Mary jumped in the truck before Kimmy had a chance to climb in that afternoon. Usually, the smallest sat in the middle seat. So it would be between Kimmy and Miguel. But Mary wanted to see how the visit went and check on her brother, who hyped up the visit while leaving out the end. It wasn't until bedtime when Ben and Kayla tucked him in, Miguel announced he didn't want to do gymnastics anymore. Ben had a guess why the sudden change, especially when Miguel requested for the bathroom door to be shut first.
"How come?" Kayla asked, sitting on his bed.
The boy shrugged. "I just don't want to. I want to play T-ball instead."
"That's fine, bud, but T-ball has already started for the fall season. You would have to wait until it starts again in the spring. The next gymnastics class starts the first week of every month."
Miguel sat there, staring downward at nothing in particular.
Ben slowly dropped beside the bed. He asked if Miguel was fine with Kayla knowing what happened.
The little boy nodded.
"So, does this have something to do with what your papi said about gymnastics being a girl's sport?"
Miguel hesitated, now hugging his Paw Patrol pillow toy to his chest.
"He said that?" Kayla asked for confirmation. Not that she didn't believe her husband. It was more for Miguel to admit it himself.
Miguel nodded without meeting either of their gazes.
"Buddy, there are plenty of gymnasts who are guys," Kayla assured him gently. "It doesn't make them any less of a man. In fact, it takes a lot of strength and endurance to be able to do flips and balance on thin boards, and you do so well already on the trampoline."
"That's what Ben said, too," Miguel said. "But Papi says lifting weights is better and that I should play T-ball."
Ben spoke up, placing a hand on the bed beside the boy. "Bud, we don't ever want to come between you and your papi and how he parents, but when it comes to what you want to do is up to you, and you alone. Not what anyone else thinks."
Miguel shrugged. "I don't want to do gymnastics anymore. And I won't jump on the trampoline either." He said it with such defiance as any kid his age would refuse to do something he was being told to do.
Kayla shrugged as well. "That's up to you. We're not gonna make you do anything. If T-ball is what you want to do, and you're still with us next spring, we can sign you up." She then asked, "is that what you want? I mean, really want?"
Miguel nodded to confirm it was, but the look on his face said otherwise. Even if he tried to mean it.
Ben felt inclined to not easily give up on the matter. Not when the kid had been so excited to do something like gymnastics with other kids his age, since Kayla had suggested it. "What if I were to make some calls and see if any gymnastics classes would let us come in to watch a class? Just to see it in action. How would that sound?"
This time, Miguel only shrugged one shoulder. He tried to stubbornly say he still wouldn't do it. He at least said, "maybe," and quickly added, "but no promises," causing Ben and Kayla to chuckle.
Both of them took turns hugging and kissing Miguel, good night, since Kayla had already read a chapter from Winn-Dixie.
The next day, Ben made some phone calls and got Miguel in to observe a gymnastics class his age. Upon seeing the large, open indoor gym, Miguel's eyes widened. There was a large trampoline floor, along with a foam pit to jump into. Mats lined the floor and walls. Scattered throughout were monkey bars and swinging rings to hold on to. There were balance beams of different heights where some of the boys walked across with help from the adults.
Ben could tell by the look on his face, Miguel had found his heaven despite not wanting to admit it. There was a fight brewing inside of the boy when Ben later asked what he thought and if Miguel changed his mind.
-- & --
On Saturday, Ben and Kayla packed a cooler and other outdoor stuff into Kayla's jeep and met Hayden's family at the park.
Claudia and Mary went on a walk while Ben and Kayla helped Hayden's parents, Mark and Cindy, get set up and get the hamburgers and hotdogs grilled. Hayden's little brother, Philip, played in his portable playpen in the shade of their picnic shelter, which Ben offered him a high five when he came over.
Philip squealed with laughter after sloppily returning the high five. The kid still needed to work on his hand-eye coordination.
Cindy noted Ben seemed to interact more with Philip than Kayla, which Kayla explained babies and toddlers just weren't her thing. Miguel was the cut off for the age range she was comfortable with, while Ben was willing to hold Philip and any other kids his age.
The woman acted as if they were speaking another language, staring at them and switching between them and Mark. She also found it unusual they only took in older kids. "At least with babies, you wouldn't get the behavior problems and trauma older kids have since babies wouldn't realize what's going on or remember."
It was Kayla who pointed out babies and toddlers remembered more than adults expected of them, and came with difficulties just as older kids would have.
Then came the "I couldn't do what you're doing" comments a lot of foster parents got when they share what they do. But both Ben and Kayla patiently explained they loved it.
-- & --
Kimmy sat at the farthest picnic table the adults hadn't draped a tablecloth over, holding her chin on her folded arms. She wasn't trying to listen to the adults' conversation, but at least no one told her to go do something else. So she just sat there watching the other kids play on the playground. Until Ben finally came over.
"You don't want to go play?"
