“I will, I promise. As soon as I find the right moment.”
“Find him quickly. You don’t want them to find out any other way.”
“You say Shonda could…”
“I say she’s trying to snatch children from the only person with their best interests at heart.”
“You can’t be sure.”
He looks at me eloquently.
Indeed, Shonda has not been present in the children’s lives, especially in recent years. Her complicated relationship with Jillian has kept them apart. I know she’s not an easy person, and dealing with her can be a real challenge, but I’m sure if Jillian decided to remove her from their lives, she must have had her reasons. It’s not my intention to keep her away from the children. They have lost their parents and only have me; it would be nice for them to rely on their grandmother as well, but this… This is certainly not helping. Trying to take them away from the only person who knows them and saw them grow up, from the only home where they felt loved and safe again.
This is really a low blow.
She could have contacted, talked to me, and tried to find a solution that would suit everyone.
Instead, she went behind my back, bringing only more pain to this family that has already seen too much for this life.
Seth
“What else is on the list, honey?” I ask Emily as we shop at the supermarket. She is in charge of ticking off everything we put in the trolley.
“Um… Let’s see. It says… N… Nut…Nutella.”
“Very well. Nutella it is.”
This is a reading exercise for her. She is having some problems in the new school. The teacher told me that she was a bit behind the other children. They put an assistant with her for a few more hours, but at home, we know she doesn’t like it, so we try to help as much as possible. Both me and the children.
It’s nice that they are so united and help each other.
They remind me of Mark and me.
“Uncle Seth?” Emily draws my attention back.
“Yes, darling.”
“Are you crying again?”
“What?” I wipe my eyes with my arm. “Absolutely not!”
“But you just wiped your eyes!” Logan points out.
“I’m just… a bit sad. That’s all.”
“Is something wrong?” Mason asks. He’s the most protective. With his siblings, of course, but also with me. I think he feels the pressure of being the oldest.
“It’s OK, and if something doesn’t go so well…” I take the one-kilo jar of Nutella and show it to the boys. “There’s always this.”
The kids laugh as I put the jar in the trolley.
“What else we got, Emily?”
“Only two things left on the list.”
“Oh, well, let’s hear them.”
“Pe… Penne. This one is easy.”
