Seeing Clearly

Chapter Two

“Don’t stay in a sad place where they don’t care how you are” -Everyone says Hi (David Bowie)

“The neighbours” turned out to be a girl named Danielle Klemin’s, who was Alaya’s age, and her mother who was friends with Lily.

To Alaya’s surprise she found herself laughing and talking freely with Danielle while their guardians talked inside. It was impossible not to feel comfortable with Danielle. Her open personality and carefree attitude made her an interesting companion to the naturally quiet and shy Alaya. Their personalities didn’t clash, but rather complimented each other.

“There is no way that’s true,” Alaya said after her giggles subsided. It struck her that this was the first time she had laughed in eight months. A small bit of guilt wormed its way into her heart.

“I wish I was making it up!” Danielle exclaimed, her soft and bubbly voice coming out raspy from laughter. The two teens sat lounging on the cushioned patio chairs with glasses of lemonade. Danielle had her legs propped up causally on Alaya’s legs as if they had been friends for years as opposed to the few minutes that they had been talking.

“I can’t believe a teacher would come to school drunk!”  Alaya said, still having a hard time imaging a teacher dancing around the classroom and telling each student what he hated about them.

“Well he was a special one,” Danielle smiled. “But then again, all the teachers are bit weird”

Alaya grinned. Lily had wanted her and Danielle to meet because she was going to need someone to help her around school when it started up again. And she had to admit, Danielle would be an entertaining person to have around.

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Lily watched the girls talking and laughing from the kitchen window. Danielle’s mother, Tina, was sitting beside her. Two glasses of white wine sat in front of the two women. The smell of food filled the room, wafting in from the oven to the right of them.

Lily drummed her fingers on the wooden table with one hand and held her wine glass firmly with the other.

“They seem to be getting along well.”

Lily nodded as she watched Alaya laugh at something Danielle said. “I’m still worried about her Tina.”

She felt, rather than saw, her friend shift into therapist mode as she swallowed a mouthful of wine. “It’s only been eight months Lil.”

“I don’t think I can do this Tina. I’m....the one who took them out for a day of fun at the mall. Sure I spoiled them, but then… I left. I’m not cut out for this motherhood thing.”

Tina patted Lily on the back, her brown eyes searching Lily’s blue ones. She tried hard not to sound like she was questioning one of her patients choosing her next words carefully. “Why do you think that?”

“Nina was always better with this sort of thing. That’s why I am single and she...” Lily grabbed her wine glass again, unable to finish her sentence. Tina studied Lily’s face and tried to keep her therapist comments to herself. Right now, all Lily needed was a friend.

“You can’t compare yourself to Nina, Lil. You are going to do just fine and you know it. Something else is bothering you. What is it?”

Tina brought her wine glass to her mouth and took a sip as Lily finished hers off with a final gulp. Lily had been almost excited to have Alaya finally moving in with her- it had taken nearly seven months to straighten out all the legal matters. In Tina’s mind it was ridiculous what happened to these kids. They should be allowed to be with their families, not placed in some random foster home until someone made the time to investigate their lives. No child needed that; especially not after a traumatic incident like Alaya’s.