Ben got Samson's harness on him. As soon as Samson saw him head in the direction where his harness was kept, he happily hurried after meeting Ben there and spun around in circles. Once it was on, Ben led Samson to the front door, having him heel while he opened the door and while Ben locked up.
Claudia was already waiting at the truck by the time Ben and Samson got there. Ben unlocked the doors and opened the back to let Samson hop in the back seat before sliding into his seat.
On the drive to the vet, Ben cracked the window so Samson could hang his head outside to enjoy the ride. But, not too much where something could happen, while the humans listened to country music. The station played music from the 90s to the present time, so both had music more familiar to them. Though Claudia didn't mind the older stuff. They even discussed the singers they liked and didn't like, and their thoughts on the music in general.
Ben preferred the older stuff, but also didn't have an opinion on the newer stuff. The older stuff was what he just grew up listening to and was more familiar to him than the newer stuff. Claudia grew up with her grandmother playing the older country music, so she didn't have a preference.
Curious, Ben asked, "Are you able to see your grandmother for the holidays? At least for the day?"
"As long as my caseworker sets up transportation, because sometimes they don't," she said with a sigh, while staring out her window in her usual slouched position. Her knee was propped against the side of the dashboard.
"Well, I can make sure he does," he suggested. "Or Kayla or I can always drop you off and pick you up."
Claudia looked over at him, as if studying him. "Can I stay the night?"
"Unfortunately, that would have to be a question for Matt. I can't make that call."
She looked away again. Her arms were also folded lightly across her chest.
At the next red light, Ben made a quick note in his phone to reach out to Claudia's caseworker for Thanksgiving, in the next week.
He could not believe the holidays were upon them once again. The year had gone by so fast and none of the kids they started the year with were in their care. Ben wondered how James and the others were doing, and hoped they were doing well. They were great kids with unfortunate circumstances thrown at them.
-- & --
Ben didn't have far to drive before he pulled into the parking lot of the shopping center the vet was located. He got out of the truck and told Samson to heel before opening the door enough to grab his leash and let him jump out. The three of them then walked up to the vet's office.
As usual, Samson happily greeted the girls at the front desk, placing his large front paws on the edge of the counter. One of them grabbed a treat from the cookie jar and offered it to him, who gladly took it. Samson dropped back down to enjoy his cookie while Ben signed him in.
While they waited for Samson's turn to be seen, Ben sat with him, giving him as much attention and love as possible. Claudia joined in, catching Samson's attention, and switched over to her. He ended up bringing some life into her as Claudia began to talk to him, getting him more excited and twirled in a circle as Samson followed her hands.
Ben felt himself smile widely as he watched the two of them play. He even noticed a little weiner dog from across the waiting room grow interested, its tail going as it stood straight on all fours.
Claudia's voice even got higher for a split second as she got into it. It was a shame when Samson's name was called and for a moment she was back to her reserved self while they followed the vet's assistant into the back.
Since they were alone and contained in a separate room, Ben let Samson off leash so he could sniff around and take in his surroundings. They still gave him attention whenever Samson came their way.
It wasn't long before the assistant returned with the vet.
Samson was happy to see her at first until Ben lifted him up and placed Samson on the exam table. Ben had Claudia hold Samson's attention while he and the vet talked, answering the usual check-up questions. The only concern he had was Samson seeming lonely, like he and Kayla talked about the other night. Then he joined Claudia to comfort him while the vet checked Samson over.
There were a few whines, especially having his temperature checked. But he did get plenty of treats throughout the process and lots of love, and Claudia really stepped up to help make Samson feel better.
When they were done, she even held the leash while Ben checked out.
On the way to the elementary school, Ben stopped through the drive thru for him and Claudia for a late lunch, and got a small vanilla cone for Samson. He asked if the worker could put the cone in a cup, but Claudia told him she could hold it for Samson while he was driving.
"You sure?" he asked, making sure.
"Yeah," she answered with a quick shrug.
So, while he drove, Claudia twisted halfway in her seat and held the ice cream for Samson to lick. Ben had gotten an extra cup anyway and had her hold it underneath to catch any ice cream that would leak everywhere. Samson really went to town, licking the ice cream. They let him lick for a minute before Ben had Claudia put the rest in the cup for now and told her to eat.
While they waited for school to let out, Ben pulled his chicken sandwich out. When he took the first few bites, he had not realized how hungry he was since he hadn't eaten since early that morning at his men's group.
Mary was still helping out with the assembly prep, so Kimmy was the only one they needed to pick up for now. Ben offered to share the rest of his fries with her, but she declined.
