Ohana

My Little Helper

This story is ending soon :)

It took me a while to get into a routine with two extra kids, but it wasn't that difficult. We put a bunk bed in Eloise's room and got two plastic drawer things for the girls clothes. Noah comes over every day to see his girls.

Emma, Aly, Eloise, Luca, and Micah are already at school and I'm driving with Declan since he's in middle school.

"Why did we leave New York?" Declan asks suddenly. I look at him.

"What?" I ask.

"We used to live in New York." He says. "I don't remember much, but I remember tidbits." He frowns. "Why did we leave?"

I gnaw on my bottom lip.

"My sister is a force to be reckoned with." I say simply. "And there were instances that added up to the point where it was affecting Dad and I's relationship, to where it was affecting you kids, and so we moved, but right before we did, she left Uncle Noah."

"So we could've stayed."

I nod, swallowing.

"We could've stayed, but I like Florida better."

He looks out the window.

"I wish we stayed in New York. The kids up there get snow days. All we get here are hurricane days."

"They have to make up snow days." I say calmly. "And we have to make up hurricane days."

He shrugs.

Luca's birthday came and passed, and now it's September 4th.

The cruiser is starting to give out lately. I've been stranded three times in the last couple of months and Spencer brought up a new car.

He got rid of his old truck a year or so back and got a new one, and he wants me to get rid of the cruiser.

So now we're driving along on the way to Declan's school, and he sits fiddling with the radio. I notice when I hit twenty five, the car will not, under any circumstances, go faster. All that happens is the engine gets louder.

The speed limit on this road is forty five.

I'm going twenty under. People behind me are honking.

"Why are you going so slow?" Declan asks.

We're still a good fifteen minutes from his school.

"What's wrong?" Declan asks.

"The car won't shift out of second gear."

I need to just get a new car. I think it's time.

How the hell am I going to get my kid to school?

It's 9:07AM, and Declan's school starts at 9:30.

There's no way he'd make it.

"So am I going to school?" His entire face lights up.

Spencer's class started at eight and lasts until ten.

Maybe he's on break.

We're at a light so I shut the car off. I put the key back in, cranking it.

The engine sputters.

And sputters.

And sputters.

The light changes and I'm in the front of the line ad people are honking.

I keep trying for the next three minutes and then give up. The light changes back to red and the people behind me are pissed.

"Alright Declan, get my phone from my purse please."