Accidental Neighbor by Sharon Woods
Chapter 16
Jennifer
I wander through the grounds of the local primary school to pick up Lily with Rose sitting on my left hip. A gush of fresh air sweeps beneath my feet. The cool air whips us, and Rose grips my neck tighter. Scanning around the buildings nearby, I follow a concrete sidewalk that splits down the middle, separating the brown weatherboard classrooms. I squint and make out a small sign stuck on a building, pointing to the administration office. I head in the direction of the sign.
As I hurry along, I admire how well manicured the school is; the gardens are neat, no rubbish littered around, and the buildings are kept clean. A bird chirps above on the nearby building, breaking up the silent air. Shuffling my feet quicker until I reach a pair of security doors, I reach out and pull one open and step inside the office. The brown theme continues inside. The carpets are a rich mocha color, walls in a beige, and there is a reception desk to the right. Moving toward it, I find it’s empty. There is a sheet of paper on the desk that explains the desk is only manned during school hours. I frown. What do I do? Spinning around, I trail the hall.
Rose lifts her head out of my neck, and says, “Lily.”
My mouth twitches at the beautiful little girl. I gaze at her and lean down to quickly peck her cheek. “That’s right, Rose. Lily is just in here. Let’s pick her up and go home to play.”
Her legs begin to swing and kick my sides. Her grin is wide. I love her soft mannerisms and sweet baby face.
The corridor has multiple doors lining either side. I stroll and read the black signs hanging above each door until I arrive at the one that reads After-school Care. Peering through the window in the door, I see the children and spot Lily in the drawing nook. Raising my hand, I knock on the door and take a small step back. A staff member arrives a moment later, pulling the door ajar and gesturing to me to join them inside. I step into the classroom.
“Hi, my name is Jennifer and I’m here to pick up Lily,” I say.
“Hi, Jennifer. Yes, we were expecting you. Come on in, and I'll collect her bag for you. Could you sign her out too please?” She points to a table with an open book.
I nod but the woman has already taken off. Walking over toward the desk, I spot a sign-out table and a pen in the middle. Picking up the pen, I sign my name before turning to watch the exchange as she tells Lily I’m here. I smile as Lily’s face lights up when she spots me, then she pushes out her chair and starts running. My mouth hangs open, and I squat down with Rose in my arms, thinking she is excited for Rose. But when she arrives, she grabs me by the side unoccupied by Rose and squeezes me in a tight, warm hug. Blown away by the sudden outburst, my heart freezes, then begins to pound again. I rub my hand up her back. “Hi, Lily. Are you ready to go home?” I ask.
She peels her head back to gaze into my eyes. “Yes. I’m so excited you’re here.” She bounces.
The twist of my stomach forms a vise-like knot and I flush warm. The girls have reached a place in my heart I didn’t know existed. I would hate to leave them or be apart from them. I feel like there is a reason I don’t yet know that they have been thrown into my life, turning it upside down in the best possible way. “I’m excited too. Let’s grab your bag and go home.”
She nods on my shoulder before stepping back. I stand up and resituate Rose by swapping her from one hip to the other to get myself comfortable again. Lily returns to my side after saying goodbye to the staff, and she slips her tiny hand in mine. My eyes rapidly blink as I try to process Lily’s unexpected love and soft grip. I wrap my hand around hers, gently squeezing it. She beams up at me as I gaze down at her with a soft smile. Nudging my chin in the direction of the exit, we wander out the door and back to the house.
Helen and I agreed on a Wednesday day shift, to allow me to get the girls home from care. Today I left work to pick up the spare car seats for the girls from his house without Rose. I went by his house with the spare keys he left at the center this morning and inserted the car seats before driving back to the center to collect Rose. Lucky for me the center, school, and our houses are all ten minutes away because the car seat proved to be a challenge. I had to pull up a YouTube video to figure out how to secure them in my car. Lily’s booster seat was much easier than Rose’s car seat—the way the belts went in was a maze.
I’m a little later than I originally planned due to the car seat issues, but I still managed to get home just before five. The girls run straight for their toys, and I bring their bags to the kitchen to unpack and get a start on dinner. Tugging open the fridge, I scan the contents. There is an array of meat, fish, and vegetables. I trail to the pantry and pull open the door to find a hidden walk-in pantry; my mouth slacks open. Wow, this is massive. It’s another big room. I scope out the pantry and its contents and find some noodles, deciding on them for a fast and simple recipe.
I quickly prepare dinner by chopping up vegetables and chicken that I found in the fridge, then I search the cupboards until I find a bowl and begin to soak the noodles. While cooking, I decide to clean their bags so Thomas doesn’t have to do it tonight.
