(Yesterday, Hank turned ten. I made his standard birthday request: homemade, from scratch, tripple chocolate brownies and while fishing through my baking supplies for candles I found the candle from his fifth birthday cake and fell into a weepy, sentimental mess to the point that my Mother-in-law left the house and bought a new number 5 candle because this year 5+5=Hank.)
Hank: (scuttling about, collecting bits for school)
Me: Hank, bring me my wallet I need to give you lunch money.
Hank: (pauses, mere inches from my purse hanging on the kitchen door, looks around, but never at the actual purse)
Me: If my purse were a snake where would it sit to strike?
Hank: (looks right at the door) OH!
Me: You’re the worst looker.
Me: (fishing out some cash)
Hank: (putting the bill in his wallet, because he is now old enough for a wallet) Yummy school lunches, except on Fridays.
Me: That’s right. I am excited we decided to have a standing lunch date on your Friday half day.
Hank: I love my new schedule. I spent 4 years getting out of school at the exact same time every day and I like how at my new school we get out always different and especially I like half days on Friday.
Hank: (giggling) Yes! Mama, also I was thinking, unless you want it to be just you and me we could invite papa to meet us for lunch, too?
Me: That sounds like a great idea.
Hank: I love my sister, but I also love when it is just us again sometimes.
Me: We were three for a very long time.
Hank: Yes, but I also know that when my sister is in fifth grade she will also like having Friday lunches with you and papa without me and that is fine because I will be at university and far too busy to be having lunch.
Me: (suddenly coughing, choking on the idea that eventually, one day rather soon Molly will be ten and Hank will be at university)