Butterflies

Wanda was distracted. She had been in a state of perpetual distraction for days, ever since her call with Henry. She fully blamed that distraction for why there wasn’t any milk in the house. Unfortunately, her two-year-old son, Peter, was having a bit of a meltdown, because you can’t have cereal without milk, and the only thing he wanted for breakfast that morning was cereal. Thank goodness it was Saturday. There was no way she could handle this level of drama on a workday. 

“Come on, kiddo.” She said soothingly, pulling him up from his chair. “Let’s go get some milk.” She grabbed a tissue from the box on the table and gently wiped the tears and snot from his face. 

Shoes slid onto feet, and coats put on over pajamas, they began the torturously slow walk down to the corner store. When Wanda was on her own, she could make it there and back in under fifteen minutes. WIth a still-grumpy two-year-old in tow, it was taking a bit longer. Peter didn’t want to be carried, and was a bit resistant to holding hands, so in the interest of putting off another meltdown, Wanda let him walk on his own during the long stretches between crosswalks.  

“Come on, kiddo.” She said again. “We’re almost there.” 

But he wasn’t coming on. He was squatting in front of a neighbor’s yard, looking rather intently at something in a hydrangea bush. 

“Loo, mama.” He said in his half-articulate way. “Is a bug.” 

Wanda crouched down beside him to look at the leaf he was pointing to. Indeed, there was a bug on the leaf. 

“That’s a caterpillar.” She said, “Do you know what happens to caterpillars?” 

Peter shook his head.

“They eat, and eat, and eat, and then they wrap themselves up in a little blanket called a cocoon, and then they take a long nap.” 

“A lon nap?” 

“Yes, a very long nap. And when they wake up from their nap, you know what they become?”

“Wha?” 

“They become a butterfly!” 

Peter clapped his hands happily. “Lik in my boo!” 

“Yes, just like the butterflies in your book.” 

Wanda had the vague thought that she should see about getting that one book, the one where the caterpillar ate all the fruit. Peter would probably like it. 

They both looked back at the leaf, but the caterpillar in question had wandered off.

“Ca-pila go way.” 

“Yes, the caterpillar went away. But we need to keep moving. Can I carry you?” 

“No, I wa.” 

“Okay, you can walk, but we need to keep going.”

The last block and a half went a bit quicker, if only because Wanda kept hold of Peter’s hand, despite his half-hearted protests. 

The bell on the door tinkled merrily as they entered, and Luis, who was manning the counter, flashed them a smile as they came in. 

“Oh, it’s the little spiderman, Peter Parker himself.”

“I no spiman.” Peter said with a pout.

“Oh, right, right, you’re keeping your superhero identity a secret.” Luis said with a chuckle. 

“He’ll appreciate your jokes more when he’s older.” Wanda said consolingly as she made her way back to where the milk was kept. 

She liked Luis. The middle-aged mexican was one of the few friends she’d made in the neighborhood, and always had a joke or a smile for her, even when she was there in the middle of the night in tears because her baby had a fever. 

“If you say so. Hey, you still seeing that one guy? The one in Portland?” 

“Yeah. He wants me to move there to be with him.” Wanda responded as she brought the gallon of milk up to the counter. 

“Really? Well, why can’t he move here?”

“His job.” 

“You’ve got a job too.” Luis said with a frown as he accepted the five-dollar bill she handed him.

“Yeah, but bank tellers can work anywhere.” 

“Is that what he told you to try and get you to move?”

“Maybe.” She said as she accepted her change back. 

“Are you going to do it?”

“I don’t know yet. There’s a lot of things to consider.”

“Yeah, like Peter.” 

“Yeah, like...” Wanda glaced down to where Peter had been standing just a moment ago. He wasn’t there anymore. 

“Peter?” She called, her heart in her throat. She hadn’t heard the bell, so he was still in the store, but there were a lot of things a two-year-old shouldn't get into in a corner store. 

She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard his little giggle from the snack aisle. She strode over, and looked down at her son where he was standing by the chip display. He had found a long sheet of plastic wrap, like the ones they wrap products in for shipping, and had wrapped it around himself (fortunately well away from his mouth and nose). 

“I a ca-pila.” Peter said. “I go take nap, an become butt-fly!” 

Wanda laughed, and laughed and laughed, even as she unwrapped her son. 

“Yes, you will become a beautiful little butterfly.” She said, once she had calmed down some. “Now, I’ve bought the milk, shall we go home and have some breakfast?” 

“Cer-al!” Peter exclaimed. 

“Yes, we’ll have some cereal.” 

She thanked Luis, and they made their way slowly back to their house. It was small, and a rental, but it was a decent enough place to raise her son. Frankly, it was the only house he had ever known. Could she really uproot him like Henry was suggesting? Not that his roots were particularly deep, as young as he was. 

“Loo, mama!” Peter said, snapping her out of her musings. “A ca-pilar!” 

Wanda looked down to where he was pointing, and laughed. “No, kiddo. That’s not a caterpillar, that’s a worm.”

“Wom?” 

“Yes, it’s a worm. They live underground and eat the dirt so that things can grow.”

“Ew.” 

“Yeah, ew. Dirt is yucky, but worms are important.” 

Peter nodded solemnly, and (fortunately) left the worm alone. 

When they finally reached the house, Wanda was surprised to see Henry’s car out front, with the man himself standing on the small front porch. Portland was six hours away, which meant he likely left around three in the morning. 

“Herry!” Peter called, running up to the house as soon as he saw who was there. He rushed up the porch steps and latched himself onto Henry’s leg.

“Well this a surprise.” Wanda commented neutrally as she joined them on the porch. He looked like someone who had driven six hours in the middle of the night. He hadn’t shaved, and his hair was a bit of a mess. 

“Ah, yes. I just thought... well, maybe we should have the conversation face-to-face, rather than on the phone.” Henry said as Wanda unlocked the door. 

“Okay. But once Peter has gone down for his nap.” 

“I take nap, an become butt-fly!” Peter exclaimed as he ran back to the kitchen. 

Wanda smiled. No matter what decisions she made, she would still have her little butterfly.