State of Grace (Complete)

The only thing constant is...

Ch. 2

Kindergarten is a lot of fun, but as good as school is and the other kids in my class are, there is nothing better than the boys next door. Older enough to just have a bit more knowledge, but not too big to play with me. Everyday after school we are in and out of each other's yards. Although, if we are inside, it is usually at their house, because Mommy doesn't like the noise. Their treehouse is also amazing and it is like our clubhouse. We have comic books and paper and crayons up there, where we plot and plan. Sometimes, when she's bored, Maggie comes out to play with us, too. She's bigger and just the most fantastic big girl. Pretty and smart, and she always knows things, explaining stuff to us when we get it wrong.

At the end of the year of school, we have kindergarten graduation. I get to wear a fancy robe on top of my dress and a hat, too. Mommy and Daddy take pictures and there is a ceremony.

"Daddy, is this like your graduation?" I saw pictures of Daddy in a hat in his office before.

"Not quite, Sweatpea. Mine was a little bigger." Daddy explains.

"What about you Mommy? Did you have a graduation like this?"

"No, Honey, I didn't go to my graduation," she informs me warily.

"Why not?" I am intrigued. My party is fun and Daddy's one at the restaurant was good, too, so why didn't Mommy get one?

"Because, Gracie, you were in my tummy and I couldn't go," she explains, sounding sad. Daddy's expression makes me think I shouldn't ask anymore questions, so I let it go.

Grade One—6 years.

We are sitting around the dinner table in the kitchen, late August sun streaming in the window, leaving lines of light bleaching the scratched wooden floors.

"But I want the twins at my party," I argue with Mommy. I am turning six and getting ready for grade one.

"Don't you want to invite the girls from your class?" Mommy presses, sitting in her chair. But the girls are far from my mind, it's been nearly two months since I've seen them, and the twins I see every day. The twins are my best friends.

"I want a campout with the twins," I am stubborn and I stamp my foot.

"Keep that up and you won't have a party," Mommy threatens.

"Carla, for heaven's sake," Daddy looks up from his papers to intervene. "If she wants the twins, let her have them. They're like her brothers."

"Could they be my brothers? Could they? We could adopt them!" I exclaim jumping and spinning. Mommy's face falls and her posture stiffens.

This time Daddy stops my exuberance. "No, Sweetpea, they have parents and a sister, so they don't need adopting. But you never know, someday you could have a brother or sister."

My mother abruptly leaves her chair and walks out of the room.

"Did I do something wrong, Daddy?" I am confused. "I don't have to have a party if Mommy doesn't like it." I just want to keep her from being angry.

"No, Sugar, you didn't do anything, Mommy's just tired. You can have a campout with your twins if you want," Daddy tells me rubbing his eyes under his glasses.

The words are barely out of his mouth before I am out the door and over the ladder to the Reed's house. Chris and Ian see me coming, and dash out into the yard. "We are having a campout for my birthday!"

"So cool!" they agree and we plan.

For my party, Mommy isn't feeling well, so Mr. Reed grills us burgers and we have potato salad. Daddy brings home a cake from the ice cream store, with fancy pink icing. Originally we planned to camp in the Reed's tree house, but Mommy said, 'over my dead body,' so Daddy sets up a tent he borrowed from someone at work in our yard. Chris and Ian have sleeping bags and a big plastic lantern that they throw over the fence onto our lawn. Mommy and Daddy give me my own sleeping bag with ponies on it for my birthday, and I love it. The twins give me a huge craft set with real markers, paint and a whole bunch of different types of paper. I love it, but Mommy takes the scissors away, rolling her eyes and mumbling something about irresponsible. Maggie is at the barbecue, too, which makes me feel even more special because she's thirteen and really cool, also if the twins get too bossy, Maggie steps in.