Kay...
Sitting at the kitchen table, drinking my coffee, I'm enjoying the quiet of the morning. Evan just went back to sleep, and Nate is snuggling with him in our bed. It's such a beautiful August morning, and all is right with the word. Life cannot get better than this...
While watching our dogs playing in the yard, I take a sip of my hazelnut coffee and smile. Sitting here, I make a list of what needs to get done today, and it keeps getting longer as the days go by, but Nate only has one more month before he has to go back to school. My husband's new den is almost painted, but there is so much more to do. He needs his own space to work, especially now, since Evan started walking last month. September is right around the corner.
Hearing the phone ring, I jump up and grab it before the boys wake up. Who would be calling at 9 a.m.?
I trip over the giant stuffed lion, but get to it before it rings again and answer, "Hello?"
There is silence, but then she says, "Kay... It's Mira and I'm sorry to bother you."
Oh, God...
"No, it's okay. I was just sitting here drinking my coffee. Is everything alright?" I ask, as my anxiety levels rise tenfold.
She answers, "Yes... Well, mostly. I was calling to ask you for a favor."
"Okay?" I add.
Mira says, "My mom wanted me to call you and ask this, but if you don't want to, I understand."
"Alright," I say as Nate walks into the kitchen.
She continues, "Well, my daughter is very confused and wants to know where the baby is... She is driving us all crazy and I've explained it to her several times. She wants to see him and I was wondering if we could come over... for just a few minutes and if you say no, it's okay."
"Um... Well, I guess it would be alright." I say as Nate stares at me in confusion.
I add, "You have done so much for us and it's the least we can do. When did you want this to happen?"
"Well, the sooner the better. As I said, she will not let this go." Mira states.
I look at my husband, who has no idea what is happening, as he makes a cup of coffee.
"Okay, we do not have much going on today, but can I call you back. I'd like to talk with Nate about this first." I reply as he spins around.
After she gives me her number, I hang up the phone, and my husband's waiting for me to explain what the call was about. How do I put this so that he doesn't say no, right off the bat?
"Who was that? What's going on, Kay?" He asks.
Looking at him, I answer, "That was Mira. Everything is alright, but her daughter is having a problem. She doesn't understand where the baby went... Now, just hear me out."
"Okay." He says to me.
I continue by saying, "Look at all she has done for us. Without Mira, we would not be a family. She asked if the little girl could see Evan, for just a few minutes, so that she knows the baby is alright."
"Wow, okay... I was not expecting that. When does she want to do this?" He asks and I'm surprised he's taking this so well.
I answer, "Well, Mira said, the sooner the better and hopefully this will put the questions to rest."
He thinks about it for a moment and drinks his coffee. I can see the wheels turning and wonder what he will say.
"At first, I thought, no way in hell, but what harm could it do? You're right, she has done a lot for us and we may need her help in the future. We agreed Evan will be told he's adopted one day and you may need to ask a favor from them. It's okay with me, but what do you think?" Nate asks.
I nod and reply, "That's exactly how I felt and what I thought, too. I'm kind of amazed that we're on the same page."
He chuckles and adds, "Well, I guess I've grown. Call her back and let's get this over with."
Nate kisses me, and I feel so much calmer about this now. What harm could it do?
Cleaning the house like a whirlwind, Nate helps me pick up the house, and I cannot believe they will be here in an hour. This is crazy... What was I thinking?
"It looks like it's about to rain. Hey sweetheart, why is your mother here?" He asks while looking out the window.
Shit... Mom!
Staring at my husband, I reply, "We were supposed to go shopping for her new apartment and I forgot. Shit, this is not good."
"Baby, it's alright and this might be a good thing. Just tell her what's going on and ask her to stay. She said her mother was coming too, so it will be fine." He states.
Staring at Nate, I ask, "Who are you, and where is my husband?"
"It will all work out," he adds.
Doing a double-take. He smirks at me as I go to the door. Opening it up, I look out and she is just sitting there reading something. Mom has been going through a lot herself, after divorcing the wacko, aka, the man who shall remain nameless. My step-father went berserk, as we all knew he would, and she ended up leaving him. Mom moved here to live closer to me, and now the divorce is final. Luckily, she has been focusing all her attention on her new grandson, which has helped a great deal.
Walking up to the car door, she looks up at me and smiles. I open it up and she hands me some paperwork.
"This just came today. I thought you might want these coupons." Mom states, and I nod.
Taking it from her, I help mom out of the car and then fill her in on who our visitors will be today. At first, she was bothered, but after talking she agreed with Nate and me.
This is going to be a very strange day.
As their car pulls into our driveway, the tension mounts. All these worries fill my head as Nate takes my hand.
Is this a bad idea? Will she be judging me? Is that a smudge on the picture window? Chill out, Kay...
Evan is in the nursery with my mother. I call out to her, so she knows they have arrived. My husband then hugs me and I feel a little better.
