Chapter 37. We Can Make it So Divine
"Perfect day," Mark says while reaching for the loaf of bread. This is their last vacation of the summer. They are just a few days away from preschool starting for Kate. Currently, he and Addison are on lunch duty, while Savvy and Weiss are outside with the three kids (lunch is the easier task). Two kids, actually. His eyes narrow until he follows the direction Savvy is looking in to reveal Emily carefully working her way up the sand-dusted steps dividing the beach from their property. "We have one incoming, by the way."
"Which?" Addison asks while closing the refrigerator door, jar of strawberry jelly in hand.
"The nice one. The one who thinks I'm funny."
"Aunt Addie? Kate says no peanut butter. Just jelly," Emily announces as she comes in through the back door, grains of white sand falling off behind her.
Addison frowns (and not just because of the ew factor). "Em, did she tell you to come in here just to tell me that?" Her daughter is a good friend to the twins, but Kate can be bossy at times.
"No," Emily says, her dark, wet-from-the-ocean ringlets bouncing as she shakes her head. "I told Mommy and Daddy I had to go potty and then Kate told me to tell you."
"Okay. Do you need any help?"
"No," Emily responds quickly. She looks equal parts horrified and annoyed at being asked such a question.
Addison shakes her head with a smile once the little girl is out of the kitchen. "She said that with a lot of snark. My goddaughter with her little angel-ish sounding voice is spending too much time with Kate, I think."
"Well damn, honey. That kid ended up being ready to be potty trained at a freakishly early age. You embarrassed her."
"I was asking more because of the bathing suit issue. You have no idea what a challenge it is to have to use the bathroom when you're a girl wearing a wet one piece."
"Well, you could just wear a bikini," Mark murmurs with a grin, resting a hand on her hip. "Not that I don't like the swimsuits you've been wearing, but…"
"Any opportunity for more skin with you. Anyway, focus on cutting up that fruit. And, you know," Addison grins in contemplation. "I had a jelly sandwich a few times when I was pregnant with Kate. I wonder if there's some sort of connection there."
"Maybe. She does really like pickles, so it seems like there's a connection there too. Hey, Addison…" Mark stares out the kitchen window and watches the scene playing out in the distance. The sandcastle the kids were working on seems to be finished now. "Why are Kate and Andrew holding hands?"
"Oh." Addison tries not to smirk when she sees the expression on his face grow deadly serious, because of course he would be that dad. "I think it's because they like each other, Mark," she answers as calmly as she can. "Like-like. It happens. I'm sure you came out of the womb trying to hold hands with girls."
"Emily. Come here for a sec…" Mark says when his goddaughter skitters back into the room. Emily breaks into a huge smile when he beckons her over. Unlike Emily's mother, the little girl loves her Uncle Mark and his silly jokes, and doesn't find anything about him to be particularly annoying or dumb or weird.
Mark crouches down to her level. "How come Andrew and Kate are holding hands, kiddo?"
"They love each other."
"They love each other," Mark repeats, caught off-guard by how casual Emily's tone is while sharing this. "What does 'love' mean?"
"Um…" Emily begins. Her lips pucker and twitch to the side as she tries to determine what exactly her godfather is asking. "Um…hugs? And a pink heart?"
"Emmy, why don't you go ahead back outside and play. About five more minutes and lunch will be ready." Addison tips her head towards the door, and Emily happily runs off. "Anyway…"
"Um, no. Not anyway."
"Oh, come on, Mark," she laughs. "I think it's sweet that they love each other. No hugs and pink hearts though – they just hold hands sometimes. Lots of kids their age have crushes. It's a normal part of development."
"Well, I don't like it."
"He found out about the hand-holding, didn't he?" Savvy grins when she enters through the back door unexpectedly, having passed her daughter on the way back to the beach. "Weiss is still with them and he's no longer being buried in the sand by the kids, so he's available should anyone make a break for it. I'm just grabbing more sunscreen. Mainly for the little redhead out there. Those shoulders are getting a bit pink."
