Should I Stay?

Chapter 21

Last summer, we hosted an accidental Labor Day party at our house. It had been a busy season. Camp for me. Then we'd gone to Gran's family's Massachusetts retreat.

I felt like I had barely seen Harry, Niall, Liam and Zayn all summer. My parents were lamenting that they hadn't seen Diana, Paul and the baby in months.

''Paul says she's starting to walk,'' Dad noted that morning. We were all sitting in the living room in front of the fan, trying not to melt. London was having a record heat wave. It was ten in the morning and pushing ninety degrees. It was really a miracle that it was so hot thar day

Mom looked up at the calendar. ''She's ten months old already. Where has the time gone?'' Then she looked at Louis and me. ''How is it humanly possible that I have a daughter who's starting her senior year in high school? How in the hell can my BooBear be starting second grade?"

''Don't call me that Mom!! I'm not a baby anymore!'' Louis shot back, clearly insulted.

''Sorry Lou, unless we have another one, you'll always be my baby.''

''Another one?'' Dad asked with mock alarm.

''Oh Relax. I'm kidding -for the most part,'' Mom said. ''Let's see how I feel when Lulu here leaves for college.''

''I'm gonna be eight in December. Then I'm a man and you'll have to call me 'Louis,''' Louis reported.

''Is that so?'' I laughed, so hard that the orange juice came through my nose.

''That's what Stan told me," Louis said, his mouth set into a determined line.

My parents and I groaned. Stan was Louis's best friend, and we all liked him a lot.

''Well, if Stan says so,'' I said, giggling, and soon Mom and Dad were laughing, too.

''What's so funny?'' Louis demanded.

''Nothing, Little Man,'' Dad said. ''It's just the heat.''

''Can we still do sprinklers today?'' Louis asked.

Dad had promised him he could run through the sprinklers that afternoon even though the governor had asked everyone in the state to conserve water this summer. That request had peeved Dad, who claimed that we Londoners suffer eight months of rain a year and should be exempt from ever worrying about water conservation.

''Damn straight you can,'' Dad said. ''Flood the place if you want.''

Louis seemed placated. ''If the baby can walk, then she can walk through the sprinklers. Can she come into the sprinklers with me?"

Mom looked at Dad. ''That's not a bad idea,'' she said. ''I think Diana's off today.''

''We could have a barbecue,'' Dad said. ''It is Labor Day and grilling in this heat would certainly qualify as labor.''

''Plus, we've got a freezer full of steaks from when your father decided to order that side of beef,'' Mom said. ''Why not?''

"Can Harry come?" I asked.

''Of course Lu!'' Mom said. ''We haven't seen much of your young man lately.''

''I know," I said. ''Things are starting to happen for the band,'' I said.

At the time I was excited about it. Genuinely and completely. Gran had only recently planted the seed of Juilliard in my head, but it hadn't taken root. I hadn't decided to apply yet. Things with Harry had not gotten weird yet.

''If the rock star can handle a humble picnic with squares like us,'' Dad joked.

''If he can handle a square like me, he can handle squares like you,'' I joked back. ''I think I'll invite Zayn, Liam and Niall too."