Eventually, mom gets sick of carrying Jess around on her hip and borrows a stroller from someone. She buckles Jess into the stroller, then pushes the stroller as she greets guests. Every time they come up to someone new, the guest peers closely at Jess, making her shrink back instinctively.
“She did such a good job,” gushes one of the guests. Mom beams. “Especially given her age!”
“Well, little Jess here is quite the smart cookie,” mom boasts. Jess scowls. Her mom has never said that about her before. She’s just saving face with strangers. Jess lets out a tiny yawn.
“Aw, is someone sleepy?” coos the guest. Jess shakes her head. “It’s okay if you are. I mean, it’s probably past your bedtime anyways.”
“What time is it?” mom asks politely. When the guest answers her, mom lets out a fake shocked gasp. “Oh, you’re right! Well, I should go push Jess around the block. That’s the fastest way to get her to fall asleep.”
“Adorable,” says the guest. Jess’s mom leaves the building and begins to push the stroller down the sidewalk. Jess fumes silently. She hates how her mom is trying to act like the perfect parent. If her mom was as good as she’s pretending to be, then Jess wouldn’t have needed to get back at Jack like this. Her eyelids droop.
Unfortunately for Jess, her mom wasn’t lying about how quickly she falls asleep being pushed in a stroller. Jess quickly dozes off. Her mom smiles and pushes the stroller back inside the reception, then hands Jess off to a relative. Now that Jess is asleep, she can get back to doing what she wants to, without taking care of a toddler.