I beam at her, “I was hoping you’d be our flower girl.”
“Do I get a pretty dress?” She asks with a sparkle in her eyes.
“The prettiest!”
She claps her hands, “I’m so excited!”
I start rolling the dough into balls and placing them on the cookie sheet, she helps but seems bothered by the gooey texture.
“We’ll wash our hands in a moment.”
I put the cookies in the oven, then walk to the sink and turn the water on. I let her wash hers first, then I wash mine.
“Now what?” She asks.
“We wait thirteen minutes.”
I get her an apple juice and put it on the table.
“Sit, let's talk.” I sit beside her, “You never had your own bedroom before?”
She shakes her head and looks down, “No.”
“Where did you sleep?”
“On the couch.”
The timer goes off, and I get the cookies out of the oven. I get two cookies, put them on the plate, and bring them to her. “Let them cool down.”
Then I continue our difficult conversation, “And your mom?”
She sighs, “She had a lot of boyfriends. We had one bedroom and that was hers.”
She picks up a cookie and takes a bite.
“These are the best cookies!” She squeals.
I smile, “Do you like your bedroom now? If there’s anything you want to change-”
“No. I love it. I don’t want to change it.”
I blow out a deep breath, “Ivy honey, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
She smiles at me shyly, “I know, Mercy. You’re my best friend.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat, “I think you’re my best friend too.”
“I’m not going to see my mom again, am I?”
I take her little hand in mine, “Sweetheart, I honestly do not have an answer to that. Do you want to see her again?” I ask.
“I don’t know. I think I do but then I remember she’s mean to me.”
Tears run down her face, “I don’t want to live with her anymore. I want to stay with you and Dr. L.”
I lean over and hug her, “I want that too.”
“We are going to have dinner tonight at a friend's house.”