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My youngest daughter, Tori, who has just recently turned four, reive“Mama, Mama, Mama! I missed you!”
I hug and kiss her back “Having fun?” I ask, rubbing her bare tummy
She nods, her blond curly ponytails like piggy corkscrews in the sky “I’ry”
“We’re having dinner soon”
“Can I have some French fries?”
“We’re going home in twenty minutes—”
“I want French fries”
“Honey”
“I’”
Oh, why not? It’s Friday Labor Day weekend I’et up If French fries will keep her happy, let her have theht there, in the shallow end”
“’Kay”
“’Kay”
Tori runs off in her pink two-piece, her still chubby thighsat ht before dinner?”
“It’s the end of su
Exactly Kids will be back in school in just days, and it’ll only get harder, ith ho a mother is a full-time job I couldn’t work outside the home even if I wanted to
“Mohter, Brooke, shouts atto answer
I put a finger toshe’s too loud “Coe-whisper “Don’t shout across the pool”
With a sigh, Brooke drags herself out of the pool and splashes her way to our table “Did you tell Tori I had to go order her French fries?”
“She’s hungry” I’m not in the mood to deal with Brooke’s attitude now For a -willed “You can share her fries”
“I don’t want fries”
“What do you want?”
“Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream bar”
“No—”
“You said” She gives rade” look “You did, Mom”
“What about a Popsicle?”
“Why does Tori get fries and I have to have a Popsicle? Why does she always get everything she wants? Because she’s the baby? When I was her age I could order my own fries—”
“Fine Get your ice creaive up I just can’t do this today Not without another drink “Help Tori and get what you want”
She flounces away, and I see the face she h I’ experts all say, you have to pick your battles I want therades, so I suppose I’ve picked mine Besides, they’re not as lippy with Nathan They wouldn’t be He doesn’t put up with it, not like I do
“Goodtoday, Taylor,” P
atti says as Brooke grabs Tori by the shoulder to haul her into line at the snack bar
Patti is co-chair with me for the Points Ele of the year thisat Tully’s on Points Drive
I orried about the , but I needn’t have been Our coot the best parents this year, the best moms hands down
“I heard soour brainstore into in and tonic “I have a hunch that this year’s auction is going to just blow everyone out of the water”
And it hat we’re planning
We’ve got so a trip to Paris—first-class on Air France—and a week on Paul Allen’s private yachtin Greece, no less I suppress a shiver of excite about it “Patti, we can make this happen”
“We are ht be tiny and pretty, but she’s a workhorse “We’ve already got chairs for each committee, and everyone’s experienced—”
“On the ball,” I add
“And as we know, experience makes all the difference”
Isn’t that the truth? I just love Patti We’re on the sath It’s not just that we’re friends, but we’ve served on practically every school committee possible, and there’s no way I would have tackled the school auction if Patti hadn’t suggested we co-chair it together
The school auction is Points Eleest annual fund-raiser The phone-a-thon, walk-a-thon, and wrapping paper sales all bring inthe kind of money the auction does
A strong auction nets a quarter million dollars A fabulous auction nets a hundred thousand more
Patti and I think we can hit four hundred thousand this year At least that’s our goal
“Anything juicy happen at theup another white chair to stretch her legs on Her legs are thin and tan, but they’re always tan Kate plays a lot of golf, and she and Bill routinely sneak off to Cabo
Patti and I look at each other, try to think There wasn’t a lot of chitchat We were pretty organized, and the auction ossip It would look bad Unprofessional