Meric
Meric always spotted his mom’s car at parent pick-up — and before his sister Miana did, for that matter, even though she was older — before the teachers knew that she was there to pick them up. So when the assistant principal, Mr. Goos, called out, “Miana and Meric Wochner!” before Meric saw his mom’s car, he knew something was wrong.
“C’mon,” Miana said, grabbing Meric’s hand and pulling him towards the front of the parent pick-up line.
“But it’s not Mom,” Meric insisted, digging his heels into the ground. “Look at the car, Mimi!”
Miana stopped pulling him and let his hand go. “Isn’t that Brandi’s car?”
Meric looked closer and was almost sure that he could see their neighbor’s head in the front seat. “But —”
“It’s fine, we know her,” Miana said, taking Meric’s hand again. “Let’s go.”
Meric allowed her to pull him along, but he made sure to let everyone know with a huge frown and his stomping feet that he wasn’t happy about it. Mom had always, always told them before school on days that Brandi picked them up. She hadn’t said a thing today.
“Hey guys,” Brandi said cheerfully when Miana opened the car door.
“Hi,” Miana said, climbing in and looking back at Meric expectantly.
He kept his frown and climbed into the car, dropping his backpack on the floorboards. “Where’s my mom?”
Brandi’s smile wavered, but only for the quickest second. “She had a doctor’s appointment that she forgot about until the last minute. So she said that I could take you guys to get slushies and to play at the park. How does that sound?”
Meric had to admit that it sounded great, but it would have been better with Mom. “But Mom never forgets. That’s what her calendar with the different colors is for.”
“Everyone makes mistakes, honey,” Brandi said. “Now buckle in and start thinking about what kind of slushie you want.”
Meric obeyed, but it wasn’t until he actually got his slushie that thoughts of Mom vanished.
