The Meet-Cute
by Sisterdebmac

Antsy little ones in a doctor's office were never easy.  Luckily, for once, the waiting room was not packed. In fact, at the moment, only two moms with two very different kids sat across from each other.

The women shared a glance or two. A stiff smile, polite enough.  But neither really wanted to engage.  Maybe they were both a little embarrassed to be visiting a mental health clinic, especially with their children at their knee.

Elizabeth watched her little boy gingerly try to think of a way to make something out of a pile of mismatched Leggos he'd pulled over to a spot away from everyone, halfway behind her chair.   
Sarah looked up from the severely outdated Women's Day magazine she was nervously paging through to see her tow-headed three-year-old daughter standing a couple of feet away, stock still, staring at the dark-haired little boy across from them, who seemed only to want to make himself so small no one could see him.

“What is it Gracie?”

She got a look from the very serious child that could turn a grown man's heart to ice.  “Ma, I don’t wanna play with crazy kids’ toys.”

Sarah, not unamused, pulled her close and gave her a glare that said, “shhhhhhhh...” She tried to hide her puzzlement once again at how such a young child could think such weirdly grown-up thoughts.  “The kids aren’t crazy, only the adults.”

Grace was having none of it.  “Nuh-uh.  Look at that boy over there hiding behind his mom. There’s somethin’ wrong with him!”

“Oh honey, you know what that is? I think he likes you. But you’re probably scaring him with that scowl of yours.” Sarah plucked gently at Grace's nose and made a face at her.  Grace smiled and shook her head. She got it now.

So she marched over to the little boy with a picture-taking-day smile plastered on her face.  His mom was a pretty lady with long, curly red hair. She looked up from her book and smiled and Grace's fake grin melted into a real smile. She couldn't help it.

She looked at the boy and even though he was behind his mother's chair, he peeked out at her.

“Hey, you wanna play?” Grace asked him.

He shook his head so hard and fast it looked like it hurt and ducked further behind the chair.

The little boy's mom leaned toward her, but made sure her son heard, “He’s a little shy.” Then back over her shoulder, she said, more loudly, “Adam, sweetie, it’s OK. I don’t think she bites.”

Then she leaned toward Grace again, “You don’t bite, do you?”

Grace caught on and laughed as she said rather loudly, “Not always.”

Adam peeked around the chair at her again, his curiosity getting the best of him. She stuck out her tongue and crossed her eyes at him.

He burst into peels of laughter and inched out from behind the chair, just into view.

“So, now do you wanna play?” she asked.