Curved Edges ✔

(30) Mona's Monday

♡ MONA

I watch her with Benedictus on her lap and can't help but smile. That boy is such a handful. He puts everything he isn't supposed to eat in his mouth but when you want him to eat real food he refuses. It's a struggle every single day. But Ama has the magic touch with him. He always behaves and eats whatever she feeds him.

I guess even little men are impressed by her. I help his two sisters with their sandwiches and enjoy the peaceful moment. I took a few minutes to talk to her when she came in. The kids were in the playroom and I could see it all in her eyes. This has been a hard day for her already. But she kept on bringing herself down and I couldn't get through to her.

So I used the blond-haired, front teeth missing, little devil to make her feel better. I opened the door to the playroom and he bolted over to her. She picked him up and hugged him while walking into the kitchen. The girls followed quickly, excited to eat with Ama. I totally get it. She brightens my day too.

The kids are really behaving themselves with her here and after clearing the table, we decide to walk Ama back to work. She holds Benedictus's hand, who is asking her if she ever ate any bugs. Ama tells him a scary story about a spider building a house in her tummy and raising a family in there. He looks so scared that I am positive he will not try to eat any bugs any time soon.

The kids hug her goodbye and she walks back into the office. We all feel a bit down now that our sunshine's gone back to work. I take them to the park and they go wild on the slides and swings. I sit down on a bench and watch them with a smile, enjoying the sun on my face. They are homeschooled. This means I have to do most of the work with them, but these moments are the ones I enjoy most. When they get to be normal kids.

I decide to text X and thank him for saving Ama. She wouldn't stop talking about him and I'm glad he was there to help her out. She also told me X wanted to talk about something with her over dinner and I am pretty sure it's about what happened in the gym this morning. I think about it for a while and decide to tell X the things she told me.

I don't want him to go into the conversation blindly and I know how hard Ama can be on herself. And as much of an arrogant prick he is ninety percent of the time, he is good at getting through to her. Maybe it's because he's a guy, but I hope he can do it again this time. I hate it when she thinks so badly of herself.

But there's nothing I can do about it right now. I have to keep an eye on these little monsters and make sure their parents stay satisfied with my work. I wipe some dirt off my uniform and check my hair. Benedictus is going down the slide over and over and I'm worried he's going to be sick. I check my watch and see that we have another hour before I have to take him to his baseball practice.

It was a disaster when he expressed that he wanted to try that. His mother went crazy. She wanted him to try chess or fencing. Luckily his dad walked in and said Benedictus could go if it was at a time where I could take him. 

So every Monday afternoon at four I take him to his practice. And he gets to run around and get dirty. Everyone calls him Benny and he looks so happy when he's playing with the other boys. 

The girls go to ballet around the same time, but I always drop them off first, to be able to watch Benny enjoy himself.

He has the best coach too. He's the dad of one of the other boys. It's a very handsome guy, arms covered in tattoos, - thank god Benny's mom doesn't know about that - and he is the kindest man I've ever met. Very patient with all the kids. 

I smile, looking at the kids having fun.

After practice, they all get ice cream and lemonade and I get up to stretch my legs. Jake, the coach, walks over to the fence and says: "Hey Mona. There's a game on Saturday. Do you think Benny can join?" I sigh and shake my head.

Jake offers to pick Benny up from home if that's easier and I let out a small laugh. Jake looks surprised and I say: "That would be a sure way to not get him to play. I'm sure his mother will have a fit if she sees you with your tattoos." 

He raises an eyebrow and I add: "Don't get me started on these parents Jake. His dad is okay, but never home, and his mom... Well, she wanted him to play chess."

Jake looks shocked and says: "But he loves doing this, shouldn't that count for something?"

"It should but she doesn't care. I will try and figure something out, but no promises okay? Thanks for letting him join on Mondays though. This is the highlight of his week." 

I watch the in grass and mud-covered boy run up to me and brace myself, but Jake catches him before he reaches me.

"Hold it! You can't run into a lady looking like that. You need to wash yourself first and put some clean clothes on okay?"

Benny pouts and says: "But I wanted to hug nanny. I had soooo much fun."

Jake messes up his hair and says: "Nanny knows boy. It's written all over your face. Now go with her and get cleaned up." 

Jake winks at me and says: "Try to get him here on Saturday. It's what they've been practicing for." 

I wave at him and take Benny by the hand to walk him over to the car. I get him secured in the backseat and drive to the ballet school to pick up the girls.

The girls keep nagging about how dirty Benedictus is. It's giving me a headache and I sometimes wonder why I do this. They pay me really really well though and gave me this wonderful car to drive the kids around in safely. 

When we get back to the mansion I get them all washed and changed into their pj's. Just how their mother likes it.

I warm up their personal macrobiotic dinner that gets delivered here daily. They are like fancy TV dinners and they are color-coded. The blue ones are for Benedictus and the pink ones are for Evangeline and Gwendolyn. Poor kids. If the names weren't child abuse enough already, they have to eat this horrible tasteless food every night.

I hear the front door open and let out a sigh of relief. The dragon is home. I get to call it a day. 

She comes in and looks like she's Elle in Legally Blonde herself. She looks like that all day every day. All kinds of injections and nip-tucking have her looking like a freak, but I guess she likes it. I smile timidly at her and she walks over to air-kiss her kids.

I cringe when I hear her childish voice: "Nanny, you can go now. Mommy's home."

"Yes, miss. Have a good night. I'll see you, tomorrow kids." 

I practically run out of there, so relieved that I can go home that I'm not watching where I'm going. And end up bumping into a hard and warm body.

♡♡♡

That was Mona's POV.

She's got a tough job, right?
What are your thoughts about Benedictus and his family?

Annd there's a new guest star / cameo / tribute.
Those of you who have read The Fall Apart probably recognized him already.
Jake belongs to laurenwolfe12 and you can read more about him in the above book. 
If you enjoy books about realistic adult relationships, this is a must-read.

Okay, that's it for now.
See you when inspiration hits again.

♡