Page 8 of Get Me to the Starting Line
“I’m sorry,” I say without stuttering this time.
The baby—toddler? Hell if I know—doesn’t start crying. He watches me with big eyes, the same colour green as the woman’s.
“How about next time, you don’t crash into unsuspecting people,” she says, checking over who I assume is her son to make sure he’s okay.
It takes a lot to get a rise out of me but somehow, with only a few words, this small woman has gotten under my skin faster than I thought possible.
My temper flares to match hers. “W-What the fuck was I supposed t-to do?”
“Watch your language around my kid,” she snaps.
I think my mouth drops open. But she ... Did she just—? She’s already turning away from me, but there’s something about her I can’t shake.
Who on earth is this woman?
I may be shy, but I’m not a pushover.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have brought a baby on a boat.”
She whirls. If I thought she looked angry before, it’s no match for the daggers she’s shooting my way now.
Oh fuck.
“Excuseme?”Whothefuck does this tree of a man think he is?
First he stumbles and crashes into me and my son, and then he blames me for bringingmychild tomysister’s party ... that I planned. Okay, so he probably doesn’t know that last part, but still.
He takes a step away from me, his dark brown eyes guarded and wary.
“Look, I—” he starts, but I cut him off.
“No, you look,” I say, shifting Levi from one hip to the other. Damn he’s getting heavy. “I’m a single mom. I have every right to bring my baby wherever I damn well please, and I do not appreciate being scolded for it.”
“To a late-night party with alcohol?” he accuses.
“Fuck off, jackass.”
I don’t let him get another word in, turning on my heel and heading up the stairs that open up to the top deck.
This is the last thing I need today, to have some jackass judging me for bringing my baby. Earlier at the store I had an old lady tell me Levi was far too old to be in a baby carrier. And when I was atthe park yesterday, some of the other moms were making comments about how Levi wasn’t talking yet.
It’s something that weighs heavily on me. I know children develop at a different pace, but Levi barely says “mama.” I’ve made an appointment to talk to a paediatrician, but something in my gut tells me he’s okay, just taking his time. He’s always been a quiet baby, barely crying, always observing. Still doesn’t stop the worry from keeping me up at night, thinking of all the help he may need that I’m not giving him.
But with my luck, the kid’s real first word is going to be “fuck.”
Focusing on my son wiggling in my arms, I try to snuggle him. It’s almost bedtime and I need to find somewhere to put him to sleep. The babysitter I had lined up for tonight got sick and cancelled last minute.
I didn’t have time to find a backup and was not about to have this party go off without me. So Levi became my plus-one.
“Leah!” Maggie’s voice carries over the crowd, and I turn with a smile to greet Adam’s mom. She already has her arms extended to take Levi from me. It’s hard to let him go, but I can’t say it won’t be nice to not have to lug him around while I do my final checks.
“You take a break, honey, I want some quality time with my only grandson.”
God bless this angel of a woman. I seriously do not know what I would do without her. Mom would have loved her. They wouldn’t have been those two grandmas fighting over their grandchildren.
I fully believe if Mom was alive, Maggie still would have enveloped me and Levi into her family. Mom too.
“Thanks, Maggie, I was just about to find a place to put him down.”
