Bobby has never once been tardy for school, and today is no exception. Despite what felt like an insurmountable number of tasks to complete before getting out the door, I manage to park my car outside the school with a comfortable five minutes left until the early bell rings. It’s only a two- minute drive from our house to Bobby’s school, which is why school bus service is not provided. Potentially, it is walkable. But we never manage to walk it.
Before I’ve even locked the door to my white SUV, I hear Bobby scream, “Leo!” And then he propels himself in the direction of his best friend.
I have to appreciate Bobby’s enthusiasm. He always seems so excited to see Leo, even though they see each other essentially every single day. I can barely manage a smile for my own best friend, Julie, who is chatting with some other women as they wait for the bell to ring.
Julie used to be a lawyer before she gave up her job and moved to Long Island, and she still dresses the part. She’s wearing a pristine white blouse and a gray pencil skirt. Her hair is swept back from her face in an elaborate twist—she has the sort of classic beauty where she will look beautiful even when she’s eighty. I had her on my show a couple of times demonstrating an upscale recipe, and those episodes always get lots of views.
Julie took over the reins as president of the PTA this year, and by all accounts, she’s taking it very seriously. I’ve already received at least a dozen emails from her about it and we’ve yet to have our first meeting. I’m sure she’ll do an amazing job. She’s a great leader. I’m so lucky she’s my best friend.
As I get closer, I notice Julie is chatting with Kathy Tanner. I freeze in my tracks. Kathy doesn’t like me, for some reason. I don’t want to talk to her, but I also don’t want to stand alone. And God forbid I snub Julie. So I’ve got to go over there.
“April.” Julie smiles at me. “We were worried… it isn’t like you to be so late.”
“Yes, well… Bobby was so slow in the morning. You know what I mean.”
I don’t want to tell these two women about the slew of horrible comments on my latest video. They would just laugh it off. You have to have thick skin if you’re going to be on the Internet, April. But it isn’t just about having thick skin. There was something incredibly disturbing about that final comment. Like it could have come from someone close to me.
April’s secret is that she is a terrible cook and a worse person. Trust me—I know.
Who would write something like that?
“Bella makes her own breakfast every morning and is ready to go when I get downstairs,” Kathy volunteers. “She is such an angel.”
“Mmm,” I say. “Bobby isn’t quite there, I guess.”
“Good thing your show is about cooking secrets and not child behavior secrets!” Kathy laughs.
I shoot Kathy a look. She smiles at me, but her eyes are cold. If I ever call her on her nonstop jabs, she insists she’s just teasing me and I’m too sensitive. It’s exhausting.
Is it possible Kathy could have been the one who left those nasty comments? I wouldn’t put it past her.
“By the way,” Julie says, “we wanted to get your opinion on something, April. Don’t you think there should be a dress code for drop off and pick up?”
Kathy nods eagerly. “Look at all these mothers standing around in pajamas! It’s such a disgrace. Honestly, it’s embarrassing.”
I look around at the scattered mothers gathered around the school entrance for drop off. I do see one woman carrying an infant in her arms and a toddler is attached to her left hand, and she does appear to be wearing pajama pants and slippers.
I look down at my own outfit. Yoga pants. A tank top. A hoodie sweatshirt. Ballet flats again. I wonder if they’re trying to tell me something.
“I mean,” Julie goes on, “it’s a terrible example for the children. We wouldn’t allow them to go to school in pajamas, would we?”
“No,” I say. “Well, except on pajama day.”
“I’m going to bring it up at the PTA meeting tomorrow,” Julie says. “Would you add that to the agenda, April? You’re coming, right?”
Before I can answer in the affirmative, the early bell sounds off. The kids all pile into the front entrance. I wave to Bobby, but I’m not sure he notices. When he’s around his friends, I might as well not exist.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Maria Cooper and her son Owen hurrying toward the entrance. After Maria shared her concerns about Owen not having any friends at the new school, I had a talk with Bobby about being kind to him. Hopefully, Bobby will listen. Sometimes he does things without thinking and he’s slow as molasses in the morning, but my son has a good heart.
After Maria deposits her son at the school entrance, I wave her over. After all, Owen Cooper isn’t the only one who is new to town and needs friends. What kind of neighbor would I be if I didn’t introduce Maria to all the other mothers?
“Maria!” I call. “Hi!”
