Page 23 of Size Game

“Daddy?”

“Yes?”

“Can I have pancakes even though it’s not Pancake Day?”

“Yes, Princess.”

I chuckle and get up to start making pancakes. It’s the little things like this that really make me miss Mary. But I’m so lucky she left me with Sadie. I know in my heart that she is never truly gone because of my daughter.

I get the first stack made up and slide them down the table for Sadie. She is still struggling with the bottle of juice and her cup. I watch her carefully, but I know that she’s been trying to accomplish this for some time now. Imelda has told me all about it. Oh, the stories of milk and juice going all over the floor and Sadie having to help Imelda mop it all up, then go to the store and get a new bottle.

She unscrews the cap on the juice and sets her cup on the floor. Then she places the bottle on her hip and tilts her entire body, trying to carefully pour. I watch her out of the corner of my eye. She keeps tilting, and I worry that she will topple over. After a few sweat-breaking moments, she manages to start pouring the juice into her cup. She pours and pours until I fear the cup will overflow. But she tilts back at the last second and places the cap back on the juice.

She manages to pour a glass, and I manage to burn a pancake. I quickly pull the pan from the burner with a clang. Sadie laughs at me and puts the bottle back in the fridge. Then she tries to get her glass up on the table next to her pancakes and only spills a little. I throw the burnt pancake away and make myself some new ones.

I sit with her and eat. She tells me how excited she is and who she hopes will show up. I just sit there and smile, knowing that this will be a great party even if she doesn’t remember it later on in life. Perhaps one day when she’s an adult she will have fond memories of being a princess on her birthday. That’s all I can hope for.

There is a knock on the door, and I know exactly who it is. Sadie looks at the door, then at me.

“Who is it, Daddy?”

“Go check,” I encourage.

She slides off the chair and runs over to the door. When she pulls it open, my mother stands on the stoop with a big smile and a few large bags hanging on her arms.

Sadie leaps into her arms with a big hug and a squeal of happiness. “Grammy!”

“Hi, sweetie! Happy Birthday!”

There is much embracing before Sadie runs back inside and up onto her chair to eat more pancakes. My mother comes in and sets her things down in the foyer, then comes in to join us.

“Still in your robe? At this hour?”

“Nice to see you too, Mother,” I chuckle.

I hand her a plate with a few pancakes, and she takes it. She sits next to Sadie, who is most happy to be sitting with her grandmother on her birthday.

After the meal, I gather the dishes and tell Sadie to run upstairs and get into her birthday dress. She happily obliges. My mother helps me with the dishes.

“Go get yourself ready. You have a party to go to.”

“I’m not about to let my mother wash dishes in my house.”

She gives me a stern look, like she’s about to whack me over the head with a spoon. I dip my head and go upstairs to get changed. There’s no use arguing with this woman. She knows what’s what and will take no shit.

Sadie runs downstairs, and my mother helps her get her hair exactly how she wants it. I get myself ready, which is actually more arduous than I expected. I know I’ll be looking good today, but how good shall I look?

There are various suits hanging inside my closet in different shades of blues, grays, and blacks. Eventually, I pull a nice black tailcoat from the closet with a light pink shirt, darker pink tie, and a top hat with a matching band. I get myself in the suit and take one last look in the mirror before heading downstairs.

Sadie twirls around in her dress with her hair all done up and a tiara atop her head. She is very excited to be all dolled up. My mother offers to put makeup on her, to which she screams in excitement and sits as still as she can on a chair in front of Grandma. She starts with eye shadow, then a little blush, and finishes with a nice lipstick.

“Come on. You don’t want to be late.”

Sadie runs outside to the car with my mother following close behind. I grab a few of the bags she brought in, clearly filled with gifts, then head out to the car as well. I’ve given my driver the day off, so I get in the front and drive us to the venue.

The drive is quick but not quick enough for Sadie. She bounces up and down with excitement. Once we arrive she is the first out of the car. I sternly tell her to wait, to which she stops in her tracks and impatiently waits.

Mother and I exit the car and grab the bags from the trunk, and then the three of us head inside. Claire is already there when we arrive. She has everything all set up and quickly approaches to take the bags from us.