'Mami, why you and Daddy have to go away?'
Leo sat on the end of his parents' bed, watching his mother pack her fancy clothes up. He knew she occasionally had to go away because she had to see people who liked the books she'd written, but his mother wasn't going to be putting out a new book until the end of the summer. He'd seen the posters for it in the living room when Robina had visited and it had clearly said Lady Hawk:
'Because baby, we have been invited to a special event for the movie Mami was in.'
'When did you make a movie?'
'It was when Max was still inside my belly, Leo. Can you pass me those socks?'
Meredeth pointed, and Leo handed them over as he tried to wrap his mind around it. 'But you were only away for a little bit, like two weeks, right? How did you make a movie so quickly? Kelley and Dell said they take a long time.'
'Well my part was very short, I didn't even speak, I just played a piano teacher, and was in two major scenes, that's it.'
'Why can't we come to see it?' Leo asked sweetly. 'We are very good at the movies, even Max, Mami and he's only two.'
'Because Spring Awakening isn't for little kids, Leo-Lion.'
'Why not? Does it have bad words?'
'Amongst other things, it talks about a lot of things that kids your age aren't ready to learn about yet.'
'Oh. Like when Max accidentally saw you and Daddy having baby practice?'
Meredeth pursed her lips, rolled her tongue over her teeth, but the laugh was unavoidable. The morning after Max's accidental peep show, the next morning at breakfast had been talk of nothing but what he'd seen the night before to his siblings who had somehow managed to chew down their waffles and juice while still remaining gap-mouthed.
'Leo, I thought we decided that was something that is not for talking about.'
'Oh, sorry, Mami but it was pretty darn funny!'
'Not for me and Daddy,' she murmured, then sat down beside Leo. He was uncharacteristically quiet, usually he was always bubbling about who she might see or what kind of movie they had on the airplane.
'Leo, you okay?'
'Uh-huh, just...don't turn into a Hollywood mami okay?'
'A Hollywood mami?'
Leo nodded. 'I saw a TV show with Carey and Dell how these kids in Hollywood have famous mamis and they never see them because they are always busy. I know you have a whole bunches of millions of readers of your books but I like you making me and my brother and sisters our lunches and having movie night at home.'
'Oh, oh, Alejo,' she laughed, sitting down and cuddling her son close. 'There is no need to worry about that, you know why?'
'Why?'
'Because when Daddy and I were getting ready for the wedding, I produced and wrote a miniseries right here in New York, and when Tessi was just a baby, I wrote Into the Open Sky, and after you and your sister came along, and Max too, I've kept on writing. It's because I was a famous writer and Sloan took some pictures of me for a magazine that they asked me to have a small part in a movie.'
'So...you gonna keep writing?'
'And maybe being a lecturer now and then at my old university, maybe do another miniseries of my books here in New York, maybe even write another cookbook.'
'Oh, you'd be good at that,' Leo told her immediately, 'you are such a good cook. Maybe I should learn to make cookies for Violet, just like RJ makes them for Trini.'
'You wants to make cookies for Violet?'
'Uh-huh. Or cupcakes. Violet always smells like cupcakes,' he said, his heart beating a little faster as he thought of his pretty caramel princess. He gave a little sigh as he thought of how she held his hand and leaned his head against hers with a yawn as they'd sat in the movie theatre on Tessi's birthday. She'd even shared her popcorn and Violet never shared her popcorn, except with him.
Meredeth heard him sigh, and looked at her son with a little laugh, brushed at his hair. He and Trini had gotten her hair and their daddy's eyes, while Tessi and Max were blue-eyed like her and had Esposito's black curls on their heads. 'You got it pretty bad for her, don't you.'
'Got what bad?'
'It's a saying, Leo, it means your feelings for Violet are very strong.'
'She's my princess. And she said I am her prince on a white horse.'
