The Past
Hunter age twelve
Isabel age eleven
Isabel sits in a chair at her kitchen table while she watches me make chocolate chip pancakes. I’ve learned how to bake. It’s what I do whenever I feel sad. It’s what I’ve learned to do to cheer up Hero and Naya. It came to me so easily. I go kind of crazy with the cupcakes and cookies when Grace leaves out of town for work. Naya and Hero always eat until they bellies ached. I turn my talents to Isabel while my dad is at home taking care of Hero and Naya. They got sick and I was in a baking frenzy.
“Wow. How do you do that?” Isabel asks as I flip the golden pancake to the plate.
I shrug. “It comes naturally, I guess.”
“Yeah, but you’ve made, like, a ton and not one is burned. That’s amazing.”
Turning off the stove burner, I lean back to stare at her. “You think I’m amazing?”
She smiles at me. “I think your beautiful, Hunter.”
My breathing gets heavy.
Her words are like a kick to the gut.
She thinks I’m beautiful.
“Isabel?” I ask, staring at her in wonder.
“Yeah?”
“When we get older will you have all of my babies?”
Red tinges her cheeks but she nods. “Yeah.”
“I’m serious,” I tell her, handing her the plate of stacked pancakes.
“Me, too.”
When she tries to dive in with her fork, I take the plate away from her.
She frowns at me.
“Promise to have all my babies.”
“I promise to have all your babies, Hunter.”
“Okay. Good.” I slide the plate in front of her and watch her dig in.
Isabel doesn’t know that I’m going to make sure she keeps her promise, even if it’s the death of me.
Isabel and I will be together.
She will have my babies.
She will be my wife.
She will be my everything.