A Family for Keeps by Janice Sims

Author:Janice Sims
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-03-02T18:57:48+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“OKAY, YOU CAN get up now,” Marley said to Chrissie. The little girl was standing on a step stool so she’d be tall enough to bend over the kitchen sink while Marley washed and conditioned her long, curly hair. Chrissie rose to her full height, and Marley began towel-drying her locks. Once Marley had the dripping under control, she placed the towel about Chrissie’s shoulders and helped her down from the step stool.

Marley had been washing and styling Chrissie’s hair almost as long as she’d been in her class. The Koontzes, the couple who were fostering Chrissie, had never taken in an African American child before. When Chrissie started coming to school day after day with her hair looking dry and tangled, Marley had no choice, she had to have a long talk with Cheryl Koontz about hair care for African American children. To her surprise when she offered to do Chrissie’s hair, Cheryl had thanked her profusely. She recognized she was ill-equipped to handle Chrissie’s hair. It was of a texture she wasn’t familiar with.

Every other Saturday, Cheryl would drop Chrissie off at Marley’s house so Chrissie could get her hair done. When Marley was finished, she’d drive Chrissie home. Their time together served more than one purpose. Chrissie’s beautiful hair was taken care of and she and Marley also got to spend quality time together. On some occasions, Bastian came over and he and Chrissie enjoyed a playdate before Marley took her back home.

After Marley had started the adoption process, she’d asked Mrs. O’Neal, her caseworker, if it was okay to tell Chrissie that she wanted to adopt her. Mrs. O’Neal explained that if Chrissie were an older child, maybe. It depended on the emotional maturity of the child. However, because Chrissie was only five years old, she wouldn’t understand what was going on.

And she didn’t want to traumatize a five-year-old should Marley’s attempt to adopt her fell through. Therefore, Marley hadn’t mentioned the adoption to Chrissie. Marley was simply being her friend outside of the classroom.

The two of them went into the living room and Chrissie sat on the floor in front of Marley on one of the decorative pillows from the sofa, while Marley sat above her on the sofa. Marley finished towel-drying her hair and began oiling her scalp. Chrissie seemed to enjoy the whole process from shampooing to conditioning to sitting patiently while Marley oiled her scalp with hair and scalp conditioner.

After Marley had finished oiling Chrissie’s scalp and massaging the conditioner through the rest of Chrissie’s hair, she began sectioning her hair. It was at that point that she heard a knock at her back door.

Well, it can’t be Ellery, Marley thought, he doesn’t knock.

The cat had been her guest for more than two weeks now. He still refused to go home to Eula Mae. But, in a sense, he returned home every night to his mistress by camping out at her granddaughter’s house next door.

“Hold on, baby girl,” Marley said to Chrissie as she rose.

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