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The three of us hurry up the steps of Tremain Day School and through the huge wooden doors.
“It’s like a castle,” Leo whispers to me.
“Yeah, it is, isn’t it?” It does. A castle in the middle of the California desert. Slate gray tiled floors, tapestries on the walls, dark wood everywhere. Far cry from the dingy public schools I went to.
“We should have worn armor instead,” Rex says, sliding a hand down the front of his jacket.
I get a glimpse of his silver wedding band and wonder if there’s an alternate universe where he’s been wearing that ring for years, not just to convince a school we’re married.
Leo giggles. “Yeah, we could be knights.”
Rex smiles down at our son and I think one of my ovaries explodes.
Headmistress Rockwell appears in the hall, her gray hair atop her head in a severe bun. “Is that Leo Delgado?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“It’s good to see you again, Leo,” she says with a wide smile. “You remember me?”
He nods, pushing himself against my leg.
“Oh, sweet boy,” the headmistress says, pooching out her lips. “Would you like to go play games with Mrs. Wexler again? I know you really enjoyed the puzzles.”
Leo looks up at me for permission. “Go ahead, honey. We’ll see you when we’re done, okay?”
He turns his gaze to Rex, nervousness blooming further.
“Promise,” he says emphatically.
And that’s enough for Leo to feel emboldened enough to skip down to the hall toward the other friendly-faced woman, Mrs. Wexler. She gives us both a little wave as she takes Leo’s hand and disappears into her office, the same place where he had his evaluation a couple of weeks ago.
Headmistress Rockwell straightens up, swiping away an errant hair that doesn’t exist. “I’m so pleased you could come to meet me, Mrs. Delgado.”
I swallow. “Me as well, headmistress.”
“Please, Violet will be fine.”
“Violet,” I repeat, fully knowing I will never, ever be able to call her Violet, at least in my head.
The headmistress turns to Rex. “And this must be Mr. Delgado?”
“Mr. Redford,” he says, holding out his hand.
Headmistress Rockwell’s brow folds in confusion.
“My wife,” Rex says and touches my shoulder fondly. “She’s Dr. Delgado.”
Her eyes widen a seemingly impossible amount. “I beg your pardon, Dr. Delgado, I’ve been calling you the wrong name all this time, I –“
“It’s alright.” It’s not in any other case, but she could call me bitch and I wouldn’t care, as long as she lets Leo into her school.
The headmistress starts to float into the open door of her office, speaking as she goes, “And Leo is… a Delgado as well.” Her eyebrow cocks in confusion.
Alarm bells go off in my head. Why didn’t I think of an excuse for that?
“We’re a very progressive family,” Rex covers beautifully as we follow. “Isabella didn’t attend all those years of school for nothing.”
Our eyes meet for a brief moment. God, I could kiss him for that.
