off for a whole week. Some of my friends are going skiing. I don’t know what Mom and Dad have planned, but I know it’s not skiing. Still, it’ll be fun just to not have to go to school.
I throw off the covers and sit up in my bed. My mom is smiling at me and now that I’m, like, totally awake, I can’t help but smile back.
“I like spring break,” I tell her.
“A whole week of sleeping in,” she says, then she winks at me.
“I can handle that,” I say, and we both start to laugh. She leans over and gives me a kiss on my cheek and I reach up to hug her, which I kind of don’t do very much anymore, now that I’m getting older. She looks kind of surprised but then puts her arms around me and squeezes.
“See you downstairs in a few, okay?”