All I can think is... Should I have done  anything differently?

P

unching in the code to my front door, I contemplate if I am the only human being who hates wedding dancing. Okay, that literally makes me sound like the worst person. I feel like the rest of that sentence should be, “and the sound of children laughing makes my teeth hurt.” So to clarify, I don’t hate weddings. Or marriage. Or people’s happiness. I just hate simchah dancing. I find it too loud and too messy and too chaotic and just too.

And I really do like the sound of children laughing. Gosh.

I trip on a tricycle in my heels, and I almost go flying. This is not a promising premonition for what state the rest of the house must be in, but hey, if Chaya got my kids to bed, I will not complain. It’s more than Shira and Faigy can do sometimes.

I can’t remember the last time I had to hire a babysitter. But since both Shira and Faigy are living their best lives in camp, and Temima’s up to the wedding stage herself, I’ve had to scrounge around for someone to watch the littles while I attended the Tennenbaum wedding.

I kick the tricycle out of the way and bend down to pick up my shoes, frowning. I can hear Chaya on the phone in the den, and I also hear Benjy crying hysterically upstairs. Omigosh. I run up the stairs and into his room. Poor little man is soaked; his diaper wasn’t closed properly, and he’s leaked all over his crib.

“Ma-ma,” he sobs, holding up two fat little fists.

Poor baby. His cheeks are red and flushed; he’s been screaming for a while.

I scoop him up, wet clothes and all, and head toward the den, where I can still hear Chaya chattering away.

She jumps when she sees me. “Lay, I’ll call you back.” She stands up and stretches, complete with a massive yawn. “Hi, Mrs. Morgenstern! How was the wedding?” She looks at me, holding a hiccupping Benjy. “I tried to call you to tell you he was screaming, but you didn’t answer. I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to take him out of his crib….” She trails off uncertainly.

I bite my tongue. Chaya’s young, only 14, but she’s also always willing to babysit, and she’s sweet with the little ones; they were happy when they heard she was coming.

Do not burn this bridge, I caution myself.