"Of Magic & Mistletoe", by Gratiana Lovelace (2020); (Completed)

Ch. 04: Lunch & family

Luke: "Not at all. A gentleman always calls for a lady by coming to her door. Or at least they did the last time I dated fourteen years ago." Luke smiles cordially at Diana, whose eyes are round like saucers. And he wonders if she is uncertain about the gentleman part to his statement—or maybe her concern is that he's calling their lunch today a date?

And Diana wonders, when children are involved, is it really a date, or is it just a play date? Yet, Diana feels like they are on a date—she did dress up and fix her hair back, after all--just with respective parenting duties involved.

Little Heidi thrusts a lightweight grocery sack into Benjy's hands.

Benjy: "What's this?" Benjy is a typical little boy, asking first, then looking at the items in question, second.

Heidi: "Thanks fow/for loaning me yow/your snow man pjs and socks. We washed them."

Benjy hands the sack over to his Mommy Diana. Benjy is more into wearing his hero character pjs, like Spiderman.

Diana: "Thank you, Heidi & Luke." She looks in the sack and also sees the now slightly used travel toothpaste and toothbrush. "Oh, you may keep the travel size toothpaste and tooth brush, Heidi." Diana smiles kindly at Heidi.

Heidi: "That's okay, just keep them fowa/for me for owaw/our next sleep ovaw/over." Heidi smiles brightly. She had fun with the games and yummy meals and she played cards with Benjy, the night when they stayed at Martha's apartment. It was also very nice to have Benjy sharing his Mommy Diana with her in the morning, for fixing her hair pretty. Her Daddy tries to fix her hair, but Benjy's Mommy does it better.

Benjy: "Okay!" Benjy nods at Heidi. He likes Heidi as a friend, his first friend—since the other kids in their apartment building in the complex are mostly older and riding big bikes without training wheels already, or babies that just lie in their cribs and poop and pee themselves. Yuuuucky! Thinks Benjy.

With both Luke and Diana struck temporarily mute again by their children leaping ahead to them growing their relationship into more sleepovers, Benjy takes the sack back from his Mommy—and nods a few times, for her to drop Heidi's travel toothpaste and toothbrush back into it, which she does. Then, both of their parents come out of their daze and speak almost simultaneously.

Luke: "Thank you."

Diana: "I'll put this away later." She places the sack on her kitchen counter. Diana almost said that she would save it for later. But that would be getting ahead of herself, with regard to her and Luke's relationship developing.

Then Heidi tugs on her Daddy's hand.

Luke: "Yes, Heidi sweetheart?"

Heidi: Heidi whispers cutely loudly, which means everyone can hear her. "Daddy, I hafta wee wee." Heidi fidgets.

Luke: "Oh!" Luke turns to Diana. "May we? ... Uh., use your bathroom, I mean?" Then he blushes for his unintentional pun.

Diana: "Of course, I'll just get Benjy's snow boots on him while you do that."

Diana gestures Luke toward their full bathroom they had used during Monday night's dinner for them here. And Luke and Heidi visit the bathroom. Then Diana pulls Benjy's boots out of the front hall coat closet and holds them out to him.

Benjy: "But Mommy, I need to pee?"

Diana: "Can you wait a few minutes?"

Benjy: "How long is that?" Now he fidgets.