Ocean's 8 1/2

Giving Back

It was the week of Thanksgiving and the giving mood was definitely being felt throughout the loft. Handmade turkeys were hung on the stage and fall colors, candles and decorations made the loft feel warmer than it actually was.

Lucas was almost a month old and he was beginning to make noises. He'd coo and all the women would swoon. He'd babble or gurgle and everyone would babble back. Tammy couldn't thank the other 7 women enough for their help with him. While he was an easy baby, Tammy wasn't as young as she was when she had Derek and Keri. She also had a lot of other emotional baggage she didn't have then too.

Nine Ball made sure she spent time with the older ones too. She loved hanging out with Derek and Keri. She would take them out to Central Park, out for pizza and the occasional treat. She wanted to make sure they weren't forgotten, but she also truly loved them like her own too. Derek and Keri were the only ones who really got away with calling her Leslie. Occasionally they'd let Mom or Momma slip. Nine never minded, she'd just answer it as if they were saying her name. She was just extremely thankful that they took her in so well and adapted to the new change like it was nothing. They just wanted to be loved, and she had more than enough love to go around for them. She was grateful for them and it never ceased to put a smile on her face when they went to her when Tammy said no. They knew she was the fun one, which Tammy didn't mind, it had been like that with their father as well.

"Leslie, mommy said we can't have ice cream for breakfast. is that true?" Derek whined.

"For breakfast? Don't you think we should eat something a little bit more nutritious?" Nine Ball asked.

"But it would be fun! Plus Auntie Constance does it all the time," Derek said as pointed at the young Asian woman. Constance ducked as she had been caught red-handed again eating cookie dough ice cream from the pint.

"Well bud, she's also not getting a very nutritious meal," Nine stressed lightly trying to get a point across to the hidden woman.

"But if she can do it, we should be able to also Momma," Derek whined again.

"How about this, you get ice cream for breakfast if you and Keri can do all your chores for a week with no whining?" Nine suggested.

"That's not fair..." Derek huffed.

"I think it is," Tammy added in. Derek turned around to see his Mommy standing by the kitchen table.

"Alright, but you gotta promise Mommy and Momma.." Derek said.

"We promise buddy," Nine said with a smile. With that, the little boy ran up to his room to tell Keri about the exciting news.

Later that night after dinner, Keri and Derek were drawing at the kitchen table. Nine Ball was with Lucas in the room. Tammy was washing dishes and putting away dinner.

"Mommy, I love Leslie," Keri said out of the blue.

"I'm so glad you do baby girl," Tammy said smiling. She looked over at what Keri was drawing and she saw what looked like Keri, Derek, herself holding Lucas, Leslie, and even Roni. Tammy's heart began to overflow with love. She loved the picture, not just her daughter's drawing but the picture of that being her family and that being what they have forever.

She was extremely thankful that her children were taking to Leslie so well. The night Derek told her he was happy really solidified everything on his end but Keri was quieter when it came to her feelings. This though proved again that she was making the right decision. They really were happy, and Leslie fit into that equation so well. This family was going to work, and Tammy was ready to fully embrace the relationship.

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For Constance, she was giving out metro cards to people she felt were in need. She'd skateboard around and found people. She'd often leave cards by homeless people who were in a particularity bad neighborhood or ones without adequate shelter. She hoped they'd use it to find a safer spot or even get out of New York completely. New York was not a kind place for the homeless population. She knew this far too well. Her parents were both immigrants, her father from China and her mother from Korea. They'd met in New York, but time after time they found themselves without a home. The Asian stereotype of being lawyers and doctors did not run in this family, it honestly doesn't run in the majority of Asian families. Her dad and mom tried to open laundromats, or restaurants or dry cleaning places. They'd do well for a year or so, but sooner or later they'd stumble upon hard times due to her dad's gambling addiction and they'd be out on the street again.