I walk to their rooms. My brows furrow. The girls’ rooms are clean and tidy. I shrug. I guess he has a cleaner or housemaid to help him out. I can tell I’m in Lily’s room due to a bed inside the room, instead of a crib. It's a simple room with a white bed with pink covers and dressed in a soft pale-pink wallpaper. I step farther in to move closer to the wardrobe, passing a small desk to the right and a bookshelf sitting above it. I pick out a pair of pajamas from the wardrobe before walking down the hall into Rose’s room.
Rose has flower wallpaper and a white crib in the left-hand corner with a canopy draped over the top. There is a changing station that matches the crib. I step to the wardrobe and pull out her sleepwear.
With all the girls' sleepwear, I step into the bathroom. I place the clothes down on the counter and wander back to the kitchen to dish dinner into bowls.
“Girls, dinner is ready,” I call out. They don’t react so I call out a little louder this time.
They rush out and when Rose is close enough, her arms thrust out in front of her toward me. I scoop her up and guide her into the high chair, clipping her securely. Lily takes a seat in a chair, which must be her chair. I set them up with the noodles and forks before taking my seat in between them and eating the meal I prepared. Cooking a few times a week at home has helped. I do enjoy cooking so preparing the girls a meal is easy. I kept some aside in a bowl for Thomas. Thinking about him, I wonder if anyone has cooked him a meal since his wife died. For some reason that thought makes me feel a bit off. My stomach hardens at the thought. Why am I jealous? I have never been jealous in my life. This feeling is new to me.
Staring down, I twirl my fork into my noodles, and a bang of cutlery wakes me from my daze. I glance up at Rose, who is completely covered in noodles and sauce, laughing at the noodle hanging from her baby hair. I reach out and grab the noodles with my fingers and put them down on my plate.
“Are you saving this for later?” I say, grinning at her.
“Let me run the bath for you girls.” I peer over at Lily, who is almost finished with her dish.
“Bath time,” Rose repeats.
Standing up, I walk over to the bathroom and turn the bath taps on. Opening the cupboards, I find bubbles and pour some in. The bubblegum scent reminds me of my childhood baths with Megan. It brings a warm smile to my face. Returning to the dining table, I collect the dishes from the table and walk to the sink to stack them in the dishwasher after the bath.
“Lily, could you meet me in the bathroom, please,” I ask, walking back to Rose in her chair. Unclipping the straps, I lift Rose from her high chair and carry her into the bathroom. The girls get into the bath without a fight. I toss their clothes into the dirty laundry and watch the girls play with their toys. They have behaved so well tonight which fills me with relief. I feel bad that Thomas will be paying me for this. This does not feel like work; this is enjoyable. After I finish washing them, I help them out of the bath, dry them both, and as they dress, Lily asks, “Can you sing ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’?”
“Twinkle star,” Rose mumbles.
My lips part in surprise. “You like that nursery rhyme? I used to love it when I was a little girl too.”
“My mommy used to sing it to us in the bath.” My eyes widen at the comment. Lily clearly does not realize the information she is sharing.
“That’s beautiful. Well, I can sing it to you; I’m sure I won’t be as good as your mommy,” I say.
“She died.” My body stiffens. The honesty of this girl never stops shocking me.
I nod, staring sadly into her sad little eyes. “I know and I am very sorry,” I whisper.
“It’s okay. Will you sing now?” she encourages me.
I smile. “Sure.”
I sing the girls the nursery rhyme as I dress them. Lily joins in and once they are both dressed, I guide them to Lily’s room and read them a bedtime story before tucking Lily in, kissing her cheek. “Good night, Lily.”
“Good night.”
I walk out and carry Rose to bed. Lowering her into the crib, I whisper, “Good night, Rose, baby.”
She rolls over and I wander out.
When the girls are settled, I begin cleaning the bathroom and tidying the mess in the kitchen. After everything is packed up in the dishwasher and nothing is left untidy, I mosey over to the couch and flick on the television. Yawning, I lie down on the big soft gray couch; it is twice the size of a normal couch. It feels like a cloud underneath my head, so soft, and it doesn’t help my heavy lids. They seem to be closing on their own accord, heaviness hitting my body.
Then I hear, “Jen.” And I feel the soft caresses of fingers stroking my cheek. My eyes fling open, and I’m horrified and embarrassed about being caught asleep on his couch that he paid for. His brown eyes stare back at me from his crouched position in front of me. He is so handsome; I must be dreaming. Surely?