Shaken Worlds by Gemma Johns

Author:Gemma Johns
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LGBTQIA+, lesbian, contemporary, family-drama, established couple, foster care
Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC
Published: 2021-08-21T00:00:00+00:00

RENEE

Five days before Christmas, I had packed the whole car and we piled in for our twelve hour car trip. We locked the house, and I started the car. I looked at my watch. Eight-twenty AM. I had wanted to leave at 7.30, but I was quickly learning that nothing was exactly on time anymore.

“Oh, I forgot my water bottle!” Zara exclaimed. I stopped the car.

“Grabbing it?” I asked, frustrated. She shook her head.

“It’s okay, I’ll survive. Can we stop somewhere along the way?”

I glanced into the back of the car. “As long as they’re not sleeping.”

“Oh, we could do drive through Maccas.”

“So, are you going in?” I asked impatiently. “Or Maccas?”

“Go.” We were stopping halfway to stay overnight. Pre-kids we used to drive straight through, but now we felt that stopping along the way was best. Jacob began fighting his sleep about an hour into the journey. We could tell he was tired, so Zara handed him a bottle of milk. We told the girls to be quiet and put a DVD on for them to watch. Within minutes, he’d fallen asleep.

“Success!” Zara said, triumphantly. “We did it!”

We turned the stereo up and sang along till the next town. When he woke, we stopped for lunch. We enjoyed stretching our legs and had lunch at a dated little café. It felt like we’d stepped into a 1970s movie set. I ate a toasted cheese sandwich, and she had a burger and chips. The kids ate the ubiquitous nuggets and fries they preferred anywhere we went and sipped little kids’ milkshakes.

We were enthusiastic for the trip ahead. Zara had been working long hours, I had felt overwhelmed, and it was nice to have a couple of weeks together, with no work interruptions and plenty of time to just be a family. I had fond memories of family holidays from when I was a child and although we didn’t know much about the children’s history, I expected they hadn’t had much opportunity for holidays in their short lives. I hoped that we could change this now, with the beginning of an annual holiday, for however long we had them. In many ways, I was confident that we were ‘mothers’ and would have these kids for life, but at other times, I couldn’t begin to imagine that. Nevertheless, I wanted to enjoy our time with the kids and make a positive impact on their lives.

★

Our time with Zara’s family was wonderful. The aunties, uncles, cousins, and grandparents embraced the kids whole-heartedly, and I felt very lucky to be part of this big happy family. Zara’s siblings were thrilled that Zara was now a mother and loved having new nieces and a nephew to spoil. The family was very child-oriented, and so there were plenty of outings, games and celebrations. Christmas Day was a wild affair, and everyone was thoroughly spoilt, including the adults. Because it was so hot, we cooked the night before, and had cold meat and salads on Christmas Day.

Zara and I spent a lot of time debating our Christmas traditions.

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