"Yes, Savannah. I found out," Mark confirms while Addison smiles gratefully at her friend for watching out for her fair-skinned daughter. "And like I told my wife: I don't like it."
"I figured that would be the case," Savvy replies easily. "But just so you know, Andrew knows he has to ask Kate if she wants to hold hands – we were very clear about that. Boys will be good, respectful humans, not boys will be boys."
"Well, that's nice," Mark admits, but his tone is still a little grouchy.
"And if it makes you feel better, sometimes Kate tells him no. Unlike my kids, yours seems to understand that it's important to have a backup hand at the ready while eating an ice cream cone."
Mark manages a smile. "I'm not gonna survive the teen years, am I?"
"No," both women answer.
Addison observes her daughter slowly look around the preschool classroom. Kate has been in the classroom before and she met some of the teachers during a tour last spring. Her daughter is most excited about the pretend/dramatic play center because of the fancy purple curtains masking a small stage, and all the costume dress-up options, but she is definitely looking forward to the block center, reading corner, and art canvases, too. And Kate really likes Miss Kelly, who just bent down to give her a high-five when she walked through the classroom door, with Mommy and Daddy close behind her.
This is the first time Kate is looking around the room with other kids in it though. Kids she has not met yet. And this is the first time Mark and Addison won't be staying with her. Addison knows her daughter though: she is friendly, curious, and bright. Kate is definitely a bit nervous today, but if Addison had to choose between the two, she would say her daughter is more outgoing than she is shy. And as much as it pains Addison to admit it, her daughter is ready for her first year of preschool. In a way, it is a privilege to get to share her with others. And at the moment, Kate is actually more excited for next year at Building Blocks Learning Center, because then she will be in the Mini Teddy Bears class, which is what the second-years are called. The kids who will not be four until next year are known as the Little Bunnies, and Kate likes the teddy bear name a lot better.
Kate told Mommy this morning that she feels like she has butterflies living in her tummy, and Mommy said that's okay; everyone gets a little nervous on their first day of school. And right now, Kate is glad her parents are here. Mommy also said that normally Lauren will pick her up from preschool, but today Mommy and Daddy took the day off work, so they will be here to pick her up. (She knows this will be when both arrows are on the twelve; Kate can't tell time, but she knows her numbers, and Daddy said that when both arrows are pointing straight up on number twelve, that's when school is over.)
"Are Emily and Drew here?" Kate asks quietly. Something to the left catches her eye though, and the nervous butterflies become happy butterflies for a moment. "Mommy, look! This says 'Kate!' That's me."
Addison smiles and crouches down by the cubby Kate has pointed out. "You're right. It says 'Kate Sloan.' This is a cubby. You can put you backpack in here," she says, and Mark helps Kate guide her mini Paw Patrol backpack off her shoulders.
"Hey strangers. You just missed Weiss. He had an eight-thirty meeting," Savvy says as she approaches from the other side of the classroom. She kneels down to wrap her goddaughter in a quick hug. "You're going to have such a fun time this morning. Emily and Drew are already playing at one of the tables."
Kate nods, but looks up at her parents, unsure.
Addison offers her a wide smile. "See? Em and Drew are already here. There's so many fun things you can do right now, Kate. Remember Miss Kelly said it's free choice time for a bit?" Addison gestures past the weather chart and daily schedule chart to the various learning centers strewn throughout the room. "Look. There's blocks over there, a coloring table, and it looks like some of your new friends are making macaroni necklaces. The twins are by the sensory tables – remember you saw them last time you were here? They have all sorts of cool things in them. And -"
"Ad," Mark whispers, giving her shoulder a you-need-to-stop squeeze. Addison halts her rambling. Kate is only half-listening to her anyway.
"Kate?" She says again, this time with words that are slower and more reassuring. She bends down to speak closer to her daughter's ear. "How about you go say hi to Emily and Drew. Daddy and I will stay right here. We won't go anywhere yet. Kind of like when you're at the playground and sometimes we sit on the bench and watch you."
Kate offers another nod and releases the hand she still has wrapped around her dad's. This makes sense to her.
