"Brandon?" Stef called. "Come put your shoes on, buddy, or we'll be late for your playdate."
Her son toddled into the living room. He was dragging a canvas bag filled with toys, and his face was set in a stubborn frown.
"Brandon, you know Gregory has his own toys you can play with. You don't need to bring yours," Stef told him gently, holding out one Velcro tennis shoe to him.
"I wanna," Brandon said, pouting.
"Sit down so we can put your shoes on," Stef directed, ignoring his whine. Her son plopped heavily onto his bottom and stuck one foot out to be shod, still grimacing. "Good boy," she said, securing his first shoe. "Now the left one, okay?"
"I wanna bring my toys," Brandon said again. "Stefanie you hafta let me bring my toys."
Stef stopped what she was doing and stared at her son. "What did you call me?"
"Stefanie," he answered, not sure whether he'd won his battle or not.
"Brandon, I'm Mommy," Stef corrected gently. Internally, she felt like crying. First all this shit with Mike, now her son didn't even want to be her son anymore?
"No," Brandon said stubbornly, having latched onto a new argument. "Daddy calls you Stefanie."
Stef ran one hand through her hair, trying to keep her face together. Great, he still thought Mike was Daddy. What the hell did this mean?
"Brandon, you're the only boy in the whole world who gets to call me Mommy. Isn't that special?" she tried.
"C'mon Stefanie," he said, ignoring her. "We're gonna be late."
Stef rang the doorbell at Brandon's friend Gregory's house. She'd had a relaxing ten minute drive to the supermarket, followed by a frantic two hours at the supermarket, and a frantic drive back to Gregory's house to pick Brandon up, so she wasn't in the best of moods. Gregory's mum, Angela, answered the door with a smile and a cheerful greeting.
"Hello, Stef, come right in. The boys are still playing, but I gave them a warning a few minutes ago. Would you like some coffee while they finish up?"
"That'd be great, thanks Angela," Stef conceded, removing her sweater and clogs and following her hostess into the kitchen.
"Remember, five minutes, boys!" Angela called as they past the playroom. "Brandon's mom just got here!"
"Hi Stefanie!" Brandon shouted.
"Stefanie?" Angela was surprised. Brandon had been over only last week and called Stef Mommy.
"Yeah, it's his new thing, I guess," Stef sighed.
"As of when?"
"As of this morning."
"Oh, boy. You bummed?"
Stef shrugged. "Yeah, but I guess I can only wait for it to pass. It seems like a stupid thing to get worked up over."
Angela nodded. "Does he call Mike by his first name too?"
"No, that's part of what makes it sting," Stef confessed. "He called him Daddy this morning."
Angela patted Stef's arm consolingly and handed her a cup of coffee. No sooner had to two women settled in when their boys came hopping into the kitchen, Brandon dragging his bag of toys.
"I am ready to go, Stefanie," he said carefully. "Thank you for the cookies," he added, giving a winning smile to Angela.
"Of course, Brandon," Angela said. "Thank you for being a very good guest."
"Alright," Stef started, standing up and stretching. "Let's get out of here, Brandon