welcome to the a.s.s.

This morning, I woke up to Hank looking so sad and really defeated.

“I forgot. Did you?” He asked. Followed by, “He hasn’t even said anything.”

Holden lost a tooth last night.

The tooth fairy didn’t come.

Hank walked out of our room and I lay there, looking up at the ceiling, excited.

It was time.

I heard Holden outside our bedroom, shuffling around as he does in the morning. I called him in.

He looked me right in the eye, and then pulled a Ziploc baggie out of his pocket with his tooth in it.

I never broke eye contact, but asked softly, “Were you testing us?”

A smile tugged a bit at the corner of his mouth as he said, “Yes.”

“Come here.”

We snuggled up, and I explained. There are two sides to things, I said. They both are beautiful. One side is precious magic. It is full of imagination, and hope, and wonder. The other side is a different magic, because it protects the imagination, and hope, and wonder.

He listened, starting to giggle, because he knew something big was being revealed.

“Welcome to the other side, baby,” I whispered.

What? He was giggling louder.

You are now an ASS, I said, tearing up a little.

WHAT?! He was laughing by now.

You are now an Agent of Something Special. You are on the other side. And it’s so very special here. I can’t tell you everything just yet, but Daddy and I have been ASSes for a very long time. Every kiddo gets to be on the other side for as long as possible, until we know that he is ready to come to this one. We can’t tell Ewan yet, because he’s not ready. You cannot tell him, because you are now an ASS. You must protect the imagination and hope and wonder. Do you understand?

YES, he said, giggling almost uncontrollably.

I told him to go look under his pillow.

He came back, holding a two-dollar bill in his hand.

HOW DID YOU DO THAT? he asked.

Everything will be revealed in time, I winked.

1002-ass-002