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“ Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Robin. Happy Birthday to you! ”
Robin blew out all seven candles on her cake. It was strawberry with vanilla frosting. A wobbly cat was frosted on top. She wanted a panther (They can run thirty-six miles per hour, jump ten feet, and swim, and—), but her mommy said a cat was just a smaller panther.
Her mommy sat a middle slice in front of her (less frosting). The mid-spring breeze is warm and ruffles the edge of Robin’s new skirt (itchy). The park is covered with kids and their families: screeching, chasing, playing. Two awnings over, there’s another birthday party, but there are more kids. Robin just has her family (including her Uncle Rich who always listens when she talks).
At the edge of the park under a tree is Stevie Harrington. Robin doesn’t go to the same school (He goes to Maplewood), but she’s heard some of the other kids talk about him (It’s never nice).
Robin eats half her cake and then slips away from the table. Her mommy is busy talking with her Aunt Judy. Stevie doesn’t look up from his Tonka truck, but his mommy looks up from her book. “Hello dear. Are you lost?”
Robin shakes her head. “No, Mrs. Harrington. Can Stevie play with me? I brought cake.” She holds the plate out.
Mrs. Harrington smiles. “Oh, I’m Stevie’s nanny, dear. Just call me Millie.” She turns to Stevie. “Do you want to play with your little friend?”
Stevie glances up at Robin. He nods.
Robin sits on the grass next to him. “I brought cake. It’s strawberry. I hope you like it.”
Steve grabs the plate and pushes his Tonka truck to the side.
“It’s from my birthday cake. I’m seven now. I’m Robin, by the way” She sticks out her hand like her parents taught her. Stevie takes her hand and gives it a quick, polite shake.
He eats the cake in huge bites and smears frosting around his mouth.
Robin idly runs her fingers over the Tonka truck’s gleaming metal. “Your truck is cool. I asked Santa for one for Christmas and my mommy said it wasn’t ladylike. I wanted one to carry my Raggedy Ann doll, and cool rocks, and sticks. But it’s Santa , so I thought I’d get one anyway. I didn’t and now I’m pretty sure Santa doesn’t exist.” She stares at Stevie. “Do you believe in Santa?”
Stevie looks at her with wide eyes. He glances left and right and shakes his head ‘no.’
Robin’s mouth drops. “I knew it,” she whispers. “Do you want to go exploring?”
Stevie shoves the last bite of cake in his mouth. He walks up to his nanny and places a hand on her forearm.
Millie places a bookmark between the pages. “What is it, Stevie?”
Stevie points to Robin and then to the jungle gym.
“You and your friend can go play. Be careful.” Millie wraps him in a hug and then gently nudges Stevie in Robin’s direction.
Stevie takes Robin’s hand and drags her to the jungle gym. “Where are we going?” asks Robin.
He guides her through a jumble of kids, just past the swing sets, where the little creek runs through the park. He kneels down in the creek bed and digs through the mud and clay.
Robin kneels down next to him. Her mommy won’t be happy she’s staining her new skirt with mud, but she wants to play too. “What are you looking for?”
Stevie holds up a little snail shell with glee on his face.
Robin holds her hands out and Stevie drops it onto her palms. “Cool.” The snail pokes out of the shell and squirms across her palm. “The snail is still home! Look at it!” She makes a path with her other hand and they watch the snail trek across. She squats down and lays her hand in the mud to let the snail crawl off. “What other cool things are over here?”
Stevie shows her all kinds of cool things: smooth stones, bark stripped sticks, a bird feather, moss patches, and worm tunnels. He shows her a patch of dandelions behind the giant climbing rocks. She shows him how to make dandelion crowns. Robin braids the stems together. Stevie sits across from her: tongue poking out, single focus. “The kids at school say you don’t talk.”
He looks up at her and his face crumples. His dandelion crown squishes between his fingers.
“I don’t like them. Jimmy Andersen called me Yucky Buckley because I brought tuna salad for lunch and now they all call me that.” She tosses a broken dandelion stem to the ground. “I wish we went to the same school. Then I could talk for you if you want and we could go exploring during recess, and eat lunch together, and be friends.” She looks at Stevie. “We could be friends, right?”
Stevie’s bottom lip trembles. He leans forward and pulls Robin into a hug.
He’s warm and his sweater is the softest thing Robin’s touched. “Oh.” She squeezes back, clutches a bit at the back of his sweater. He lets go and Robin places her finished dandelion crown on his head. “I crown you Prince Stevie of Kays Park.”
Stevie beams. He picks up his dandelion chain and frowns.
“It’s okay,” says Robin. “We can start a new one.” She scoots across the grass to pick more dandelions.
“Robin Marie Buckley! There you are.” Her mommy stands in front of her, hands on her hips. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
She points to Stevie. “Playing.”
“And does that boy’s mother know where he is?”
“No?”
Her mommy sighs. “Robin, you didn’t run off again, did you?”
Robin crosses her arms. “No! We asked Stevie’s nanny Millie and she said it was okay.”
Her mommy grabs her hand. “Show me where Millie is so we can return Stevie.”
Robin grabs Stevie’s hand and guides both back to the bench under the tree.
Her mommy lets go of her and pushes her forward. “Apologize for taking off.”
Millie puts her book to the side. “No need for that. They might think I can’t see them behind the rocks, but I’ve got sharp eyes.” She taps the sides of her glasses. “All is forgiven.”
Her mommy sighs again (Her mommy sighs a lot) and takes Robin’s hand. “Say bye to Stevie.”
Robin hugs him. She doesn’t want to cry. “Bye, Stevie.”
Stevie lets go of her hand and runs to the tree. He grabs his Tonka truck and holds it out to Robin.
Robin rubs her hand over her eye. “For me?”
Stevie nods. He shoves it closer and smiles.
Millie places a hand on his shoulder. “Are you sure, sweetheart?”
Stevie frowns and pushes the Tonka truck under Robin’s arm. He pats the truck and then squeezes Robin in another hug.
“That’s very sweet of you, but Robin can’t take it.” Her mommy pulls the truck from Robin’s arm.
Stevie scowls and pushes it back into Robin’s hands.
Robin looks up at her mommy. “Please?”
Her mommy’s lips are a line. “What do you say?”
“Thank you!” says Robin.
Stevie beams and Robin feels like there’s sunshine in her tummy. She waves at Stevie until he’s a blur in the distance as her mommy puts her in the backseat. She pets the shiny cab of the Tonka truck. Robin’s very happy to be seven.