And Then There Was You (FreenxBecky)

Building the New

"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." - Socrates

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Freen rushed around the townhouse in an attempt to get herself and the girls ready to leave for the day.

Nita was being the least helpful; the girl still sleeping in her bed and refusing to get up despite Freen's many attempts.

Emily was walking around the house in search of something, not paying much mind to Freen's various requests for her to get dressed or brush her hair.

“Sweetheart, please, go change,”

Freen all but pleaded as she watched the six-year-old open a kitchen cabinet and shut it soon after.

“One second.”

“What are you even looking for?” Freen asked, going over to the toaster and taking out the two pieces of bread that just finished toasting.

She popped them into a container for Emily to bring to school for her lunch since it was the only guarantee that the girl would eat.

“It’s show and tell. I need to bring something.”

“ Emily,” Freen sighed, realizing that this was in fact an assignment that Emily failed to tell her of.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I forgot,” Emily said with a shrug.

“Well, what do you have to bring in?” Freen asked, setting the lunch bags at the end of the kitchen island and going over to the six-year-old who wound up in the living room.

“Something that is old,” was all that Emily could supply.

Freen looked around the room and eventually landed on a vase that had belonged to her grandmother. Freen never really liked the artifact and only kept it out for her own Mae who insisted that she’d do it in honour of her deceased grandmother.

If Emily broke it then it would be no true loss to Freen, and the thing clearly had age to it, which helped with the girl’s presentation.

“Bring this,” Freen said after taking the vase off the top shelf of their TV unit.

“It’s ugly,” Emily said, crinkling her nose at the dusty item.

“Why do you think I hide it up there?” Freen asked, using her hand to wipe the surface of the vase. “Tell your class that it’s from the 1800s.”

Freen knew a white lie wouldn’t hurt the girl, especially when she had to convince a bunch of other six-year-olds that it was true.

“Okay ka,” Emily agreed, deciding that it was better than nothing.

“I’ll wrap it in a blanket and put it in a bag for you. Remember, it’s fragile and breaks easily, okay? No playing around with it. I don’t need cut up little fingers.”

“I know..,” Emily said, dragging out her words in exasperation. She clearly did not enjoy being told to be careful.

“Now go wake up P'Nita and tell her we’re leaving in 15 minutes.”

Emily nodded and dutifully ran off to the stairs, an excited cry of “phi!” coming from her.

Freen got the vase all set for Emily and set it next to her lunch bag before getting her travel mug ready with her coffee and doing one last check of their schedule for the week.

It was Thursday, which meant Freen had to stay later at work and the girls had to walk home. It was a close distance, only 20 minutes by foot, and the girls only had to make the trip once a week as Thursdays were Freen's busiest days.