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It was past time for her to make new friends. As the only parent in her friend group, Pandora found herself spending more and more time alone since Luna was born. Regulus and her brother made an effort to include her, but she couldn’t bring herself to hire a babysitter. Sweet, gentle Luna was her whole world!
How can I possibly trust a stranger with my impressionable three year-old?
She eyed the flyer on the bulletin board reluctantly. The pretty redhead who posted it had caught her attention first. Pandora was fairly certain she lived on the second floor with her son, an active little boy with round glasses and dark curls. It was a good opportunity to introduce herself if nothing else.
Join us for a Preschool Play Date at Gryffindor Park!
Pandora tore off one of the half-dozen slips with the details and tucked it into her pocket. It couldn’t hurt to check it out.
——————-
After a full hour of preparing herself and Luna to meet new people, Pandora was decidedly unprepared to discover that the “play date” was rather poorly attended. She frowned as they approached the charming little picnic the redheaded woman set up beside the playground in Gryffindor Park. The woman was playing some sort of hand-clapping game with her son, but every time someone walked by, her hopeful gaze was ignored.
No one else showed up? I wonder why.
When Pandora was a few metres away, she heard the little boy sigh heavily. “No friends again, Mum. I don’t think they like me.”
“Oh no, Harry. It’s not you. People are too busy to play, I suppose,” she said, leaning in to kiss his forehead. “We can still enjoy our picnic.”
“Maybe Daddy can come next time? He’s fun!”
“I was hoping we could have fun on our own,” she said with a wistful smile.
The earnest little boy considered that for a moment, then shrugged. “Daddy’s better at fun.”
His mother’s shoulders sagged in defeat, a posture Pandora knew entirely too well. It was the universal response to failure, to feeling inadequate when measured up against the “fun” parent. Particularly when said “fun” parent dumped all of the responsibility on the other.
Pandora shifted Luna’s slight weight on her hip and marched forward with renewed determination. Single mums had to stand together. “Excuse me? Is this the preschool play date that was on the flyer?”
“Yes!” the little boy shouted, waving frantically. “Over here! My mum made sandwiches!”
The redhead turned and when her eyes met Pandora’s, her heart stuttered in her chest. Her eyes were a brilliant emerald green and glistened with unshed tears. Pandora slowed her steps, unsure if she was intruding on a private moment.
“Welcome!” the woman said, quickly swiping at her eyes and lifting to her feet. “I’m Lily, and this is Harry.”
Pandora sighed with relief. “Oh, yes. This is my daughter, Luna. I’m Pandora.”
Luna gave Lily a long, thoughtful look then held out her arms expectantly. “Up, pease.”
Surprised, Pandora huffed a laugh. “Well, that’s new. She doesn’t usually ask for anyone but me.”
“Do you mind?” Lily asked. “I miss holding my Harry, but he insists he’s too big for it.”
“Not at all!” Pandora handed her daughter to Lily, delighted to see Luna immediately hug Lily’s neck. As they settled on the blanket, Pandora accepted a sandwich from Harry. “These look delicious! Did you help make them?”
Harry puffed up his chest and grinned. “Yup! Mum and I did. They’re vegan just in cases. Cucumbers instead of meat!”
Luna giggled and snuggled into Lily’s lap. “Cumbers!”
“Mm-hmm, very good,” Pandora assured her, giving Luna a bite of hers.
The next two hours flew by. Pandora was pleased to find Harry was as kind and generous as his mother. He led Luna around the playground, helping her climb up the slide and showing her how to pump her legs on the swing. Luna squealed excitedly every time he suggested something new.
Meanwhile, Pandora and Lily enjoyed a lovely chat about their lives. Lily and Harry were new to the area, having moved out of her soon-to-be-ex’s posh neighbourhood two months prior. Pandora empathised with her struggles in single parenting and offered to host the next play date.
“Thank you for coming,” Lily said, reaching out to squeeze Pandora’s hand. “This was our third attempt to make friends and I’m afraid Harry was ready to give up.”
Pandora smiled and squeezed her hand back. “I’m glad he didn’t. We needed this too.”
“It must be fate!” Lily teased. “We were destined to find each other.”
Maybe we were. She’s still holding my hand and this feels so right.
“Feel free to decline, but if I were to invite you, and Harry of course, out for coffee…” Pandora let the offer linger in the air between them and searched Lily’s face for any signs of discomfort.
“That would be lovely!” Lily said, a soft blush tinging her cheeks as she shimmied her shoulders happily. “We’d love to. Any time you’re available.”
Pandora laced their fingers together and clasped her free hand on top. “Tomorrow morning?”
“Tomorrow morning is a good start.”