A Missed Opportunity

52

I nod slowly. "Yeah." I agree on a mumble. Had it been his mom making faces and grumbling things all night, he'd have shut it all down before our food even got to the table.

She takes a deep breath. "We should try to hang out soon." She suggests with a small smile, beginning to play with her hands the way Noah does. "If...you want."

I find it in me to smile back at her. "We should." I agree. I think she's just worried I don't want to be her friend anymore after this. But I just like her a little more now. She'll tell me if I screw up, albeit kinda hesitantly.

We hug each other before returning to the group. The kids are already wrangled up by their own dads, so it seems like they're just waiting around for us. "Are we going home now?" Cameron asks casually, in the middle of being flipped upside down in his dad's arms.

"Yeah." I reach over to pinch his side when his shirt rides up a little way above his belly button. He thrashes and accidentally smacks Noah in the face with his fist. I grimace. Noah pulls back some and manages to just blink it off.

Mom laughs.

Noah doesn't bother with a playful roll of his eyes. He knows she's not playfully laughing at him this time around. His jaw clenches as he leans down to set Cameron's feet down on the ground. Cameron frowns, confused about why he was put down so early. He's used to Noah swinging him around for a while longer.

I'm quick to grab him and lift him up again. I can't suppress my groan though. My back kills me when I stand up straight, and he stares dryly at me. I awkwardly stare back at him before I quickly sweep us away from the adults who fight in silence. They follow behind me with Noah at the very back of the line, the others parting ways from us as they head to their separate car.

My mom isn't fast with her cane. At all. She basically shuffles her feet to get around. So, you have to walk extra slow to stay with her. And even slower if you want to be behind her.

Noah basically takes one step, takes a break, then another step, and another break. Takes a longer break at the curb where my mom pauses.

I start to frown the longer she lingers there. It's a couple of inches high, and she pauses and looks unsure. She starts by trying to put her cane first but quickly takes that back when she decides it wouldn't work for some reason.

Noah steps up beside her. And even though she's been mean to him all night and has made him feel bad about himself, he holds his hand out to help her.

She ignores his hand and tries again by herself.

"Stop it before you hurt yourself." I hear him hiss, leaning in closer to her to whisper it. I clear my throat and start walking towards the car with Cameron. I'd love to help him, but let's be fair here. He did it too. It's either the safety of our son or leaving the other alone with our mothers. I chose our son like he normally does.

Luckily, Mom and Noah are able to join us after a bit. Mom's glare tells me she didn't win that fight. Especially since she ultimately lets him open the door for her. He opens the backseat automatically though, making the decision for her that she's sitting in the back with Cameron.

She smacks his hand away when he tries helping her in the car. He pulls his hand away, but he's clearly not playing with her this time. "Slap me again, Margret." He dares.