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It hadn't been Harrison's choice to come to this farm with his mom and Dr. Baran and Kian. Don't get him wrong, he likes his mom's girlfriend and her son, but frolicking on a farm isn't really his idea of a good time. Still, his mom had looked so excited when Dr. Baran had suggested it that he'd agreed, even though going pumpkin picking is for babies and girls who want to be influencers.
The day of, he is bundled into Dr. Baran's car for the hour long drive to the farm Dr. Baran had found. His mom did promise that he could get any treat he wanted there and let him use his switch during the ride up, so he resists asking when they are going to finally get there. Kian sits next to him, reading a tattered copy of a Hardy Boys book. He internally rolls his eyes. Of course Kian is reading an old fashioned book like that. The book probably used to be Dr. Baran's or something.
His musing is interrupted by their arrival. Stepping out of the car, it is surprising how different the environment of the farm is from Pittsburgh. Despite himself, he feels kind of excited. It's fun to leave the city and explore. Kian is clearly extremely excited, bouncing on his heels. He's only 8 though, so he still gets excited by baby activities. His mom looks excited and hopeful though, so Harrison swallows his dad's voice in his head and instead smiles back at his mom. She comes alongside him and gives him a side hug.
"Hey buddy, you ready to pick some pumpkins for Halloween? I have some ideas for carvings, but I bet yours are even better."
"I want something really scary!" he tells her. It is true that he loves pumpkin carving and selecting the best pumpkin, it's just that they usually get one at the grocery store and not a farm.
Kian rocks on his heels next to him. "I've never carved a pumpkin before. Do you think you can help me pick one out?" Harrison feels a swell of pride that he's being trusted with this.
"Come on guys, the hayride is over here! It'll bring us to the pumpkin patch." Dr. Baran waves everyone over to where she's standing in line for the tractor-drawn carriage. Harrison sits gingerly on the hay bales. They are not as comfortable as he'd been led to believe by the way people talk about hayrides. The ride is bumpy and he almost wishes they had walked, but his mom and Dr. Baran are holding hands and his mom is resting her head on Dr. Baran's shoulder so he guesses it's worth the jolting.
Once at the pumpkin patch, the two women continue holding hands as they wander through the rows. His mom even leans over to give Dr. Baran a peck on the lips. Harrison wrinkles his nose at the display of affection, but takes Kian's hand and pulls him over to look at some pumpkins anyway. He keeps half an eye on them while he looks at the options in front of him. It's very important to select pumpkins with nice smooth faces for carving and he takes his duty very seriously.
"No, no, see here you'd run into problems carving. It's all bumpy. The little saw will have trouble cutting into it. It would be okay if it was just in the back, but it's all over the whole pumpkin." Kian nods earnestly.
"What about this one?" he asks, pointing to a nice round pumpkin.
"Hmm," says Harrison, "that one's a little too round and curved." He runs his finger over it, like he's cutting a face into it. "See, it's going to bend the saw." Harrison looks back over at his mom and Dr. Baran, who are looking at a pumpkin on the other side of the patch, holding hands. His mom catches him looking and smiles and winks at him. He grins back at her and turns his attention back to the pumpkins and Kian.
"Do you think they'll get married?" Kian says suddenly.
Harrison sputters. "What do you mean???"
Kian shrugs. "Well they've been dating for longer than anyone else māmān has dated. I've never even met anyone she's dated before."
Harrison can feel his brain buffering. He likes Dr. Baran very much, but he's never considered that she might marry his mom. He decides to ignore the question and instead starts looking for a good pumpkin to carve.
"See, this pumpkin is perfect." Kian is immediately distracted by the pumpkin Harrison finds. Still, the thought of his mom getting remarried festers in his mind. He's quiet as their mothers rejoin them. He remains silent as they ride back to the farm stand and then pay for the pumpkins plus some other treats. On the ride back home, Harrison plays on his switch, but he's much more distracted than he was on the ride up.
Once they are home, his mom makes them cocoa and calls him over to the couch. She tucks them both under a blanket and snuggles in close with him. As uncool as this is, he craves the closeness with his mother, and it's not like anyone at school will ever know about this, so he cuddles up.
"So, buddy, you wanna tell me what's on your mind?" Harrison's heart hammers at the thought of admitting to his worries to her, but she's his mom. She'll understand.
He leans into her and then says. "I dunno, I guess just, are you going to marry Dr. Baran?"
His mom is silent for a moment, just playing with his hair. "Are you worried about things changing?" He nods without moving from his position tucked into her side. "Ah. Well, you don't need to. I like Dr. Baran a lot. Maybe we will get married one day. But for right now, we're just enjoying each other's company, so she's going to be around sometimes. Kian too. But the two of us are still a team. Does that feel okay?"
He thinks for a moment. He does like Dr. Baran and Kian and he doesn't mind if they are around, as long as he still gets to spend time with just his mom. He doesn't want it to feel like his dad's where Chloe is always there and trying to act like she's his mom too. But what his mom said is reassuring . It doesn't sound like that.
"Okay. Can we watch Chucky now?"
His mom laughs. "Sure bud, we can watch Chucky."