The Evolution of a Drowning Butterfly

Chapter Seven

The next day was better, Jay beside me in English again. I could feel him look over at me every few moments, but this time, I didn't think he was looking at my bruise. After school, we got our coffee and worked on our English.

And then he started eating lunch with me. Part of me thought it an invasion of privacy, but most of me thought it was nice to have a friend.

And, then, there was Saturday.

I was jolted awake on Saturday morning, startled by two small faces peering up at me from the foot of my bed. As soon as I popped up, the heads swooped down, and all I could see were tufts of light blonde curls through the slats in the footboard. I creeped across the mattress slowly so it wouldn't squeak, and then found the tummies of the twins, tickling them mercilessly. Their sweet giggles drifted up to my ears like soft, adorable music.

Trying to catch their breath, the twins barely urged two words out, "Who's Jay?"

These words stunned me.

"Why?" I was unsure of how they knew his name, or even that I had such a friend.

"He keeps texting you," the twins stated plainly in unison.

Claire then added, "Do you love him?" in a playful tone while making the "I love you" hand sign.

She'd learned this sign practically the moment she was born. Dad and I used sign it to each other every day. When he would drop me off at school, he would sign it to me, and then I would do it back. It was our thing. I still mindlessly signed it almost everyday when I thought of him.

Pained by the memory of my father, I went silent for a moment before saying, "No, I just met him. You can't love someone you just met." I squeezed my eyes shut, regretting those words as soon as they'd left my mouth.

"But Mommy said she loved Stephen but she had just met him," Jordan argued.

I wanted to say, "That's because she hadn't just met him," but I didn't. I simply groaned and rolled off my bed. I didn't want to ruin the twins' views of my mother, not for her sake, but because she was still in fact their mother. They wouldn't have understood anyway.

I walked over to my desk where my phone was resting, still plugged into the charger, and unhooked it. I had one unread text message.

Jay:

I'm coming to get you at three, instead. I can't take you to a movie because I have family business. I was like, dang, but then I had a brilliant thought. Why not just take you with me? :)

I looked at the clock. 11:00. I had so much to do in four short hours.

I leapt to my feet, phone in hand, and tumbled toward the kitchen. Only to find, what? A note. The note consisted of a few statements lacking in meaning and value, explaining that my mother and Stephen had gone a short trip to visit Stephen's aunt who apparently, according to the note, "wasn't doing too well." It's not like this shocked me. I don't think she had spent a full weekend at home since marrying my step-father.

I turned on stove, set a cast-iron skillet on a burner, and prepped some scrambled eggs. While I was waiting for the pan to heat, a problem occurred to me. Who was going to watch the kids? I definitely didn't want a repeat of the school incident, so I phoned a babysitter. Luckily, the kindergarten provided weekend babysitting services. The people who worked the weekend services were mostly high school students wanting to earn a little extra cash.

I looked at the directory, found the names listed for Saturday sitters, and dialed the first number on the list.

I balanced the phone between my shoulder and ear while I began cooking the scrambled eggs.

Hello?

The voice was that of an older woman, someone probably in their mid-fifties to early sixties.

"Hi, I'm here to ask about the babysitting service," I said.

Oh, yes. Let me grab the babysitter. Gabrielle!

My stomach plummeted.

"Oh, surely, not. Surely there is more than one Gabby in this godforsaken town," I prayed to myself.

Hello?

It was the voice. The sickly sweet, gag reflex-inducing voice.

"Hey," I said slowly, "Gabby, it's Rose. I was wondering if you could watch my brother and sister today? I have a... thing."

Hey, Rose! Sure thing! What time?

"Three," I said.

Great! I'll just watch them until you get back. See you later!

"Okay," I said.

"Thanks," I added, but the line was already dead.

I spent the remainder of my four hours taking care of the kids and getting ready. I threw on a coral top, my favorite blue jeans, and my black ballet flats, grabbed my purse, and awaited the doorbell.