The Lovely Miss Maine

|| nine ||

May 17
9:00pm

After bathing, Henry and Richard rejoins Maine in the nursery room. She's lying on Henry's bed next to Ellie and patting the little girl's leg lightly while seeing Ellie's favorite song, The Dilly Dilly song.

Henry, who still has a towel wrapped around him watches Maine with so much admiration, he stops and just stares at his teacher. Richard mirrors his action and he too looks at Maine, mesmerized. He has almost forgotten to breath.

"Henry, come on!" He whispers, walking over to Henry's closet to get him a pair of jammies. Henry, without taking his eyes off his Miss Maine, follows Richard and puts on his jammies after Richard towels him dry.

Pretty soon, Henry settles himself in his bed after Maine very carefully moves the sleeping Ellie from the Henry's to her crib. Richard tucks him in and kisses his forehead.

"Richard?" Henry asks, "When is mommy and daddy coming home?"

Richard's heart breaks from his nephew's question, he hasn't had the courage to explain to Henry that his parents have passed away, he doesn't know how to make a four-year old kid understand.

Noticing that Richard needs her help, she sits on the bed next to him and she looks him in the eye, "You know what, Henry. Mommy and Daddy aren't coming home because they're in heaven with Jesus now, but that doesn't mean they don't love you and Ellie anymore. It's just Jesus needs them now so they can watch over you from heaven and then if you are sad and want to talk to them you can just pray,"

"You can be our mommy and Richard will be our daddy?" Henry asks innocently. His voice hoarse indicating that he is already sleepy.

Maine gives him a tight smile and messes his hair, "If you want. I'll be your mommy for now," She covers Henry up to his neck with the comforter and takes his teddy bear from the food of the bed and places it next to Henry.

"So you're going to stay here with us?" He asks then he yawns.

Shaking her head, "No, but I can visit anytime to play with you. If that's OK with Richard?" She looks at the kid's uncle who seems to just stare at her from the corner of the room. He gives her a nod. "Now, go to sleep, darling and sweet dreams." She kisses his forehead and then turns on the night lamp next to his bed. Henry closes his eyes immediately as Maine stands up quietly to leave the room. Richard follows her out, turning the lights off as he exits the kids' room.

"How do you do that?" He asks

Maine looks at him, confused. "Do what?"

"How do you make it look so easy with Henry and Ellie? You have that magic, you're so good with kids."

She shrugs, "I grew up in an orphanage, I was pretty observant how the caretakers talk to the younger ones."

"I could not have explained it better to him you know, thank you." He smiles

Nodding, she follows him to the kitchen where he makes her another cup of tea. "He needs to understand that his parents aren't coming back, it's better that way or they will despise you for having lied to them,"

They sit around the kitchen island sipping their coffee in comfortable silence, both are thinking about how amazing their day has been.