Sweet and Spicy

                                                           

                                                           Spring Musical Auditions
                                                                       in the
                                                                   Lower Lobby!

The lemon yellow sign with a black arrow tipped toward an open door seemed too cheery against the unnecessarily harsh spring afternoon. Our local community theater was attached to the public library where my boys and I were leaving from a trip after school one day. I had required little of my ten year old and seven year old as we jumped in the car before dinner to pick up a book I had reserved. But now as we left the library after our brief visit and my boys braced themselves against the unexpected sleet in short sleeves and slide flip flops I realized maybe I should have asked more of them.

I walked down the winding sidewalk toward the parking lot while the boys ran wildly, flailing their arms and yelling against the wind and couldn’t help but notice a large white SUV pull into a space near our own car. A tall woman in slim pants and high heels got out from one side and a young teenage girl (with a coat on unlike my own children) slid out from the other. They met at the front of the car, linked arms, leaned their heads close together, and walked toward the library exchanging kind hellos with me as they passed by.

Our group clambered into the car with running commentary on the craziness of the weather and singing a made up “spanky, spanky, spank your butt” song, and I noticed the movements of the mother and daughter I had passed by only moments ago. They stopped at the sign for the spring musical and mother turned to face daughter. She leaned in, looking daughter straight in the eyes, quietly speaking. They shared a smile and lingering hug before daughter disappeared through the audition door. Love can be so calm, gentle, reassuring.

In the very next moment in our car, I looked down to see that the zipper of my pants was open.

“Guys! My zipper is down. Can you believe it?!?” My declaration grounded me to my own chaotic reality.

“Do you think anyone in the library saw your undies?” my seven -year old jokingly asked.

The ten year old piped up, “How embarrassing!”

“Oh well,” I said, my voice dripping with some sort of conciliation toward life.

From the back seat I felt a small hand begin to rhythmically pat my head and two others slide around my neck in a choke hold hug. I realized love can come in like a wrecking ball, too, sometimes and I wouldn’t have it any other way.