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Ch.7-A Person is a Person is a Person

I was figuring something out about my relationship with Alec.

I could only take him in doses. Too much and I would go crazy. So I decided the next day, after that horrible experience of trust (or lack of it) I decided I would go twenty-four hours with zero Alec interaction. It didn’t seem too hard seeing as he liked to hole himself up in his room, anyway.

My opportunity presented itself in an unlikely form when my grandfather mentioned Emma and Rhys needing some help around the house, as they were quickly letting the baby consume their lives. Well, since I happened to like Emma very much, I would happily spend the entire day there helping them out. So I told my grandfather I would be delighted to lend a hand, he called them up, and that was how I ended up outside their house with my hands shoved in my jeans pockets, on an unusually cool summer day.

“Lily!” Emma exclaimed, mouth stretching open in delight. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

I nodded and walked through the opened door. Emma looked much nicer. She had on jeans and a billowy white blouse, her hair fresh and clean from a recent shower, braided over her shoulder.  “Where’s Skyler?” I asked.

A twinkle lit up her stormy grey eyes, and she pressed a finger to her lips and beckoned me to follow her. I did so, up the stairs and into the nursery. It appeared to be sky-themed, with clouds and birds and everything. She pointed to the corner, and I squinted through the darkness, making out the large form of Rhys rocking back and forth. Skyler was sound asleep in his arms, and Rhys seemed to be zonked out as well.

“Aren’t they so cute?” she whispered. “I’m afraid Skyler will grow up to be everything like his Daddy. And that’s the last thing I need.” Her eyes, though, betrayed her words. They sparkled with excitement and anticipation of the years to come with her son, and the years to come with her husband. After a few more moments we returned to the kitchen. She had a platter of sandwiches out and we sat on opposite ends of her table, eating and making conversation.

“Do you think you’ll want anymore?” I asked her after swallowing my third sandwich. It occurred to me I might need to slow down, but there was like fifty sandwiches on the plate. And looking at Emma, I had finally met someone whose appetite equally matched my own. It just made me like her that much more.

Emma shrugged. “I dunno. Depends how things go with Skyler, I guess . . . But more would be nice. Even if it’s just one.” She smiled faintly. “The one thing I wanted to do in my life was start a family and raise wonderful and smart and respectful children. “

I nodded. “You’re a great mother, Emma.”

Her gaze snapped up to mine. “You think so?”

“I know so. And Rhys isn’t too bad, either.”

She chuckled, biting into another sandwich. “I have your grandfather to thank for that one.”

“Right.” Admittedly, I was a bit curious as to just how he went about “saving” his students. I mean, I’d heard of teachers having close relationships with their kids, but nothing like that. “Can I ask you a question?”

Her smiled turned knowing. “Does it have to do with Mr. Matthews and his weird intuition?”

“Yeah. I just—I don’t understand it. Didn’t you guys think it was creepy with him getting involved in your life?”

She leaned back in her chair, smiling reminiscently at the ceiling. “I suppose so,” she murmured. “I mean, he was a teacher, so it started with him pairing us off on this English project. The proverbial English project—it’s what everybody calls it at the high school—because he pairs partners so well.”