“Don’t worry, baby.” I stroke his head, calming him down before he can have an episode. “I’ll clean this up. Why don’t you gocolor a little with Mrs. Deloera?”
“But I made all this mess, Mommy…” he sniffles. “The cereal…”
“Cereal’s very cheap,” I reassure him. “We can buy a fresh box whenever we want. And luckily, hardwood floors are easy toclean. See?” I wipe at some of the mess with a paper tissue nearby. “Good as new, yeah?”
Slowly, his lower lip stops trembling. “Okay,” he mumbles.
“Now, why don’t you show Mrs. Deloera your new markers?”
Eli trudges towards Itzel. She smiles kindly down on him. “There’s my favorite young artist! Come on, let’s find yoursketchbook…”
She takes Eli’s hand and they disappear into his room. I’ve gone through this song and dance coun