He whispers, "This time you are not alone. I am here with you, and so is your mom. Everything will be okay, baby."
Hearing the knock at the door, we open it together as Nate puts his arm around me. We are a united front and everything will be fine... I hope.
Seeing the anxiety on their faces, I realize they are just as nervous as me, and I didn't think about that until just now.
"Hello there, come on in, out of the rain," Nate says in a calm tone as I just smile.
Mrs. Smith enters first, holding the little girl's hand, and Mira follows them inside. Her daughter is a pretty little thing, with blonde hair and big blue eyes, just like Evan. They are definitely related, you can tell.
This sweet little girl looks adorable in her pink raincoat, and tiny little polka dot boots. As they fly off her body, without a care in the world, I see she is wearing leopard print leggings and a matching top. What a cutie!
She then says to me, "Hi Kiki, where is my brother?"
"Baby, we talked about this and you promised to be good." The grandmother says as she glances at me with an embarrassed expression.
Hearing this, I'm just standing here stunned by the brother comment.
Looking at this sweet little one with pigtails, I reply, "Evan's in his room with my mom and they will be out in just a minute. She changing his diaper for me."
They all nod at me, as the girl peeks around the corner and I smirk at that. She is really adorable and rather inquisitive too.
"Here, I'll go get him and be right back," I say as Mira takes a seat on our couch.
Before I leave the room, mom comes around the corner with my son. Seeing her eyes light up, a big smile grows on her face and this sweet little girl looks so excited. I notice Mira has not said a word and looks very uncomfortable.
Mom sets Evan on the floor to play, and she starts talking to Mrs. Smith. They immediately hit it off, as grandmothers do, while talking about their grandchildren. I decide to sit with Mira and make her feel more comfortable as Nate goes into the kitchen to bring out snacks for everyone.
"How are you doing, Mira?" I ask.
She looks away from the kids and replies, "I'm okay, and thank you for doing this for us. My daughter just wouldn't stop. As you can see, she is not shy."
"It's fine, and I think she's precious. Did you want me to take your coat?" I ask.
She shakes her head no and answers, "We aren't going to be here long. I just think she needed closure."
"I get it and we totally understand," I reply, and she smiles.
Mira then asks, "Can I use your bathroom?"
"Of course, it's right around the corner and down the hall. You'll see it." I state as she stands up and walks away.
Mrs. Smith looks over at me and she frowns. This is hard on everyone but the kids. We are doing this for them, and I'd like to take a few pictures for later on.
"Do you mind if I take some pictures? I'd like to show them to Evan when he's older." I explain as Mira comes back into the room.
She answers while retaking her seat, "That's fine with me."
Mrs. Smith then says, "Can I take some too?"
"Of course, you can. That way if more questions come up, you can show them to her." Nate answers for me.
He sets the tray of cookies and chips on the table, and both of the kids grab a cookie. I take a few quick shots as Mrs. Smith does the same and I feel like this is going rather well. Still, Mira is not talking, and I can't imagine what is going through her mind. This has to be so hard on her.
Once the little girl is done with her cookie and milk, Mira stands up.
"Okay, Bunny, time to go?" She states as the little girl turns to her mom and frowns.
Mrs. Smith adds, "You promised to go when mommy said. We have a bunch of things to do today, remember?"
She nods and hugs Evan, which makes us all pause by the sight before us. This is so sad, but Mira has had enough, and I can't blame her one bit.
"I love you, Evan." She says, and a tear comes to my eye.
She then hugs me as her grandma gets the raincoat and boots.
"It was nice to see you again," I say to this sweet little one.
She nods and replies, "I'll see you at the doctor's!"
"Yup, you sure will," I answer as Mira takes her by the hand.
Scooping her up, she says, "Thanks again Kay, for doing all of this for us."
"It was my pleasure. After all, you did for us. Take care." I reply as she nods and they all walk out the door.
Mom says once the door is closed, "Well, that went well and quick."
"Yes, Mira was very uneasy about being here and seeing Evan. She was ready to go once they got here." I state.
Nate adds, "That must have been horrible for her, but it went well. Hey, is the girl's name Bunny?"
"Honestly, I don't know and I wasn't going to ask," I answer, and mom nods.
He then asks, "Did you give her directions to the house?"
"No, I didn't think of it, and she didn't ask. I just gave her our address." I reply.
Nate then states, "Funny, even our pizza boy gets lost, but she drove right up and pulled in."
I look at my husband.
"Don't worry about it. That went well, and Evan had fun playing with her. I was kind of taken back by the brother comment, though." He adds.
I reply, "Me too. But what else was she going to call him? How did they even explain all of this to a 3-year-old?"
"I think she acted very grown-up and wise beyond her years. She was not shy in the least, and kind of tough. I have a feeling that little one has seen way too much and has a really hard life." Mom states.
Looking at my mother, I just shake my head. She's always the perpetual pessimist.