A Mother's Bond

73

Beyoncé   December 20, 2016
I held Blue's hands, slowly gliding us around the rink. Even though she had been nervous about roller skating, she was picking it up quickly. I swerved a little, smoothly bringing us into a squiggly pattern. Blue grinned in delight and I giggled at her adorable facial expressions.

This was the age I loved most. The age when average experiences still felt new and exciting. Seeing my youngest daughter's joy gave me a taste of those simple pleasures, and I loved every bit of it.

Today was turning out even better than I'd planned. It was amazing to see everything coming together perfectly. I had put a lot of work into making Sarayah's birthday something she would remember for years to come, so to have the payoff be this big, the feeling was indescribable.

"Mommy," Blue yelled, trying to be heard over the music.

I smiled. "Mhm? You ready to try it on your own?"

She nodded confidently, so I let go of her little hands, making sure to skate within arm's reach just in case she slipped. She skated forward, her face scrunched up in determination, arms spread wide to keep balance. I wanted to take a picture, but I didn't want to distract her. Hopefully, someone else would snap one on my behalf.

"Good job, baby," I encouraged as I followed her movements.

She glanced up at me, but quickly went back to watching her feet. "I'm skating?"

I nodded, chuckling. "Yeah, you are!"

"Good job, Blue!" A familiar voice yelled.

I looked over and smiled, seeing Jay watching us by the barrier.

Blue looked up too and tripped. I quickly swooped in and caught her before she could near the floor. I hugged her against my legs.

"You okay, baby?" I asked, playing in her curls.

She looked up at me, a pout on her lips. "I fell." The disappointment in her voice made my heart squeeze.

I cupped her cheek with my hand. "Nothing wrong with that. Falling is just part of the process. Just gotta get back up. And if you're lucky, you'll have people there to help you. And you, baby Blue, are very lucky."

Blue nodded and smiled. Something to the left caught her eye, and she turned her head. After a second, she laughed. I followed her line of sight right to Jay who was slowly and unsteadily making his way towards us on skates. I laughed loudly. I'd never seen him in roller skates before. I guess that was intentional on his part because he looked absolutely ridiculous. He stopped skating, allowing his slow momentum to bring him the rest of the way over.

Jay grabbed onto my waist, trying to steady himself. I looped my arm around his back to help him out. Even with my support, I could still feel him wobbling against my arm.

"Daddy! You can't skate?" Blue accused, not holding back as usual. "Aren't you like 100 years old?"

I tried not to laugh, but I couldn't help myself. Blue was just too much. She must've gotten her little attitude from Jay because I was nothing like that when I was a kid.

Jay narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm gonna let that slide because I'm in such a good mood."

"You sure it's not because you don't have a comeback," I teased, smirking.

Jay pretended to look outraged, clutching his chest as if I'd deeply offended him. "Why you dissing me? I just risked my life skating over here to hang with two of my favorite girls. I should be celebrated, not attacked."

"Speaking of favorites, where's your Angel?" I asked as I playfully poked him in his stomach. It felt nice having him around, especially with Blue. Now we only needed one more person for me to feel complete.