“Mommy! Mommy!” Poppy cried as she hopped through the door. “Look what I’ve got!”
She was holding up a wishbone, bleached white and smooth. So, we had the obligatory sit-down talk. About how careful she should be, about how the wording must be exact.
“You have to think long and hard before voicing a wish,” I said. “Even then it may not turn out quite the way you hope, or else it could have unforeseen consequences.”
She bounced on the sofa— her grin unconquerable.
“Do you understand?”
“I want to wish for a unicorn!”
“But where would we stable it, sweetie? We really can’t afford to maintain one.”
“Then I want to be able to fly! I can be like a superhero and whoosh around the world!”
She proceeded to demonstrate, one fist pointed ahead and her face scrunched comically as she zoomed around the coffee table, her hair a cloud of cocoa brown fluffing around her head.
“With so many aeroplanes in the sky that would be very dangerous,” I said. “Your cape could get sucked into an engine. Not to mention what Air Traffic Security might do…”
She was starting to deflate now, the smile faltering. “What about wishing for blue hair?”
“If that’s what you really want, we can always go to the hairdressers. There’s no need to waste your wish on something like that.”
These talks were harder now that Ivan was gone. He was the one who knew how to navigate them, he was the one who clicked with Poppy best. He could always tell her the harsh truths while still securing that sweet little smile. A sleepy truck driver had seen an end to that last year. We had been alone ever since. Struggling on. Hurting.
Finally, Poppy heaved a sigh, completely dejected. “I wish Daddy was here to help me decide.”
I blinked. The wishbone had snapped— a clean break.
“Oh, Poppy Bear,” a deep voice rumbled from the doorway. “I was only in the kitchen. You should have just yelled.”
Poppy held up her arms, making ‘grabby’ motions with her hands. “Daddy!”
Ivan smiled and, scooping her up, he cradled her close. “What a waste of a wish.”
