“You get to share your new daddy with a new baby soon.”
“You’re having a baby?” Essence lit up.
“You have a baby in you tummy?” Emorey frowned, tilting her head to try to understand how.
“Yes. Mommy has a baby in her tummy.”
“You tummy little, Mommy. You not have a baby in there, silly.” She laughed.
“I do. It’ll get really big soon and Mommy will hardly be able to walk and then you’ll have to help Mommy around the house. You think you can do that?”
“Yes, ’cause I strong, Mommy. Woook at my muscles. I stronger.” Emorey balled her fists and showed me the muscles she thought she had.
“Oh wow. Big, strong muscles.”
“Is it a girl or a boy?” Essence wanted to know.
“We don’t know yet but your dad seems to think it’s a boy. We’ll just have to wait and see. What do you think?”
“I think it’s a boy, too,” Essence agreed with Luca.
“I don’t wan’ a boy!” Emorey folded her arms over her chest.
Everyone in the room burst into laughter, knowing how things could go south if we continued the conversation. Emorey had a way of believing that it was either her way or the highway. Unfortunately, in this case, she didn’t get to choose. We could only take what God gave us.
“Is your mom downstairs?”
“I’m sure she is. She wants you to meet someone from the daycare who will be helping us out with the girls until you are back on your feet for good.”
“You hired someone?”
Luca was always being extra cautious and always thought everything through. He executed a plan better than anyone I knew because he was such a meticulous person. In some cases, it made me love him a little more. In other cases, it made me want to chew his head off.
“Yeah. To pick the girls up from school every day and make sure they’re fed. I’ll do the drop-offs. She’ll be gone by bedtime each day. She’s on from 4:00-9:30 p.m. weekdays and 12:00-9:00 p.m. on weekends. Whether you’re at my house or your apartment, she’ll be there to help.”
Luca knew just how much peace being at my apartment with my girls brought me. I loved his home just as much, but there was something about mine that just broke the mold. I’d carefully curated a welcoming space that kept my energy up and my spirits high. Splitting the time between our homes would still be a thing for me. I simply wanted to rest at his place for the next few days, however.
“OK. You can bring her up.”
Luca disappeared and headed down the stairs. When he returned, he was followed by his mother and a familiar face from the daycare. It was Essence’s summer school teacher.
“Ms. San,” I greeted her with a smile.
It was good to see that Mrs. Einsenberg had chosen someone that I was already familiar with and trusted. The introductions weren’t needed. I’d seen her almost every day in the summer. Essence loved her.
“Hi. Just wanted to say hello. I’ll keep the babies out of your hair so that you can get some rest. I’m going to make sure everybody is fed and in bed by nine. Is there a specific schedule or meal plan you’d like me to follow for the girls?”
“We’re not big on screen time. I like to have dinner done and them sitting down to start eating by seven, seven-thirty at the latest. Bath time is at eight or eight-thirty, depending on how late we stayed at the dinner table. Bedtime is between eight-thirty and nine. I like to read them at least one bedtime story each before they go to bed. Essence is working on weekly spelling words so it’s important that she studies them after school and before bed,” I explained.
“Sounds simple enough. Any food allergies or preferences I should know about?”
“They’re open to trying new things. No one has any allergies that I’m aware of yet.”
“Good. Good. Send them on down when you’re ready. I’ll be down here in this kitchen, trying to figure out what we’re having for dinner.”
San was in her fifties and still had it. She loved kids just as much as Luca’s mom. I could tell how much they brightened her day from the look on her face when another one walked through her classroom door.
“OK.”
