Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Author:Kiley Reid
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2019-12-30T16:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

When Mrs. Chamberlain had opened the front door, Emira had to stifle her laughter. Mrs. Chamberlain’s face had landed at a similar bewilderment as it had the first time they met. Five months ago, Emira watched Mrs. Chamberlain swing her door open to reveal a person she’d created in her head, and surprise!, it was someone much darker. Mrs. Chamberlain was so graciously confused at the sight of Emira that she even apologized for herself (“Sorry, hi. You’re so pretty! Come on in”), and her reaction to Kelley on Thanksgiving was much akin to this. But as Emira waited for her to apologize for herself, Kelley called her Alex. Emira’s knowing giggles turned into nervous laughter and Mrs. Chamberlain’s face curved down. Before she could get an answer, Emira was pulled into a Thankful Wonderland and ambushed by three other moms. The women shoved a glass of red wine into her hands as they asked where she was from and where she went to school and if she was caught up on a sitcom called Black-ish. When Emira said she hadn’t seen it, Tamra touched her arm with a solid hold and said, “Oh Emira, you have to see it. It’s a very important show.”

After the three women all headed upstairs, Emira spotted Briar in the living room in a plaid and uncomfortable-looking dress sitting next to two other little girls, one with bright red hair and the other with a tiny afro held back by a flowered headband. Emira tapped Briar on the shoulder. “Hey, pickle.”

Briar stood. She solemnly wrapped her arms around Emira’s neck. “I don’t like fancy shoes in the house.”

“You wanna come meet my friend?”

Briar didn’t say yes, but Emira picked the little girl up and walked back toward the front hall where Peter, Kelley, and another man were talking.

“This is my . . . this is mine,” Briar said to the man Emira didn’t know. “This is my friend.”

“That’s terrific,” he said. He had huge cheeks, big shoulders, and looked like a young Santa Claus in a white sweater with knit swirls. “We haven’t met yet. Walter. I think you already met my wife, Jodi. All the redheads you see are mine.”

“Emira, nice to meet you.” She smiled. “Hey, B. This is my friend Kelley. Can you say hi?”

Briar tucked her head into Emira’s neck at what looked like a painful angle; she could still inspect Kelley even though her face was almost upside down. She stuck out two fingers and said, “I’m three.”

Kelley turned toward the little girl and said, “No way. I’m three, too.”

Briar eyed him and grinned. “Noooo.”

“I’m just big for my age,” he said. “Well, I’m actually three and a half.” Emira’s lips mushed against each other and she felt so pleased. Of course he was completely wonderful and easy with children. Of course he had a scripted show of how to entertain new ones before they became familiar. But as Tamra came down the stairs, Jodi, Rachel, and Mrs. Chamberlain in tow, Kelley ended his routine early.

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