She looked up at him, but didn't respond in any way.
Grabbing a football they brought along in their usual park pack, Ben motioned with his head for Kimmy to follow him over to the open area. Kimmy watched him and eventually followed not long after with some encouragement. She watched him show her how to throw a football, tossing it to Mark first.
The guys tossed the football back and forth a few times to show her before Ben tossed it to her. Kimmy missed on her first try, and fumbled for the ball before throwing it back to him.
"Atta girl," he called as a praise and reached out to catch the ball himself. Ben threw it back. They kept it up while Mark tended to the grill.
Kimmy caught the football as best she could while also avoiding the football hitting her head and sometimes letting it drop before retrieving it, which she noticed Ben chatting with Mark in the meantime. She waited for his attention to give the say to throw the football back.
It was the most active Kimmy had been in the two months and something about throwing a ball back and forth with Ben, gave her a weird sensation inside she longed to have with her dad. If Kimmy didn't know any better, she swore she was having fun and did not want it to end. There was even a spring in her step at one point, but instantly stopped herself and just chased after the ball at a walk.
Unfortunately, nothing ever lasts and Mark announced the burgers and hotdogs were ready.
Everyone sat down to eat together. Except Kimmy, who sat at the same table she sat before, away from the others. Until Claudia went over to sit with her. She also interacted with Philip on her way over.
The picnic lunch was a success and everyone seemed to have a great time, especially Miguel and Hayden, the stars of the whole event.
-- & --
The rest of September came and went as a blur with school and errands.
The week following the picnic, Kimmy's insurance card finally arrived in the mail, and Ben was able to make all the necessary appointments. He tried to get them all in one day. The eye doctor appointment had to wait until the first week of October, while their doctor's office and dentist could only get her in on Wednesday and the following Monday.
At the doctor's, things started with the usual routine, checking her weight and height, along with her temperature. Then they were led to a room so a nurse could check her vitals. There was a brief wait before the doctor came in to do the rest. Ben did his best to answer what they already knew, which wasn't much. Even with getting Kimmy's medical records from Stella.
Kimmy hadn't been hospitalized and only went to a doctor when it was time to get her yearly immunizations. Everything seemed to look okay, at least. The only concern for her was being slightly over the recommended weight for someone her age. She did lose some weight than what the group home had listed in her records.
As for the dentist, Ben learned Kimmy wasn't brushing like she should have been and rarely had been to a dentist in the past. Surprisingly, she only had five cavities that needed to be filled.
The dentist filled three fillings during that same appointment, but they had to come back another day for the last two fillings. At home, Ben and Kayla made sure to teach her the importance of brushing and made sure Kimmy knew how.
"Otherwise, all your teeth will fall out and you have to drink all your meals," Mary pointed out when she overheard them, laughing as if it was a joke.
Kayla scolded Mary to not scare Kimmy, but pointed to the dangers of poor oral hygiene.
Because of Kimmy not brushing her teeth, Kayla also asked if she knew how to take care of herself in other areas of personal hygiene, like washing her hair.
She just shrugged, which still bothered Ben. Kayla scolded him for it, though.
"I'm sorry," he said, taking some deep breaths and admitted how frustrating it was not getting a straight answer to what he thought were simple questions.
"Imagine how Kimmy feels, being away from home in a strange, totally new environment, with strangers asking a thousand questions a day?"
Ben was silent that time and let Kayla take it from there, sincerely apologizing to Kimmy. Something that was definitely new to her. Stella usually was the one to make her apologize, but she never apologized herself.
Kayla shifted the conversation back to if Kimmy knowing how to take care of herself. They knew Kimmy was taking showers, but she asked if Kimmy was just getting in the shower, letting the water run, and then getting out without cleaning herself.
Kayla offered to help wash Kimmy's hair for her that evening, to make sure Kimmy knew and to see for herself. Since Kimmy was nine, she only demonstrated how to wash the rest of her body with a washcloth. How much dirt appeared in the water from Kimmy's hair alone showed Kimmy wasn't cleaning herself properly, either.
It wasn't uncommon for kids in Kimmy's situation to not understand basic hygiene, even at her age. So for the next week, Kayla checked in with her after each time she took a shower, offering to brush out her hair to test if Kimmy washed it properly. After a week, Kimmy automatically brought Kayla her hairbrush for help. Or Ben, if Kayla wasn't home, who learned at least the basics of brushing a little girl's hair and even putting in clips or hair ties, neither of which interested Kimmy.
Until Kayla suggested a ponytail to help keep her hair out of her face. "A lot of girls who don't like anything girly put their hair in ponytails, especially while they're playing sports."
Kimmy allowed Kayla to show how it looked and let Kimmy look in the mirror of their bathroom. She took a peek in the mirror before returning, not comfortable looking at herself.
"What do you think?" Kayla asked.
Kimmy only shrugged, but left the hair tie in her hair.