"How are yours doing?" Addison asks Savvy once Kate has walked across the classroom to join Emily and Drew. Kate looks back once on the walk over, and glances up a few times from the water beads she's playing with to make eye contact with her parents, but she seems a bit more relaxed. Addison feels the tightness in her stomach release. The butterflies Kate told Addison she was feeling – Addison was feeling them too. But she knows now without a shadow of a doubt that in a few minutes when she and Mark go over to Kate and tell her goodbye and give her hugs, that she will be just fine. She will thrive here.
"Better than I expected," Savvy answers. "A few nervous tears from Em, and Andrew briefly had the deer in the headlights look when we walked in, but they're settling in. Helps that there are so many things here to keep them occupied."
"That's true. Look how cute that is." Addison points to a colorful bulletin board with rainbows and puffy cloud cutouts. "This year is a rainbow of possibilities," she reads aloud.
"So cheesy," Mark smirks. He offers Kate a little wave when she looks over at him. "I kind of love it."
Savvy shakes her head. "This is going to be your dream, Mark. There are so many stupid puns in this room. It's like word play threw up in here. There's a poster over there that says, 'We all fit together in this class,' with interlocking puzzle pieces with their names on them. And then the bulletin board by the reading corner has a bunch of bumblebee stickers and says, 'We all belong here,' but with an extra 'e.' You should ask if they have a suggestion box so you can start making contributions. Some of these leave room for improvement. For the price we're paying for a private preschool, I'd expect better puns…"
Addison throws Savvy a chiding look. "Man, someone's being a little harsh."
"Believe me, I know. I'll be fine, but for the time being, harshness is my defense mechanism because I'm having some feelings about leaving my babies here."
Mark takes the bait. "You're not being harsh. More like…snob-bee."
"There it is. And hey, we all have to cope somehow. Addison has green juice to put on top of things when she's feeling some feelings – I just become…snob-bee."
Addison presses her lips together to hide her smile. Savvy doesn't call her out, the Connecticut thing, but she suspects her best friend knows green juice isn't always the answer when Addison wants to feel better.
And when she and Mark are home in between preschool drop-off and pick-up, she does in fact end up having a refreshing glass of green juice to pour on top of her feelings.
She has it after she has Mark on top of her.
A text message from Meredith pops up on Addison's phone in mid-September (to the surprise of Derek and Mark, the women do keep in touch, primarily because Kate loves Meredith and always wants to FaceTime with her).
Hey, Meredith says. Sending this with Derek. We wanted to let you know we're engaged. I'm not sure if there's a better/less awkward way to tell you, but sometimes your kid will take your phone and FaceTime me, and I feel like even if I were trying to be discreet she'd notice if I was wearing a new ring.
Addison laughs as she types out her reply. She would 100% notice and would pester you until you told her the truth. But more importantly, CONGRATS.
And then Addison calls, figuring it's just easier. She wonders how Derek felt when he found out she was getting married. It's a weird feeling, but not entirely weird. She likes Derek (loved him once, and still loves him in a way that indicates she maintains a certain fondness for him) and she likes Meredith, too. And she wants them both to be happy.
"You're getting married!" She chirps when Meredith answers.
"Yeah, we're doing the whole getting married thing or whatever."
Derek chuckles. "She sounds thrilled, doesn't she? City Hall. And then a small party-reception thing at Joe's Bar. We'll just text you when we figure out the date. Probably early November. No pressure though, if you guys aren't able to make it or feel like it might be too weird."
"You're inviting us?" Addison asks softly.
"Yes. You, Mark, Little Red. Even though my invitation to your second wedding got lost in the mail or something."
Addison laughs. "It would have been too awkward and you know it. This is slightly less awkward, somehow. I'd love to be there though, and I'd love to once again have my underage kid in that bar. Oh, speaking of – she and Mark are just getting in from soccer practice, which is pretty much the cutest thing in the world. It's just a pack of kids who can't follow basic instructions so bunched together you can't even see the ball. Can I put you on FaceTime for a sec? I'm sure Mark and Kate would love to hear the good news."
