Hello

Amber's Gratitude

Andrew clapped his hands up into her palms when Amber leaned down. The cold air arrested her and she couldn't hide the unease of being here like this.

Amber sighed and pulled his arms wide to reveal his smile. "What's up sweetie?"

"Evening." Solomon's mother stepped out through the front door and smiled at Amber.

Amber pulled out a smile to meet his mother's kindness. "Yes, Miss Edmund."

His mother sat in the chair. "Call me Lezlie, how are you today, Amber?"

Amber kissed Andrew's head as he tried to climb her left arm. He giggled and pulled his head away with each kiss. "I'm okay."

The dog sniffled and slipped around Andrew to sit at Lezlie's leg.

Andrew turned, jumped off her arm, and cried after the dog. "Goldy!"

He already knew the dog's name?

Lezlie scratched the side of his forehead as she glanced down at Andrew. "Thank you."

Amber rocked her head up at Lezlie, while Andrew's laughter passed through this tense pause like nothing happened. "Wha'?"

"Thank you, you never had to say anything, but you did. You have my ratings, young girl."

Amber fidgeted to hear that, but soon her body warmed to the praise. She smiled. "No problem."

Lezlie pouted her lips. "Your friend, Sonia? You can tell her something?"

Amber almost stupified, but she raised with a vigorous nod of the head.

Andrew patted Goldy on the head and brushed his hand against the shimmering coat as if trying to make it shinier.

Lezlie continued, "I don't know her situation, but let her know, if she needs help, she can let me know."

Amber's eyebrows raised. "You mean that?"

"I've seen a lot of things, more than you. I've never seen this before in my entire life."

Amber could agree with that.

Lezlie leaned forward and glanced back at Solomon's figure getting larger as he came closer to the door. "She's okay, Amber, I mean it's your friend?"

Solomon came onto the verandah and grinned at everyone. Amber's breath hitched when his smiling lips touched her and the distance didn't even matter.

"Soon done," he said.

Amber mouthed a 'sure'.

Solomon walked around the edge of the house toward the back.

Amber said, "She's fine. Or, well, as much as she would tell me. I don't know."

"There gotta be something wrong. Check on here fi me." Lezlie stood up and Goldy got startled awake better than Andrew's attempts.

Amber paused and her lips pressed into a thin line. She was so angry at Sonia, that she never considered that Sonia might be dealing with problems.

Amber never got a good reason for why Sonia did this, but Sonia cared about Solomon being the dad for some reason.

Andrew reached his arms up and Amber took him into her embrace. "Yeah, I'll check with her," she said.

Lezlie nodded her head and walked inside, Solomon following close behind her. He patted his mom on the shoulder and spun around causing her to smile.

"Fix the blasted pipe man!" Lezlie exclaimed.

Solomon smiled and went to the sink. "It fix. See." He turned the faucet and water poured into the sink. Solomon jogged out of the house and slid to a stop in front of Amber.