and yellow.
Fall really was beautiful in Wyoming, and this little place would be one I’d keep at the back of my mind to take them both here again someday.
“Please help me, Rooney,” Ira told her, and she smiled at him as he tried to pull the blanket straight on the grass.
She helped him set the blanket and he quickly sat down to wait for me to pull out all the food we got at Divine.
“Oh, look! There’s even a little pond down there,” Rooney said, pointing to it to show Ira.
“Maybe there are fish!”
“Could be, yeah. If we have some left over crumbs, we can feed them,” I suggested, knowing he would enjoy it just like he did at the zoo.
“Have you been here before?” Rooney asked while she helped me place a little bit of everything we got into the plates.
“I drove by it a few times, and I’ve seen it on maps I had to work with for some projects. I’ve also googled it and there are more people here in spring and summer, but I figured it would be much prettier in fall.”
“It definitely is. I love it here,” she told me, smiling sweetly.
She wouldn’t mind me taking her here more often then.
“Let’s eat!” Ira announced, holding up the kid’s fork and knife I brought from home.
We chuckled and watched as he went straight for the gluten free pasta salad with fresh tomatoes, and while he chewed, I could tell he liked it as he immediately fell into this absent state where he was focused solemnly on the food in front of him.
“Guess you now know where you can go if you’re ever too lazy to cook or don’t have any more ideas,” Rooney said with a grin.
“I’m never too lazy to cook,” I replied, nudging her side with my elbow.
We started to eat as well, and every once in a while, Ira looked up at us with a questioning look, holding up his fork with a type of food he has never had before.
He had to make sure he knew what it was before he put it into his mouth, but once I told him, he ate it without hesitation.
“Are you really not gonna tell me what you’ll get Ira for his birthday?” I asked, wanting to know.
“If you’re gonna tell him, no. If you can keep a secret…sure.”
I chuckled and leaned closer to her to kiss her cheek, then I whispered. “I can keep secrets.”
She squirmed and gently pushed me away by lifting her shoulder, and with a big smile, she whispered, “I’m painting a massive picture of Ira’s favorite superheroes which he can hang up on his bedroom wall.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised that she would actually go out of her way and take the time to do something like that.
No, I was more amazed than surprised.
“He’s gonna love it, Rooney. That’s amazing,” I said with a chuckle, still not comprehending it. “How long have you been working on it already?” I asked.
We could openly talk about it without being afraid of Ira listening as he was focused on making his Hulk figure eat some of the food.
Sharing is caring, but I was glad Hulk couldn’t eat or else Ira wouldn’t get his needed nutrition for the day.
“I started last Sunday after you went to pick him up, and I’ve been working on it every day for about three to four hours. It’s been fun. I haven’t painted such a colorful painting yet.”
“You’re incredible. He’s gonna freak out. Does that mean you’re gonna spend the day and night with us on his birthday? I have already sent out the invitations to his friends’ parents, and some have already gotten back to me to let me know that their kids would love to sleep over at Ira’s.”
“How many has he invited?” she asked.
“I think ten or eleven. Six have already said yes.”
“That’s a lot of kids,” she pointed out. “Are those all kids he met at the park?”
“Most of them, yeah. But there is one mother who hosts get-togethers at her house just so parents and kids around town can get to know each other. Also to make sure the kids are safe, and if anything ever happens, we know who to trust or call for help.”
“That’s very sweet. So he won’t be lost when he starts kindergarten but already knows a few faces,” she said.
“Exactly. That’s very important to me. Ira is quick to trust anyone who’s kind to him, some more than others, but