Judging Nicky by Everett Inara

Author:Everett, Inara [Everett, Inara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: S & F
Published: 2012-06-09T16:00:00+00:00

WE ALL SLEPT in the next day. The last few weeks had not been easy and I really appreciated the chance to relax. I didn’t get up until ten, and Jasmine and Julia had only just got up when I went to see how they were. They had slept well and were full of energy, so I suggested they go outside and explore the backyard while I got breakfast ready. It was a beautiful day and they raced out into the sunshine.

After breakfast, I suggested that we go up to the girls’ bedrooms and talk about what colours to paint them and how to decorate them to make them each girl’s own special, private place.

I showed Julia a catalogue with three horse murals for her wall that I had found and set her up in her room to look at them and decide which, if any, she liked. Then Jasmine and I canvassed a Bed Bath and Beyond catalogue for duvet and curtain sets to see what interested her. The girls spent about a half an hour making their selections, and showed them to me.

“Those look great!” I enthused. I was really looking forward to getting their rooms ready for them. Then I announced that it was time to do their homework, which brought on long faces and a chorus of groans.

“I hate homework,” Julia said. “I can’t stand geometry,” Jasmine chimed in.

“I want you to get it done by three. I’ll help if you need it,” I said. “Then we’ll get an ice cream and go for a walk on the beach at Lakeshore Park.”

That cheered them up quite a bit and they got to work on the kitchen table. Julia had to write a story about an animal – she chose a horse, of course – and she drew a picture to go with it. Jasmine’s geometry was pretty hard and she asked me to help.

“Thanks, mom,” Jasmine said after I showed her how to work out one of her trickier problems. I was glad I had figured it out because I was certain that her math was going to surpass my rudimentary understanding of it pretty soon.

At three, we drove to the park at Lake Ontario. There was an ice cream booth on the path leading to the beach and we stopped to get some.

“I want bubble gum flavour,” announced Julia. “Strawberry shortcake for me,” said Jasmine. I picked out my all-time favourite, chocolate and peanut butter.

We walked through the trees down to the water while eating our ice cream. The sky shone a rich summer blue and the puffy white clouds looked like mountains in the sunshine. We went for a long walk on the boardwalk. It was a fun, lazy afternoon.

Afterward, we headed home and had supper. I couldn’t believe it was time to take the girls back to Paul’s already. I tried not to let my sadness show as we packed their bags.

As I walked them up to Paul’s door, Julia began to cry.

“I want you to come home with us,” she sobbed.

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