Mark is also thrilled for the couple, but both parents are surprised when they end the call and notice the upset expression on their daughter's face. Kate tearily asks how she can be a flower girl if they aren't having a wedding with guests, just a party after the wedding. This catches Addison by surprise; at no point had anyone ever discussed Kate being a flower girl, but apparently she got it in her head that she would be. Addison didn't even know her three year-old knew what a flower girl was. She eventually texts Meredith to warn her about the direction this conversation went post-call, just in case Kate steals her phone in the future and attempts to FaceTime her favorite Seattle person. Since the ripe age of two, Kate has become an expert in navigating the various apps on an iPhone.
Check your mail today, Meredith tells Addison two weeks later. She does, and finds a tiny package addressed to her daughter.
Kate opens it to find a silver necklace with a letter "K" dangling off it. There is also a note, which Addison reads aloud for Kate, tracing her finger over the words so her daughter can follow along. In big block letters it says, "Cause baby now we've got a flower girl," and then there is fancy, swirly writing underneath. Kate squeals in delight when she realizes Meredith and Derek are inviting her to be a flower girl at their reception at Emerald City Bar. Addison tells her that Meredith and Derek are still getting married with no one else there, but Kate will get to wear a fancy dress (whatever she wants, according to the note) and throw rose petals at the party.
Thank you, Addison texts Meredith. It's incredibly thoughtful of you guys to find a way to include a little redhead who was arrogant enough to just automatically assume she would be part of your big day. She's been grinning ear-to-ear all evening. And I had to give her a little hint, but she got the music reference. Very clever!
Thanks, Meredith texts back. It felt nicer than telling her that she needed to calm down. ;)
On the first Saturday in November, Derek and Meredith have their guests arrive before them at their reception-party at Emerald City Bar. Then they have their little "loophole" bridal party (something they never intended to have) enter the bar, and follow in behind them. Kate and Emily scatter flowers on the floor, and Andrew and Tuck Bailey-Jones toss more masculine peanut shells from their wicker baskets.
Mark crushes peanut shells in his fist later that night when he sees Andrew and Kate holding hands again.
Kate does well in her first year of preschool. This does not surprise Mark and Addison. She is a smart, cheerful girl who is a quick learner. But when they take a slew of pictures with their daughter following her graduation from the Little Bunnies class, no one notices until later that Kate was holding her first-year diploma upside down in all the photos.
They do some right side-up pictures the following year, but manage to coax Kate into recreating last year's picture when she graduates with the rest of the second-year Mini Teddy Bears. Kate knows if she flips the paper over her name will be upside down though, and this vaguely embarrasses her because she doesn't like to be wrong (she gets this from her mother), so when gentle pleas do not work, Mark and Addison bribe her with a trip to a local Splash Pad.
"What a great kid we made," Mark murmurs as their daughter gleefully runs around testing out the various water features at the Chelsea Waterside Playground, striking the ground in purple water shoes they suspect they'll need to replace with a bigger pair by the time summer is over and Kindergarten begins. Mark and Addison are standing close by, keeping a close eye on their five-year-old, but are grateful they have reached a stage where their hands do not have to be hovering by Kate every second.
"Yeah. She is a great kid. She'll be a great big sister, too."
Mark turns towards her, a surprised smile teasing his lips up. "Wait. Addie, really?"
"Really, Mark. I'm just barely five weeks, so it's very early still, but…I have a good feeling about this one. So…what you think?"
"I can't wait," he replies softly, wrapping an arm over her shoulders. They stand peacefully like this for a few minutes, imagining everything the future holds for them in the next year.
"Hey…" she says later, nodding in Kate's direction. "We're gonna make her recreate that picture every time she receives a diploma, right?"
"Hell yeah we are."
They suspect getting Kate to take a kindergarten graduation picture with an upside down diploma will involve some bribery as well. They are correct. But by the time Kate's graduations from eighth grade, high school, and college come around, their daughter is more than game to flip the diploma upside down with an eye-roll and an amused laugh.
And years later, a picture of Kate holding her very first diploma in between her beaming parents is one of the pictures on display at the entrance table at the venue for her wedding reception. No peanut shells in sight though.