A Chain of Daisies

Books

The morning was clear and bright. While it was still cool, the shining August sun hinted at the coming warmth and that by noon all sweaters and coats would be shed. All down the small suburban street, parents hustled their children into cars. There were many sleepy stragglers, as many wished to still be curled up in bed, as they would be if it were still summer break. But the long days of summer sun, pool outings, and sleeping in till ten were over, and it was back to school. Or for some, off to school for the first time ever.

This was the case for shy little Nate, who sat in the backseat of his parents' car, staring silently out the window, his new backpack clutched tightly to his chest, thinking about what was to come. His sister, who was going into third grade, chatted happily beside him, anxious to meet back up with her friends. Both Seymour and Audrey were in the car, which was also different. Usually, Seymour dropped Lily off on his way to work, while Nate stayed home with Audrey. Then, later in the afternoon, the two of them would go pick her up. This had become his routine, his normal. And now it was all changing.

Of course, Nate understood what was happening. In fact, he had always been a little jealous of Lily when she was dropped off. He wanted to go wherever she went. But now that the day was here, and he had found out that they wouldn't be together, even at school, he had firmly decided that he would much rather be home with Mama. When he expressed these concerns, he was reassured that he would make friends, get to have fun with other kids his age, and learn some cool new stuff.

At first, this had also excited him. He loved to watch Lily do her homework. He'd peer across the table at her worksheets and try his best to understand the letters, numbers, and symbols upside down. Sometimes, Lily would explain what she was working on, and let Nate help her. He knew she had gotten these assignments from school and couldn't wait to get some himself . . . until he realized that she wouldn't be there with him. Then he decided that he would much rather watch her do it.

He also knew Lily's friends from school, who would sometimes come over for playdates. He would watch the giggling group of girls from behind a chair or from the safety of his mother's arms. He never understood why it was so easy for her to just start talking to other people. Never in his dreams could he imagine doing what she did. Much to Audrey's concern, he hardly ever said 'Hello' without her prompting him to. And Mama couldn't be at school with him. There would be no skirts to hide behind at school. So he decided that he'd much rather stay home with her, where she was the only one to talk to, and perhaps he'd give a shy wave to the mailman, Mr. Jenkins.

Nate sighed as the car made another turn. What would become of him?

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Audrey listened distractedly to her daughter's continuous chatter as her mind wandered elsewhere. There wasn't a peep from her son.

Not that she expected one.

She knew how nervous he was; as the start of school drew closer, there seemed to be more and more tearful nights of worry. Upon the discovery that Nate wouldn't be with his sister, or his mother, or his father, he completely shut out the idea of going to school. Audrey knew this was coming, but she expected him to open up a little during orientation meetings and the incoming first grader's picnic, where the new students were given the opportunity to meet each other. Much to Audrey's dismay, he stayed glued behind her skirt.

Now that school was starting and Nate was still as timid as a mouse, Audrey worried about him. This would be his first time without his mother or his sister, and if he didn't find any friends, his anxiety over this wouldn't get any better. To Audrey, Nate was still her little baby boy. Even she didn't feel ready to let him go. She had felt the same — to some extent — about Lily. But she had known Lily was ready to leave the shelter of her mother and that she wouldn't have any trouble adjusting. Nate, on the other hand, Audrey wanted to whisk right back home.