My mom looked at me as if expecting me to announce that we were engaged. I shook my head. “No, it’s not like that. She’s just playing pretend,” I said.
“No, I’m not. You said you’d always be here for me to talk to and play with. That’s what I see the other mommies at the park do,” she said.
It made me feel a little sad. She was noticing all the other kids with their moms, and she didn’t have one. I didn’t want to make her upset, but I also didn’t want to get her hopes up and tell her that I was going to be her mom.
My mom gave her a sympathetic smile and then changed the subject. I think it distracted Margie enough.
Our food arrived within twenty minutes. By then, Margie was practically drooling. I loved this time we were spending together, alone, with my parents. It made me feel like we could possibly be a real family one day.
“How’s your sandwich?” my mom asked Margie after she took her first bite.
“It’s really yummy,” she said. Then she took another bite and made an exaggerated “mmm” noise.
The three of us laughed.
I hadn’t been to Sunshine’s in quite a while and had forgotten just how amazing their food really was.
“Have you ever been here?” I asked Margie.
She shook her head no. “I like it though.”
I smiled at her. “We’ll have to come back again.” She nodded her head.
After we finished eating our sandwiches, Margie helped me pick out a sandwich for Justin.
“What do you think your daddy will like?” I asked her.
“He likes club sandwiches. I think,” she said and the look on her face told me she wasn’t really sure what to get him.
“What makes you think that?” I asked.
“He ordered it once and said he liked it.”
“Let’s order him one, then,” I said.
Margie nodded her head, and I put the order in. It took fifteen minutes for them to prepare the sandwich. My dad complained about how the service wasn’t that good, but I figured they were just busy. Besides, I was enjoying the time I got to spend with Margie.
“It was a lovely lunch, dear,” my mom said and gave me a hug before she bent down to give Margie a hug. “It was wonderful seeing this little cutie again.”
Margie blushed.
“Thanks for coming to lunch. Tell Justin we’re sorry we missed him,” my dad said and gave me a hug. He then gave Margie a hug before the two of them headed toward their car.
“Do you think Daddy’s done yet?” Margie asked.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure, but we can go find out,” I said and grabbed her hand.
We made our way back toward the gym. We walked slowly, enjoying looking in the windows of the various shops and businesses that were around the area.
We got to a dress shop, and Margie paused to stare at the dresses. “They’re all so pretty,” she said in awe. Her voice was day-dreamy, and I knew she wanted one.
“Do you want to go look?” I asked her.
“Can we?”
“Yeah, let’s go inside,” I said.
I put Justin’s sandwich in my bag, and we walked into the shop. It was a small dress boutique. The dresses were for little girls, so I had never actually been inside before.