[1] The Nanny; prequel to The Wife

Chapter Three

Chapter Three
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My Fairy Nanny

"Mommy!" Alanna exclaimed as she ran towards me as I went to pick her up from pre-school. I let out a nervous laugh and picked her up in my arms.

"Alanna, I'm not your mommy," I told her as I grabbed her book bag and lunchbox from her shelf.

"Oh, hello. I'm Ms. Bellringer, Alanna's teacher," Ms. Bellringer said, walking up to me and introducing herself.

"Hello, I'm Cardi, Alanna's nanny," I said.

"Yes, Mr. Maxwell informed us about you," Ms. Bellringer said.

"How is Alanna doing socially?" I asked.

Ms. Bellringer looked shocked at my question.

"Is there a problem?" I asked.

"No, you're just the first nanny to ask me that," Ms. Bellringer answered.

"Well, expect that to happen more often with me," I said.

"I think I'm going to like having you around, Cardi, but to answer your question. Social development is extremely important at Alanna's age. She seems to be able to interact with the other children but she has a hard time interacting with the adults in the preschool including myself. At first, I thought she just wasn't used to adults outside of her family but now seeing you with her. I think it might be something else," Ms. Bellringer said.

"I'm sure we can work on that," I said.

"I'm sure we can," Ms. Bellringer said.

"How is Alanna doing emotionally? When I dropped her off this morning she was sad, and now she's happy to see me when I pick her up, so how is she feeling and expressing herself throughout the day when I'm not around?" I asked.

"Yes, she seems to be sad when she's dropped off but she changes when she gets around her four friends, April, Ahn, North, and Cheyenne. By the time you come to pick her up, she's happy," Ms. Bellringer answered.

"Okay, that's good. How are Alanna's basic life skills?" I asked.

"Her basic life skills are alright but could use some more work this includes hand-washing, eating, cleaning up, putting on outerwear, using the restroom, and any other basic skills for self-sufficiency," Ms. Bellringer answered.

"Thank you for talking to me about Alanna," I said.

"Oh no, thank you. It's refreshing to see someone truly care about the development of a child, and it shows that we're on the same page, when it comes to managing and supporting that growth, which is so important during Alana's early years. These parents and nannies are just different breeds nowadays," Ms. Bellringer said.

"I know what you mean," I said.

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"Hey Daddy... Do you mind if I go with Morgan's parents this weekend?" Samaria asked as she came into his office, smiling.

Maddox blinked taking a mental roll call of all his children. MJ was off with two other friends. Cardi has taken Alanna to the park. "Sure baby girl," He answered.