Julie furrows her brow. “Who is that?” “Our new neighbor.”
“Oh.” She frowns. “Those people are never home. I’ve stopped by at least five times to welcome her. And I left her two copies of the guidelines for the block, but she still keeps parking wrong.”
Maria looks nice today. Her dark brown hair is tucked behind her ears and she’s wearing these adorable dangly earrings that I saw once at Helena’s. (I must take her up on that thirty percent discount!) She offers me a big smile as she walks over which makes her dimples pop.
“I was so worried I was going to be late,” Maria sighs. “Owen is just so slow in the morning!”
“Bobby too!” I say. Finally—one other person who doesn’t have a perfect child.
Julie sticks out her right hand. “I’m Julie Bressler. I’m your new next- door neighbor. And this is Kathy Tanner.”
Maria takes Julie’s hand, and I can see her wince. Julie has one hell of a handshake—she never holds back. I guess it’s a holdover from her lawyer days. “Nice to meet you both,” Maria says. “I’m Maria Cooper.”
“I hope you’re coming to the PTA meeting tomorrow.” Julie gives her a pointed look. “You got the flyer, right?”
“Um…” Maria chews on her lip. “Sure. I think I can make it.”
“I’ve been trying to stop in,” Julie says, “but I can never find you. I’m impressed April managed to catch you.”
Maria laughs. “Well, April misplaced her son at my house. So that’s how we met.”
Julie arches a perfectly shaped eyebrow. Julie has the best eyebrows ever. She won’t tell us where she gets them done—she has some secret eyebrow threader tucked away somewhere. “Misplaced her son?”
My face grows hot as Maria recounts the story of how Bobby left the backyard and I had a panic attack looking for him. I know Maria doesn’t mean anything by it, but the story doesn’t make me look good. I don’t want everybody to think I’m an irresponsible mother.
Even worse, when Maria is done telling the story, Julie and Kathy snicker knowingly.
“That sounds just like Bobby,” Kathy says.
“What are you talking about?” I snap at her. “I’ve never lost Bobby before.”
“Of course you have.” Julie shakes her head at me. “Remember when we were at Whole Foods and he took off while we were getting food from the salad bar? You had the whole store looking for him! And then they found him stuffing cupcakes in his mouth in the bakery—there was chocolate all over his face.”
“And at that art store,” Kathy reminds me. “Remember he broke all that pottery and you had to pay for it?”
That is so unfair. I could name plenty of incidents where Julie and Kathy would come off looking foolish, but it’s not a competition.
“Anyway,” Maria says quickly, “Bobby was a pleasure to have over. He was playing so well with Owen.” She flashes me a quick smile. “Like I said, he can come over anytime. And if your son would like to come over, Julie, we’d be happy to have him too.
Julie mumbles something non-committal. She’s never fond of making new friends. She’ll probably be cold to Maria for the next year if the past is any indication. Unless…
“Hey, guess what,” I say. “Maria works over at Helena’s. She’s a manager there!”
That manages to spark Julie and Kathy’s interest. Like I said, we all love that store. Although between the three of us, Julie is the only one who can really afford it. I smile to myself as the two women pepper Maria with questions and ask if they can get a friend discount. I feel a little self- satisfaction that Maria offered me her thirty percent discount but tells each of them that they only get ten percent.
“Actually, I’ve got to head to work right now.” Maria looks down at her watch regretfully. Then her eyes widen. “Oh… damn! We forgot Raffey!”
Julie frowns. “Raffey?”
Maria’s cheeks color. “Raffey is this stuffed giraffe that Owen is really attached to. It’s been helping him get through this transition period. I saw it on his bed this morning and I promised to bring it down for him so he could put it in his backpack, but I forgot with all the rushing around.” She looks down at her watch again. “He’s going to be crushed when he realizes he doesn’t have Raffey. I’ll just have to be late for work.”
“Don’t be silly!” I say. “I can go to your house and grab Raffey, and I’ll bring him to Owen.”
Maria cocks her head to the side. “Are you sure? I don’t want to trouble you.”
“It’s no problem!” “But—”
“Let April do it,” Julie interrupts her. “This is her thing. She loves to be helpful.”
Well, that’s true. I do enjoy helping other people. But does she have to say it like it’s an insult?
Maria’s shoulders relax. “Thank you so much, April. You’re a lifesaver.”
I’m happy to do it. After all, what are neighbors for?
