I'm A Twenty-Two Year Old Widow And I'm All Alone...

Moving In... Moving On...

Chapter Nineteen... Moving In... Moving On...

 

Larissa, my little baby girl, was now six months old.

Anastasia asked me if she could take her "baby sister" to school for show and tell. So I was now sitting at the back of her classroom with Larissa in my arms, fascinated with the colourful paintings and drawings that covered the walls.

"Okay, Anastasia, it's your turn," Mrs Harpy, the lovely teacher, smiled at Anastasia.

"Yes!" Anastasia grinned widely, walking to the front of the classroom. "Come on, Carrie!" she beckoned me, and I followed.

"When you're ready," Mrs Harpy encouraged.

"Today for show and tell, I've brought my baby sister Larissa," Anastasia said proudly. "And this is my new mommy, my daddy's girlfriend Carrie. And Larissa is her daughter."

"Is she really your sister?" a girl in the class asked nastily.

"Yes, she is," I answered before Anastasia had a chance to.

"It's okay," Anastasia whispered. "They can be mean, but I don't care. She's still my sister."

"Okay," I smiled.

"Larissa is Carrie's daughter," Anastasia repeated. "She's not my daddy's daughter... she's my stepsister, actually. But she's still my baby sister. Her daddy died before she was born, so she's got my daddy too. And me, Larissa, Carrie and daddy are all one big happy family."

"Here, Ana," I said, handing Larissa to her. She was good at carrying her around now, though it took her a while. She scared me sometimes, but as Larissa got older, it was a lot easier.

Anastasia walked around the classroom with her little sister, showing her off to her friends and snubbing the girl who was nasty just a moment ago. Larissa lapped up the attention, and then Anastasia walked over to the play area and put Larissa sitting on the ground.

My baby now crawled a little bit... she was growing way too fast...

I sat back and watched the kids play with Larissa for a while. She laughed as they have her toys to play with, patted her on the head, sat with her and listened to her baby talk that wasn't quite words, and clapped their hands so she would stare at them and try to copy.

After a while, it was time to head home. But Anastasia was glad... she was coming with me.

"I'm glad that daddy and I are now nearly fully living with you," she blabbered as we drove towards my house. Oops. Our house...

"Me too, Ana," I grinned. "I think your daddy's happy too."

"Of course he is... mommy," she smiled.

A few weeks ago, Anastasia had asked both Ryan and I if she could call me mom instead of Carrie. At first, I was hesitant. What would Angela's parents think of their granddaughter calling someone other then their daughter mom?! But Ryan asked Angela's parents, and they liked the idea! Surprised me, too.

So now, though she was still getting used to it, she called me mom most of the time. And it made me smile a bit...