I’d been so worried about telling him Quinn was my kid that I’d forgotten he rarely showed his work to others.Damn. “If it’s not convenient…” I pointed at his tablet, giving him an out.
He shook his head. “No, it’s okay.” He turned to Quinn. “I’d love to see what you draw, Quinn. What are your pronouns?”
“They/them. What are yours?”
“He/him. I’m Adri.” He held out his two-finger-one-thumb hand.
Quinn beamed as they shook hands. It always made them happy when someone asked for their pronouns.
I left them to it and returned to the counter, losing myself in serving coffee after coffee, and the very occasional hot chocolate. No baristas needed scolding for dripping steam pipes or improper tamping. It was a tiring but good morning rush, even if it was impossible to keep a proper eye on Adri and Quinn, with the continuous slew of customers coming in. I wanted them to get along because that gave me hope that having children wouldn’t scare Adri off.
Time flew by with only the barest glimpses, until Quinn and Adri threw me for a loop by showing up at the counter.
“Did you want another hot chocolate, Quinn?”
They shook their head.
“We wanted to sit at the fountain,” Adri said, his blue eyes betraying his nerves. “I thought we’d better ask your permission first. It’s becoming too loud for both of us.”
That made me smile. Such a thoughtful gesture. “Of course. Thank you for checking in with me.”
Adri nodded. Though he was wearing long sleeves again, I bet blue lines shimmered across his skin.
“Let me know before you go home, okay, Quinn?”
“And I’ll message Mom or Dad when I leave. Got it, Pop. We’re going to draw.”
“Okay. I have a break in…” I checked the time. “Half an hour. I’ll join you for a bit, then.”
The crowd swallowed them as I went back to serving coffees until Zane tapped me on the shoulder.
“Come on, out with you. Take your break. We’ll manage here.” He pushed an espresso into my hands. “And don’t complain. I treated Gandalf with respect. You can make yourself a proper one another day.”
I couldn’t hide my skepticism, but I wasn’t about to throw away a gifted espresso. “Fair enough. Holler if it gets too busy.”
Adri and Quinn sat close together, staring at the fountain as I approached them. Quinn still had their headphones on. Not wanting to disturb them, I sat on the next bench and watched them draw until Quinn noticed me.
“Hey, Pop. Do you want to see what we’ve drawn?”
“Of course, kiddo. Hello, Adri. Thank you.”
Adri seemed puzzled. “For what?”
“For watching my kid.”
“Oh, they’re no bother. They make wonderful art.”
“So do you.”
He hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, I think I see that now.”
Out of the mouths of babes. I didn’t say it out loud, but I thought it was sad that Adri had never considered what he was doing as art, just a way to pass the time. Seeing Quinn’s drawings made me smile and filled me with pride. Their soft lines were so different from Adri’s work, but no less wonderful.
“That’s good, kiddo. That’s really good.”
“Adri told me how to make the water look like it flowed.”
I smiled at Adri and mouthed, “Thank you.”
