You, Me, and Riley

chapter 18

"Hey Ma?" Riley asked walking into the kitchen while I was prepping lunch.

"What's up baby?" I asked, slightly surprised that she didn't call me Dana out of headspace.

"Do you know where Mom is?" She asked leaning against the counter and grabbing a carrot stick off the cutting board "She said if I was big she would take me to the batting cages we drove past on the way to the doctors."

I looked at her and squinted my eyes before I said "Your Mom said she would take you to the batting cages?" I crossed my arms and turned to her before saying "Not only has your mother never picked up a baseball bat in her life but there is no way she would let you pick one up with that broken arm."

"Okay fine you caught me!" She said throwing her hands up in a fake surrender causing me to roll me eyes. "She didn't say she would take me, she's at the mall with Susan. But since I am big maybe we could go. I promise I will be careful! There's other cool stuff there too, like video games and go-karts and stuff." She said with a big smile clasping her hands together in a begging motion.

I looked down at her and slowly carried our plates to the dining room. I listened to her chant please please please as I unbuckled her booster seat from her chair at the table and she sat down to eat. "You do realize your Mom would kill me if you got hurt in anyway right?" I asked as we started eating our lunch. "But if you promise to be careful and listen to me when I give you directions then we can go after we finish lunch."

"Can I sit up front?" Riley asked as I finally locked the front door behind me and we got ready to leave the house. "I'm big so I don't need my car seat!"

"Go ahead." I said with a smile as I hopped in the driver's side. "Buckle up and stay seated or I will pull over understand?" I said as I started the car.

"Yes ma'am!" She said putting on her seat belt and sitting back in her seat. The whole way to the batting cages she couldn't stop smiling and laughing. "We're here!" She yelled jumping out of the car as soon as I parked.

I followed her to the self-serve batting cages and closed my eyes the entire time. She was actually very good but all I could think about was the ball hitting her already broken arm and Hayden literally murdering me.

"Did you even watch me Ma?" She asked as she walked out of the cage and hung up her helmet.

"Yeah you were great!" I said with a smile "The ball came, and you swung, and it went. You were great! Let's go play video games, that seems safe!"

"I want to ride the go-karts!" She said with a big smile pointing at the speeding death-traps flying down the tracks. Dear god Dana what was I thinking!

"How about mini-golf." I said as we walked towards the go-karts and stood in line "or bumper boats."

"We can do them after go-karts!" She said looking up at me. Yaaay I thought to myself as I watched a group of teenage boys crash their go-karts together.

"It's our turn!" Riley yelled pulling me onto the track as I payed the attendant for our race. "See you on the other end!"

Now I will fully admit that I am being completely dramatic about this entire thing because the race went fine. I mean Riley's go-kart did spin out, I did have a metaphorical heart attack, the attendant put it back on the track, the race ended, and she had a blast. The next part not the best.

"That was so much fun Ma!" She said jumping around me in circles "What do you want to do now?" she asked as my phone rang. I pulled out the phone and showed Riley the screen before I answered it.

"Hey Hayden." I said (cue audible gulp) "how was your shopping trip?"

"It was good." She said dropping some things on the ground. "Where are you guys though? I was expecting to see my little monster when I got back."

"Oh I see how it is." I said with an awkward laugh trying to deflect "didn't want to see me."

"Dana?" Hayden asked "What's going on? Where are you guys?"

"What would make you think that something is going on?" I asked sounding more and more awkward.

"Seriously Dana you're starting to worry me where's Ri—"

"I TOOK HER TO THE BATTING CAGES AND TO THE GO CARTS, BUT EVERYTHING IS OK!" I screamed

"Mama?" Riley quietly said pulling on my hand "you otay Mama?"

"You did what?!" Hayden yelled "Dana her arm is broken! I know I am probably more paranoid then most but come on!"

"I know I know." I said into the phone. "Hayden I'll talk to you at home. Riley dropped fast I have to go." I said as I looked down at Riley's big tear-filled eyes.

I dropped down to my knee's in front of her and pulled her into a hug and said "There's no need to cry peanut."

"Mommy mad at you a'cause a me." She said pulling back and looking at her hands "I sowwy Mama I no mean to get you in twouble."

"She's not mad at me baby." I said picking her up and walking towards the car. "She's just worried about you because your Mommy loves you so so much."

As we pulled into the driveway Hayden ran out of the house and to the back door of the car to unbuckle Riley. "Hey troublemaker." She said picking her up and carrying her inside "Did you have fun with Mama?"

As Hayden listened to Riley tell her about the batting cages and the go-karts she purposely avoided my eyes before she took Riley's arm and said "And you didn't hurt your arm at all? You didn't bump it on anything."

"No Mommy. I was ery carefu!" She said with big eyes.

"I'm sure you were." Hayden said with a smile picking her up and setting her on the ground. "Why don't you and Leo go play in your room while Momma and I get dinner ready." She said watching Riley grab Leo and run to her nursery.

I started to say something when Hayden held up her hand and said "I don't want to argue about it, or lecture, or dwell on it. Let's just move on." She said with a sigh. As she opened the fridge and pulled out the thawing chicken. "Just think before you act next time I mean my God Dana!" She said

"Yeah." I said agreeing with her last statement "I did the whole thinking after I acted thing and it was not fun. All I could think about was everything that could go wrong, it was terrible!"

"Welcome to my world!" Hayden said laughing at the wide eyed look of terror on my face. "Welcome to my world." She sighed handing me the plate of raw chicken and walking out of the kitchen to join Riley in her nursery.