“C’mon, sweetie. Shower! Whatcha want for breakfast? Tom is more than happy to make you anything you want, all right?” she smiled, giving me a look I would come to understand.
Ems helped her from the bed, and walked with her to the bathroom. She came back into the bedroom once the shower was on. She grabbed her robe, and said, “She’s a bit, uh, emotional this time of the month, okay? She’s fine, Tom. Chrissie didn’t mean it. She knows how much we care for her. Don’t give it too much credence, all right?” she said, and kissed me and went back to the bathroom.
I grabbed my robe, went to wake the kids, and then headed to the kitchen, making a large vegetable frittata for us all. I sliced up a few sweet potatoes, threw them in the oven, and put the coffee on for them. I guess I had to pay a bit more attention to Chrissie’s and Ems’ monthly rhythms. The kids were in a good mood for a Monday! They wanted to know more about the house, and what it was like. I showed them pictures of the park, the town, and the place, asking them to pick out a bedroom peacefully!
Chrissie and Emily joined us finally. Chrissie looked radiant, and kissed us all. I
asked Ems if she would grab the gifts we had bought while I served breakfast. The kids were pleased with their t-shirts, and Chrissie was overwhelmed with the bracelet. At least she was crying good tears this time! She hugged us both, and thanked us too much.
I finished getting ready for the week, and sat with them both whilst the kids were getting dressed.
“We have a huge week ahead of us,” I said. “We need to talk with Emily’s parents sooner rather than later? Janet? We need to see where she is at, and if she’s decided yet. If so, we need to meet with her parents soon, too. Chrissie? You know them, so we’ll need you to take the lead on this. Houses? Ems, if you could let us know how that’s progressing? I’ll sort out the paperwork for the house, and get that sent off. Time for a joint list, hmm?” I smiled.
“Good idea,” Emily countered. “We’ll talk tonight at dinner, all right? We’ll see how much Chrissie and I can sort today. Now. Go! Have a wonderful day, darling,” she smiled, and hugged me. I whispered.
“Thanks, Ems,” and kissed her again.
Chrissie walked me to the door, her arm around my waist. “Sorry about this morn–” she started to say.
“Shhh, okay? It’s all good. You feeling better?” I asked. “It’s true, though, Chrissie. We’re here because of you, darling. You know it’s you, don’t you? Above all, it’s you, sister,” I smiled, and hugged her.
I had a wonderful day at work; Arthur was excited about the house we had provisionally bought. He could tell I was a bit out of sorts, but knew that wouldn’t hold me back from what needed doing. I caught up with Julie, and she walked me through what had happened Friday. At lunch, I ordered Thai for Chrissie and Emily, and made a note to pick up some flowers on the way home. I was home by five, with plenty of paperwork to finish at home. Chrissie and Ems had just gotten home, so they hadn’t had a chance to talk with Janet yet. We all hugged, asking how their day had gone. I handed out the bouquets of flowers to Chrissie, Emily, and Chloe.
“Do you have a vase in your room, Little One?” I asked.
“No. I don’t. Mommy? Can you get me a vase for my flowers?” she asked, her little face beaming with joy.
“Of course, I will, sweetheart. Wasn’t that nice of Daddy?” she smiled. “And thank you for the flowers and lunch, Tom,” Chrissie smiled. “It was very sweet of you, darling. I wore my bracelet today! What do you think of it?” she giggled.
“It suits you, darling. Ems has good taste, eh?” I said.
“Ems, eh? I’ve heard that a few times now. It suits her, Tom,” she smiled, and kissed me. “Should we talk with Janet now?”
We called her in from sorting the kids, and sat with her. She asked me about the house, even though the two girls had already told her about it.
“Have you seen the video we did?” I asked.
“Not yet, Tom. We were in too much of a hurry this morning, but they promised to show me tonight,” she said, excited for us all.
Chrissie pulled it up, and talked her through it, both of them laughing when the camera was on us. Janet was between us on the sofa, me pointing out some of the details.
“Now. This…could be yours?” I asked, when we had gotten to the annexe part. “Have you come to a decision about moving with us?” I asked.
“I have…for the most part. In theory, yes. I have looked into Columbia in New York and London University. There’s a lot more I need to know, but yes, if the offer is still there, I’d love to,’ she smiled. Chrissie hugged and kissed her chastely, and then Emily and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her to me, kissing her head.
“That’s wonderful, Janet. We’re all…happy with that. The kids will be ecstatic. Until we can work out the details, let’s not say anything, all right? I think it will be a great move for you, and, well, for us all!” I smiled.
I restarted the video, pointing out the large room.
“There’s everything you’ll need there. Plenty of room for a desk, a wardrobe, and a
bed. Probably a good sofa bed, though. We’ll find a good one for you, though. There’s a toilet, but no shower, which shouldn’t be a problem. We can always put in a small kitchen, okay? The main idea we need to get across is that the house will be your home, too, understand? You can use the shower in the house. It will give you more room in the annexe, or we can put one there if you’re more comfortable. The house is yours, too. We hope you’ll feel comfortable eating with us, hanging out, and being a part of this family. Your only job will be child-minding, okay? You’re not our maid or cook! You’re not there to clean and scrub things. You’re there for the kids, okay? We can lay out the details later. At least we know you want to do this. So, what do you need from us in the first instance?” I asked, pleased she had decided to join us.
“Well, the school? Will you help me with the application? I’ll also need help with a visa. I have a list at home that I can bring over, and we can all go over it?” she asked Chrissie, holding her hand tight.
“We can help with that, can’t we?” I asked Ems and Chrissie.
“Emily and I can do that, absolutely. I’m sure there are links for visas, too. We had better get started soon, though?” Chrissie said.
“Now, when is it convenient for us to talk with your parents, Janet?” I asked. “The sooner, the better?”
“Tomorrow night?” she asked. “If that works for you all, that’ll be fine,” she said. “I still cannot believe you’re doing all this for…me. You really love those kids, eh, Tom?” she smiled, and kissed me, somewhat chastely.
“I’m so happy you’re coming with us, Janet. Thank you,” Chrissie said, tucking a few strands of Janet’s hair behind her ear, her hand resting on her cheek, and hugged her again.
“I’ll leave you with these two, so you can watch the video. I’ll check on the kids, and sort out some paperwork of my own. See me before you leave, though?” I asked, and kissed her head as I got up. Emily stood up from where she was sitting next to Chrissie, and sat next to Janet. They restarted the video as I left the room. I hoped we had made a good decision on inviting her over. We would be responsible for her, which wasn’t a problem, but…There would definitely need to be clear boundaries, for everyone’s sake!