“Damn it,” I said, chuckling.

“I tried to shoo it away,” Katie said. “But then, Lexie tripped and fell because it ran over her shoe.”

“It went crazy!!” Lexie said from the chair. “It just jumped onto my foot in the living room and then ran into the kitchen.”

“Okay, let’s just get it out of here,” I said, trying to hide my sheepish grin.

I opened the kitchen door to the back porch, and after a few minutes of silence and gentle shooing, the rat promptly took himself outside.

“Come on, honey,” Katie said to Lexie, offering her a hand as Lexie jumped down.

“I’ll get an exterminator to come over tomorrow and check out the property,” Katie told me, looking embarrassed. “But I’ll leave some mousetraps around later.”

I was still shaking the thought that Katie might have hurt my child. I should have known that she wouldn’t do anything to harm Lexie — she was “our” child, after all.

“I’m sorry,” Katie said, as if she could read my mind. “That was a bit of a scene to walk into.”

“It’s fine,” I replied, my initial anger evaporating. “I just… I’m sorry, Katie. I just jumped the gun and thought that you were attacking her.”

Katie shook her head and put her hand on my arm.

“I would never do that,” she said. “I think I was more afraid of it than she was.”

We stood in the disheveled living room, the aftermath of the skirmish evident.

“Come on,” Katie said. “Let’s have some tea before you go.”

We sat at the dining table after Lexie ensured the rodent wasn’t hiding beneath the table.

I watched Katie move smoothly around the kitchen, making tea and taking a pie out of the fridge.

“I never thought I’d have to fight a rat in my own home,” Katie said, a genuine smile breaking through.

“Yeah, well, we can add that to the list of things we never expected,” I replied, the tension of earlier entirely replaced by a newfound connection.

I watched how Katie protected Lexie — even if it was from a rat. And I realized everything was okay. Katie would keep my child safe when I wasn’t around.

The afternoon unfolded with us sitting at the table, sipping tea, and sharing stories about our childhood fears. I figured it was essential for Lexie to see that despite everything, Katie and I were on good terms. That Lexie could have a stable family life even though her Dad and I were no longer together.

I was grateful that I had kept my cool when I walked into Noah and Katie’s house. Admittedly, Lexie’s scream had elicited a highly maternal reaction from me, and I would have lashed out at Katie had I not taken a moment to see the situation for what it was — a funny encounter.