Shelby’s . . .”
“‘Daughter’ is fine.” I laid a hand on Bev’s arm, distracted from my embarrassment by concern for the little girl who still stared up at all four of us as if we’d suddenly sprung horns.
“You getting ma-wied , Shelby?” she asked, eyebrows drawn.
I rolled my eyes. Then I rolled them again for good measure. I stopped there because I felt a headache coming on. I picked Shayla up and brought our faces nose-to-nose. “Remember when we talked about this before?” My little girl nodded seriously, her knees digging into my midriff. “What did I tell you then?”
“You’re too busy to get ma-wied.”
“Right.”
Shayla pushed away from me, and I set her down on the floor. With eyes riveted on Scott, who’d been observing our exchange in amused silence, arms crossed, the pale little girl in the blue turtleneck took a step toward him and, hands on hips and forehead furrowed, stated, “She’s not going to ma-wy you!” She said the words with such conviction that part of me was offended.
Scott hunkered down in front of his pint-size confronter and looked very seriously into her eyes. “Do you know any jokes?” he asked.
Shayla was taken aback by the question. Then again, so was I.
She looked up and around, scanning her memory for a joke, and burst into a smile when one came to her. “Why didn’t the man see the elephants?” she asked.
Scott appeared to think hard and then give up.
“Because they were weawing sunglasses!”
Three of the four adults in the gym frowned in confusion. Wewere still racking our minds for a trace of humor in Shayla’s joke when Scott chuckled and said, “See? That’s a joke. And Gus here was just making a joke when he talked about your mom getting married.”
I held my breath. I’m pretty sure Gus and Bev did too. Shayla, on the other hand, was holding nothing back. She leaned in and, in a conspiratorial whisper, said, “Gus’s joke wasn’t vewy funny.”
“Hey!” Gus was mildly insulted and immensely entertained.
“You tell ’im, Shayla!” Bev said.
“You’ll get used to them,” Scott told me, pointing his chin toward my new friends as he stood. “They grow on you.” He paused. “Kind of like a parasite, come to think of it.” He bent low to flick Shayla’s chin. “It was very nice to meet you, little girl.”
“I’m four!”
“Well then, it was very nice to meet you, big girl.”
Shayla found my hand and slunk behind my leg.
“Back to work!” Scott declared, walking toward the door to the bleachers, then turning back to level a pleasant “You two really need to get a hobby” at Gus and Bev.
We exited the building without another word spoken, but once we were well out of earshot, I turned on Gus with an incredulous “What was that?”
Bev took Shayla’s hand, crossed the street, and headed toward home. Gus patted my back as we followed after them and met my wild-eyed disbelief with a long, hearty chuckle. “Oh, Shelby,” he said when it had passed, “if you could have seen your face!”
“Do you introduce all your friends like that?” I tried to keep my voice cheerful, but there was lead spreading in my lungs.
“Only the ones I like!”
Bev said, “Actually, I don’t recall him ever doing that before.”She smiled at me over her shoulder while Shayla gripped her hand to jump over a puddle.
There was something dirty-brown in my mind as we walked toward home. Gus’s bold introduction had destabilized the part of me I’d so carefully kept calm over the last two days of change—the part that wanted to flinch like a patient in a dentist’s chair every time something new or unexpected came along. I’d done well so far, taking all the newness in stride while I’d stifled my more natural instincts to run and hide with comfort words like “This will pass with time” and “Change never killed anyone.” I’d expected the language barriers and feelings of alienation. I’d expected the jet lag and
“‘Daughter’ is fine.” I laid a hand on Bev’s arm, distracted from my embarrassment by concern for the little girl who still stared up at all four of us as if we’d suddenly sprung horns.
“You getting ma-wied , Shelby?” she asked, eyebrows drawn.
I rolled my eyes. Then I rolled them again for good measure. I stopped there because I felt a headache coming on. I picked Shayla up and brought our faces nose-to-nose. “Remember when we talked about this before?” My little girl nodded seriously, her knees digging into my midriff. “What did I tell you then?”
“You’re too busy to get ma-wied.”
“Right.”
Shayla pushed away from me, and I set her down on the floor. With eyes riveted on Scott, who’d been observing our exchange in amused silence, arms crossed, the pale little girl in the blue turtleneck took a step toward him and, hands on hips and forehead furrowed, stated, “She’s not going to ma-wy you!” She said the words with such conviction that part of me was offended.
Scott hunkered down in front of his pint-size confronter and looked very seriously into her eyes. “Do you know any jokes?” he asked.
Shayla was taken aback by the question. Then again, so was I.
She looked up and around, scanning her memory for a joke, and burst into a smile when one came to her. “Why didn’t the man see the elephants?” she asked.
Scott appeared to think hard and then give up.
“Because they were weawing sunglasses!”
Three of the four adults in the gym frowned in confusion. Wewere still racking our minds for a trace of humor in Shayla’s joke when Scott chuckled and said, “See? That’s a joke. And Gus here was just making a joke when he talked about your mom getting married.”
I held my breath. I’m pretty sure Gus and Bev did too. Shayla, on the other hand, was holding nothing back. She leaned in and, in a conspiratorial whisper, said, “Gus’s joke wasn’t vewy funny.”
“Hey!” Gus was mildly insulted and immensely entertained.
“You tell ’im, Shayla!” Bev said.
“You’ll get used to them,” Scott told me, pointing his chin toward my new friends as he stood. “They grow on you.” He paused. “Kind of like a parasite, come to think of it.” He bent low to flick Shayla’s chin. “It was very nice to meet you, little girl.”
“I’m four!”
“Well then, it was very nice to meet you, big girl.”
Shayla found my hand and slunk behind my leg.
“Back to work!” Scott declared, walking toward the door to the bleachers, then turning back to level a pleasant “You two really need to get a hobby” at Gus and Bev.
We exited the building without another word spoken, but once we were well out of earshot, I turned on Gus with an incredulous “What was that?”
Bev took Shayla’s hand, crossed the street, and headed toward home. Gus patted my back as we followed after them and met my wild-eyed disbelief with a long, hearty chuckle. “Oh, Shelby,” he said when it had passed, “if you could have seen your face!”
“Do you introduce all your friends like that?” I tried to keep my voice cheerful, but there was lead spreading in my lungs.
“Only the ones I like!”
Bev said, “Actually, I don’t recall him ever doing that before.”She smiled at me over her shoulder while Shayla gripped her hand to jump over a puddle.
There was something dirty-brown in my mind as we walked toward home. Gus’s bold introduction had destabilized the part of me I’d so carefully kept calm over the last two days of change—the part that wanted to flinch like a patient in a dentist’s chair every time something new or unexpected came along. I’d done well so far, taking all the newness in stride while I’d stifled my more natural instincts to run and hide with comfort words like “This will pass with time” and “Change never killed anyone.” I’d expected the language barriers and feelings of alienation. I’d expected the jet lag and
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