Samson was excited to see Kimmy the most, immediately sticking his head out when Claudia reached back to open her door for her. Ben assured Kimmy could push him back in. During the drive home, Samson laid down, taking up half the entire bench, and rested his head in Kimmy's lap while she petted him.
-- & --
When they got home, Kimmy picked out her snack from the pantry.
While eating her snack at the table, she overheard Kayla tell Ben she would pick Mary up from school since she needed to speak with her about something Kayla had spoken with Miguel's dad about. Ben seemed concerned, but she said they would talk about it later.
After Kimmy finished her snack, she headed upstairs to relax and work on her homework until dinner.
Kayla offered to help with her homework when she came upstairs to say hello and ask about Kimmy's day sometime later. Kimmy sat up onto her legs to give her some room and the two of them worked through the math problems, together.
Kayla also filled Kimmy in on why she had met with Mrs. Johnson that morning. She also explained how Kimmy's difficulties with speaking were contributed by something called selective mutism.
Kimmy wasn't sure what to make of hearing there was a name for why she couldn't speak even though she could. One thing that came to mind was if Selective Mutism was a disease. The term sounded like a disease to her.
Another thing she thought about was if her mom would be understanding about it? Would she stop thinking Kimmy was stubborn and realize she really did want to talk?
Kayla did not try to assume what Kimmy was thinking, though she did ask. But Kimmy just shrugged.
One thing was for sure was how much Kimmy still wanted that hug, especially after these last few days. She did not expect to be this bothered by Lucy moving on and Kimmy couldn't even work up the courage to go over and say anything. Ever since moving there, almost everyone has been so nice. It felt overwhelming, honestly. Outside of Stephen's YouTube and Twitch community, she had never experienced this much kindness.
"Kimmy? You okay?" She heard Kayla ask.
Kimmy looked up at the woman's face. But as soon as their gaze met, she looked away again.
Kayla had to leave to go pick up Mary, but they could continue later if Kimmy needed it.
Later, after everyone took turns saying what they were thankful for at the dinner table, Claudia announced she was gonna have Kimmy help clean their bathroom. It needed to get done and since both were regularly using it, both of them should be cleaning it, not just Claudia.
Ben wasn't sure if Kimmy was old enough to clean the bathroom, but Kayla agreed she was. Grandma Joy had taught Kayla and her brother at a young age to clean, including keeping up on the bathroom. Kayla just told Claudia to start her with one of the easier tasks, like wiping down the counters.
So, after dinner and their daily chores, Claudia brought up the cleaning supplies needed and grabbed Kimmy from their room. Like Kayla suggested, she had Kimmy wipe down the counter and inside the sink, showing her to spray first and wipe second.
"It may not always come off easily, so you have to scrub at it," Claudia explained while she scrubbed at some dried toothpaste left on the side of the sink. She didn't scrub off the toothpaste all the way, and passed the sponge for Kimmy to do it so she would learn.
While Kimmy cleaned the sink and counter, Claudia cleaned the bathtub, including the walls and the outer side of the tub.
When Kimmy was finished, Claudia had poured some toilet bowl cleaner into the toilet and had her use a toilet brush to clean the inside of the bowl and around the rim and the seat.
"Put pressure on it," Claudia reminded her from where she was sitting on her heels. She continued to walk Kimmy through the process without doing most of it for her.
Cleaning wasn't something Kimmy had to do at home. Unless she made a mess, like spilling something or left her toys in the middle of the floor where they could be tripped over.
Stella didn't clean either. Not in the bathroom, anyway. She washed dishes and washed laundry, but those had machines that did most of the work. They owned a vacuum, so occasionally the floors got clean once in a while. Other than that, there were no chores. Kimmy had taken the trash out before, but it was usually when it was overflowing and not assigned to anyone, specifically. Thankfully, this toilet didn't look the way theirs did, so Kimmy didn't feel the need to gag or throw up.
After Claudia finished the bathtub, she wiped the mirrors since she was able to reach higher than Kimmy could, and Kimmy swept the floor in the meantime. Claudia removed all the rugs and trash can so Kimmy could sweep the entire floor. She made sure Kimmy got behind the toilet, as well.
Kayla came by to check on the girls, making sure they had everything they needed. Despite how nice Claudia had been, the older girl wouldn't let Kimmy slack on her part. The older girl would double check her work and told Kimmy to do it again until everything was clean. She wasn't demanding or like a drill sergeant. But it was still frustrating having to keep doing it more than once.
Claudia just kept telling her it was a health risk and was disgusting to have a dirty bathroom. She at least took the broom and got behind the toilet that was narrow and hard to sweep, but only enough to where Kimmy could sweep the dirt herself.