One of the reasons Kimmy allowed Kayla to help brush out her hair was it gave Kimmy an opportunity to watch The Golden Girls. At first Kayla paused it when she first came in. But there were a few times Kayla had forgotten, and she was able to catch a few minutes. If the ladies were discussing something, such as sex, Kayla was quick to pause it, confusing Kimmy.
There were times where a show or movie, or even the Youtubers Kimmy watched, had crude, adult humor, but Stella never shielded her children from them, nor shied away from those topics. Though a lot of jokes do go over her head. Kimmy still knew more than she apparently should.
Once Kayla was finished with her hair, Kimmy would linger, hoping to stay. But Kayla must have thought she was waiting to be dismissed or something and assured she could go. Kimmy reluctantly headed back to her room.
Aside from watching stuff she probably shouldn't be watching, Kimmy never wanted to play with the typical "girl toys" either. Having been there for a few weeks now, she had time to curiously check out the rest of the toys in the loft.
One point of interest Kimmy found were a couple of old Nerf guns. She couldn't locate any of the ammo darts. Besides that, the smaller Nerf gun was broken in a couple of areas and had to be left up to the imagination. If she was home, Kimmy would be pretending to be Stephen's character, "Grit Jones" from the Fallout 4 game.
Among the bins and shelves of toys, Kimmy also found the rest of the play sets the firefighter came from, including some action figures of policemen, whom she was not very fond of at the moment since they were involved in taking away her and her brother.
There was a bin of Hot Wheels cars and those orange tracks on a bottom shelf. Kimmy pulled them out and began assembling the tracks together. She used the beanbag chair to prop the tracks at a slope so the cars could slide down on their own.
Eventually, Miguel stumbled upstairs and asked if he could play. The kids then took turns dropping the cars down the tracks until Miguel got the idea to build a second track and race each other. With Kimmy not speaking up, she couldn't stop him from doing it, but it turned out to be fun, anyway.
Even though he now had playdates with Hayden, Miguel still took any chance he could to play with Kimmy. "You're not like my sister or any other girl I met."
Even if Kimmy could speak, she wasn't sure how to respond to a statement such as that.
One day after they had their after-school snack, Miguel asked Kimmy to play with him outside. She would have rather checked YouTube, but followed the kid out to the backyard, hoping it wasn't to jump on the trampoline.
The yard was freshly mowed and picked up. She noticed those Razor scooters that fold leaning up against the house and wanted to ride one, but remained rooted to the spot while waiting for Miguel.
Miguel was rummaging through the bin of outdoor toys. He handed Kimmy a baseball glove that was a little big for her hand and grabbed a glove for himself, along with a baseball. He hurried out to the grass and threw Kimmy the ball once she followed.
Like with Ben, the kids threw the ball back and forth. Both were uncoordinated with catching, but they tried their best. Both had to repeatedly go after the ball and Miguel got a little impatient Kimmy would not hurry.
Eventually, Ben stuck his head outside to let them know it was Quiet Hour and ask if Kimmy had any homework. Unfortunately, she had homework for math and had to work on the unfinished journal prompts for the week. Mr. O'Reilly approached her the Monday after the first week when he noticed the doodles and lack of writing. When Kimmy wouldn't say anything, he emailed Ben with his concerns, who promised to help Kimmy with her thoughts to write something. But even with Ben's help, and even Kayla's, she couldn't bring herself to write anything down.
Miguel wanted to stay outside to keep playing until Ben suggested coming in to rehydrate so he wouldn't get sick. He hurried over to drop the ball and glove back inside the bin, catching up with Kimmy.
"Thank you for playing with me, Kimmy," he said and asked for a hug. It was something Ben and Kayla taught the kids to do instead of just going for it, in case a person wasn't comfortable.
She nodded and let the boy wrap his arms around her waist, but didn't hug back. Hugging was a rare occurrence unless Kimmy was extremely close to the person. She hugged her mom and sometimes her brother. But nobody else.
The kids stepped inside and both got some water from the ice machine on the front of the fridge.
Since homework for Kimmy usually took the rest of the evening until close to dinner, Miguel had to wait until the following afternoon to ask again to play catch.
This time, he wanted to see if he could hit the ball with a bat. She made sure to toss the ball underhand so Miguel would be able to hit it, but still missed the ball. It was probably for the best since they were in the backyard. If movies and TV shows had taught Kimmy anything, it was hitting a ball into a neighbor's backyard ran the risk of never getting it back and possibly break something.
When Miguel did manage to hit the ball, it went towards the ground or a few feet away, where Kimmy had to chase after it. He still celebrated nonetheless, as if he had hit a home run.
Practically every afternoon after their snack, Miguel wanted to play catch in the backyard. As much as she wanted to watch Stephen or any of his pals, Kimmy followed him outside and waited until after she took out the trash until bedtime. She had to admit, it was actually kind of fun and eventually came to expect it.
At least Miguel never expected her to speak.