by Paul Heald
“Sure, Mr. Arthur.” She let go of her mother’s hand and sat down close to him. “This is Ziggy. He’s giraffe.” She held up a tower of thin multicolored blocks with a clump of thicker blocks attached to the top. “That’s Piggy. He’s rhinoceros.” She pointed to another blob of blocks with Ziggy, whose head clattered off onto the floor of the porch.
“Ooopsie.” Arthur picked up the head and pressed it back into place. “Who’s that guy next to Piggy?”
“That’s not a guy.” Maria laughed. “That’s Quiggly. She’s a lion.” She grabbed a pile of blocks and climbed up into Arthur’s lap. Then, she picked up another unnamed pile and made smoochy kissing sounds as she rubbed it against her Cubist lion. She played happily, taking the creatures on an imaginary journey from Africa to the Atlanta Zoo and back again, flying them through the air. Eventually, Suzanne sat down and began to swing slowly back and forth, looking over the street and down at the two playmates.
“I know what you’re trying to do, Arthur.” When he did not respond, she leaned over them and began picking up. As she reached for her daughter, she saw tears streaming down Arthur’s cheeks.
“Please don’t make me go,” he whispered.
Unable to respond, Suzanne got up and paced to the far end of the porch. She placed both hands on the railing overlooking the neighbor’s side yard and noticed for the dozenth time a wild-looking mimosa pushing its way out of her neighbor’s garden and toward her house. She felt a sudden desire to fetch her limb-loppers, but she stood instead studying the serrated edges of its deep green leaves. Eventually, she tilted her head and ran her fingers through her thick dark hair. When she turned, she could see that Arthur’s shoulders were heaving, even as he played with Maria in his lap.
She walked slowly toward them, still not entirely sure what she should say. A loose floorboard creaked as she approached and Maria looked up at her mother with eyes full of worry and expectation. Suzanne smiled at her and put a hand on Arthur’s shoulder, unsure how she had come to her decision. “Maria, would you like to have a baby sister?”