Spark Into a Flame

Pippa

I wasn't one to eavesdrop so when I saw that Elliott had asked Joey if she wanted to talk I darted away to give them some privacy. Before our movie date, Elliott and I had a nice long chat about the state of his life. He was happy at college. Happier now that he also wasn't in a long-term committed relationship. I couldn't blame him for wanting that. College was a time not to be held down and to try different things. Though it was heartbreaking to see Joey struggle I think he'd made the right decision and I told him that.

He asked me to tell him honestly how Joey was doing. I gave him the details of how she wouldn't eat and had dropped out of debate and soccer; how her grades had gone down. I could tell he felt guilty, but that was a sign I had raised him right. I wanted him to treat any girl he dated with respect and be considerate of her feelings. He also asked me if I thought she'd be open to talking with him. Even though she had her shield up, I think it would do them both a lot of good. I was proud when I saw he stopped Joey in the hallway and they went out on the balcony.

On Sunday morning Joey mostly stayed in her bedroom while Lin cooked pancakes for everyone. She came out to get some and took them back to her room while the rest of us hung out, enjoying Elliott's company. I was touched that he decided to stay the night. Not that many college guys would give up a night of partying to watch a romcom with their mothers.

Around noon we all hugged and said goodbye. Surprisingly I wasn't really tearful when he left. Having him around had definitely lifted me up. This gave me food; energy. Once he was gone Lin and I multitasked with taking care of the little kids and doing some cleaning. Lin ran out for some groceries. Around 2:00 Joey decided to come out of her hole and go for a run around Inwood Park. It was good she was deciding to get out.

I began to pile up the family's laundry and was making my way down the hallway with a load when I saw Alex in Joey's room. We'd always told the younger two they needed to ask permission before going into anyone's bedroom. We always knocked on our kids' doors as a courtesy. I stopped at the door and saw Alex's face squirm up in disgust. She spat out something colorful onto the floor.

"Yuck!" she complained. "Those gummy bears taste gross!"

I put down the laundry basket and stepped inside. "Alex, what are you doing in here? You're not supposed to be in Joey's room without her permission."

"I saw her gummy bears and I wanted some," she explained nonchalant. "But they're nasty!"

I looked down and saw a half-chewed green bear on the bedroom floor. Nearby was Joey's purse with a small plastic bag of colorful gummy bears inside. I picked up the bag and smelled them. These weren't regular gummy bears. They were weed gummy bears and my five year old had just almost eaten one. My heart dropped down to my stomach.

"Alex, go rinse out your mouth in the bathroom," I told her, reaching for a tissue. Alex scurried off and I picked up the gummy bear from the floor with the tissue. I let out a disgusted sigh as I took it, along with the baggie, back to the kitchen. I opened the trash and threw in the green bear just as Lin came through the door, weighed down with several bags of groceries. He set them down on the counter and let out a breath of relief, then saw my expression.

"What's wrong?"

I held up the bag. "Alex found these in Joey's room," I told him, struggling to stay calm. "She tried one and spat it out, luckily."

Lin stepped forward and narrowed his eyes, examining them a little closer. He opened the bag and sniffed, then recoiled. "Are these weed gummy bears?"

I just nodded, crossing my arms. Lin let out an exasperated sigh, tossing the bag on the middle of the counter. "Where is she?"

"Out for a run," I reported as he started to unpack the first grocery bag. He began to snatch out the items and stuff them away, obviously annoyed. We were both just silent as we began unpacking the food, letting this new information sink in. Joey definitely hadn't been back to normal yet, but she'd seemed to be doing better.