When Kimmy was finally done, Claudia held the dust pan while she swept the pile of debris inside and dumped it into the trashcan. She then told Kimmy to wash her hands even though the girls had used gloves.
"You can never be too careful," she said, while Kimmy pushed on the soap dispenser. "Gloves can tear, even just a little, without you knowing."
To finish, Claudia mopped. Kimmy couldn't leave yet, though, and had to watch the older girl, so she knew for next time.
"The bathroom needs to be cleaned at least once a week, so from now on you're gonna be helping me. We're both using it, so I shouldn't be the only one keeping it clean."
Kimmy nodded, despite hating that idea. This was all still new to her, knowing she also had to do work, even though she was a kid. She didn't see Miguel having to do much, other than feeding Samson or helping Ben or Kayla cook. How come he was getting off not having to do any of this?
While the floor was drying, Claudia had Kimmy follow her downstairs to the laundry room, to show her where the cleaning supplies were kept. She also dumped the bathroom trash in the bin outside, doing that first. When they came back inside, through the garage, Claudia pointed out the cleaning supplies.
She also added, "If you clean something without being asked, that isn't your usual chore, then Ben or Kayla will give you a few bucks for it. To spend on whatever you want. How much depends on what it is. If they don't have anything on them, they'll give you an I.O.U. until they can pay you, or you can choose to put it towards something specific you want. Like a drink from somewhere. But they usually get you one anyway, so there's no point."
"My advice would be to put towards something you really want. Kayla especially likes to teach us how to save for things, probably because that's, like, her job and stuff. Did she tell you what she does for a living?"
Kimmy thought about it and remembered Ben had mentioned it on her first day. Something about a lawyer, but not the kind of lawyer on TV.
Regardless, Claudia told her anyway. "They handle a lot of businesses, usually small ones."
Kimmy nodded to show she was listening.
"But, yeah, if you ever want to earn some money, extra chores are where it's at."
Claudia pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "Keep an eye on the backyard where Samson goes to the bathroom. That always needs to be kept up just as much as our bathroom. More, actually, and if they see you out there without being asked, they'll reward you for it. I just did it today, but by Monday, it'll need to be picked up again." She made sure to point out to wear gloves.
"If there aren't any in here, they have more out there." She motioned her head towards the garage. "Kayla had suggested she would help me find a part-time job if I wanted one. Unless I wanted to focus on school. But I figured between that and doing extra chores, I'd be set on money by the time I graduate high school. Then I can get as far away from all of this as I possibly can. No more CPS, no more asshole teachers and no more rich-girl trash who probably won't ever have to work a retail job in their life."
Claudia was staring ahead at nothing in particular. It seemed more like she was thinking out loud than telling all this to Kimmy. It was confirmed when she glanced over at her, as if Claudia had forgotten Kimmy was standing there.
"You can't really depend on anyone, kid. Or trust them, for that matter. In fact, you can't even trust yourself. Everyone is capable of stabbing you in the back and talking behind your back, so I learned it's easier to not let them in. Let them think what they want, because that's all they'll ever do. Assume they got you figured out when they don't know Jack."
Kimmy continued to listen while staring at the floor.
The first thing her brain clung onto was who Jack was? The only Jack Kimmy knew was from her Animal Crossing game, who visits on Halloween Night, and a loud Irish fellow she watched on YouTube, sometimes.
But she also thought about everyone she had met so far once again and how nice they've been. This time, doubt was creeping in and Kimmy started to second-guess everything. It did seem like everyone was a little too nice. Stella had her moments when everything seemed great. But Kimmy never knew when her mom would flip out, and Ben had already shown he too got frustrated from time to time.
Claudia added, "I mean, I've been wrong before, but it's not often," holding a shrug for a moment. "So, you can think whatever you want to think. I ain't your mom." Kimmy then felt the older girl wrap her arm around her and pulled Kimmy to her side, giving her a firm squeeze.
Kimmy wanted to resist like before with Kayla, but actually being this close to someone felt too good. After a moment of struggling, she felt herself release. Slowly but surely, Kimmy raised her arms around the older girl's torso and squeezed her back. The emotions she had been holding onto lately also released and tears escaped her eyes and down her cheeks. Kimmy heard Claudia ask what was wrong. She wanted to answer, but couldn't.
Kimmy held onto Claudia, not realizing how much she truly did need a hug.
Claudia didn't pull away or told her to let go. Instead, she held her arm around Kimmy's head like a big sister would, for as long as she wanted.
Or, in this case, needed.