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The husband who'd promised to take our son to the amusement park for his birthday
was standing in line to buy trendy ice cream with Celia Swanson, and I saw them on my way home from work.
I rushed over and grabbed his arm.
"Why are you here? Where's Herman?"
Mike James blinked, then hurried to explain.
"He's at the amusement park. I got him on a ride and set him up to play, and I just slipped away to buy ice cream with Celia."
Celia looked at me timidly.
"I'm sorry, Shelagh Fox. This ice cream is a limited release, they only sell the couple's set. I really had a craving, so I asked Mike to line up with me."
I looked at them holding hands, playing at being a couple, and the last of my hope drained away.
I said it calmly.
"Mike, this isn't the first time you've dropped me and our child for her."
"Since you can't be a good father, then from now on we don't need you either."
With that, I turned and ran to go pick up my son.
I'd only gone a few steps when my phone rang.
The amusement park staffer's voice was rushed.
"Are you Herman James's mother? Your son fell while riding the Velocity roller coaster. He's already been rushed to the hospital."
"What kind of parents are you? We asked more than once whether he was ten years old, we specifically warned you it's dangerous for children under ten, and you still put him on it!"
I couldn't hear anything after that. Cold all over, I turned to look at Mike.
"Mike, do you know how old your son is this year?"
Looking at his blank, helpless face, my tears came down like rain.
"Mike, you'd better be able to answer."
"Because if you can't, I won't let you or Celia off. Not either of you."
1.
Mike frowned and thought about it.
"Isn't he eight? Why are you asking?"
I stared at him, dazed.
I'd thought he'd just misremembered Herman's age.
But no. He hadn't even listened to the safety rule the staff kept repeating. He'd just wanted to get our son onto the longest ride as fast as possible, so he could slip away and buy ice cream with Celia.
I let out a ridiculous little laugh.
"Mike, we're done."
I turned to flag a cab, but he grabbed me, staring at me in disbelief.
"You want a divorce just because I got our son's age wrong?"
Celia gave him a small push and forced a smile.
"Mike, forget it. I don't want it anymore."
She glanced at the window we were almost up to, her eyes going faintly red.
"We only missed it by a few minutes, but it's fine. I've already given you and his dad up to Shelagh. Giving up one ice cream is nothing."
Mike's face filled with tenderness for her.
"It's just ten minutes. Whatever's happened, ten more minutes won't make a difference, will it?"
I threw his hand off and got into the cab that had just pulled up.
Mike seemed to be shouting my name,
but I didn't look back.
By the time I reached the hospital, Herman was still in emergency care.
A nurse handed me a form.
"The child fell from a height. There's damage to his head, chest, and abdomen. Sign here first. Where's the father?"
I held the pen, my hand shaking so hard I could barely write.
"He's busy."
The nurse looked at me, her eyes full of pity, and didn't ask anything more.
I sat outside the emergency room, shaking with cold.
My phone suddenly rang, and on the other end came my mother's furious voice.
"Shelagh, all Mike did was line up to buy Celia some ice cream, and you have to make a whole scene out of it! So childhood friends are a little close, so what? Don't think marrying Mike gives you the right to throw fits!"
"Now Neal won't even give me a decent look! Celia finally accepted me as a stepmother, and you want to ruin all of it?"
I stared at the sealed emergency room doors, my voice breaking.
"Are you finished?"
"Then do you know that Mike, just to keep Celia company, put six-year-old Herman on a roller coaster that requires you to be ten?"
"Herman fell off it, and he's still in emergency care right now!"
