softly.
Liesel spent a lot of time saying things she didn’t mean, Sunny thought. Or thinking of things she meant to say but didn’t. Either way, it was clear she didn’t spend much time listening with her heart, because while Sunny might sometimes let her thoughts fly out of her mouth before she could restrain them, she always meant whatever it was she actually said. Liesel didn’t seem so certain of herself.
“Christopher might take some time to recover, though.”
Sunny winced, thinking of how he’d shouted and the disgust on his face when Peace had thrown up. Only a little had gotten on him, most had been on the floor or down her own front, but even so it had been bad, especially with the rest of the mess. “I’m sorry.”
Liesel shook her head. “I’m not upset about it. I’m just surprised that she’s not in diapers, that’s all. She’s so young.”
Sunny considered this. Peace was just over two years old. “She’s been using the toilet for a few months now.”
Clearly, this wasn’t something Liesel had expected. She shook her head slowly. “Wow. That’s some accomplishment.”
What did that mean?
Liesel must’ve seen her confusion. “None of my friend’s kids got out of diapers until they were over three years old.”
Sunny had been reprimanded many times for her inability to hold her tongue, and she was no better at it now. “That’s ridiculous!”
Liesel laughed and shrugged, though she did give both Peace and Sunny another curious look. “That’s what my friend Becka said about it when she was trying to get them out of diapers. But I think that’s normal, isn’t it? Never mind. That was a dumb thing to say.”
It was normal for the children in the family to be using the toilet by Peace’s age. Sunny’d already said too much. She found a rubber band in the pocket of one of the backpacks and slipped it onto her wrist while she quickly braided Peace’s hair into a smooth twist, then used the band to secure it tightly at the nape of her neck. She should do the same to her own hair. Leaving it unbound and uncovered this way made her feel more naked than if she’d taken off her dress, but the rubber band she’d been using had snapped this morning.
“Do you have another rubber band?”
Liesel put a hand to her own hair. She wore it short, cropped like a man’s. Like Bethany’s. “Oh, sorry. I don’t have any hair bands or anything like that. We can get some from the store. We can leave the kids here with Christopher while we go shopping. It’ll do him some good.”
Bliss was still sleeping, and Sunny paused, remembering his reaction to Peace’s accident. At home she’d have thought nothing of leaving her children in another’s care, just like nobody there would’ve blinked at leaving their children with Sunny. Everyone shared the responsibilities. But, as with everything else, Sunny was immediately reminded that here was not there.
“It’ll be fine,” Liesel reassured her. She’d turned to look into Sunny’s face. “Christopher’s a good guy. He can’t handle puke, but he’s a good guy.”
Sunny nodded uncertainly. Bliss would probably sleep for another hour, then wake hungry. “I should take the baby, though. She’ll need to eat.”
Liesel chewed at her lip for a second. “Right. Right, I didn’t think about that. And you don’t have a car seat for her or anything, right?”
Sunny shook her head. “I can hold her on my lap.”
“Oh, wow. No. That’s against the law, Sunny.” Liesel shook her head harder than Sunny had.
“I didn’t know.”
“How’d you get here?”
Sunny was silent for too long, she could see that in Liesel’s face. “We walked. And…a man in a truck gave us a ride. He didn’t say anything about a car seat.”
He hadn’t said much of anything. It had been sort of scary, as a matter of fact, the way he’d looked them over before opening the door to let them in. He’d asked only where they were going, driven in
Liesel spent a lot of time saying things she didn’t mean, Sunny thought. Or thinking of things she meant to say but didn’t. Either way, it was clear she didn’t spend much time listening with her heart, because while Sunny might sometimes let her thoughts fly out of her mouth before she could restrain them, she always meant whatever it was she actually said. Liesel didn’t seem so certain of herself.
“Christopher might take some time to recover, though.”
Sunny winced, thinking of how he’d shouted and the disgust on his face when Peace had thrown up. Only a little had gotten on him, most had been on the floor or down her own front, but even so it had been bad, especially with the rest of the mess. “I’m sorry.”
Liesel shook her head. “I’m not upset about it. I’m just surprised that she’s not in diapers, that’s all. She’s so young.”
Sunny considered this. Peace was just over two years old. “She’s been using the toilet for a few months now.”
Clearly, this wasn’t something Liesel had expected. She shook her head slowly. “Wow. That’s some accomplishment.”
What did that mean?
Liesel must’ve seen her confusion. “None of my friend’s kids got out of diapers until they were over three years old.”
Sunny had been reprimanded many times for her inability to hold her tongue, and she was no better at it now. “That’s ridiculous!”
Liesel laughed and shrugged, though she did give both Peace and Sunny another curious look. “That’s what my friend Becka said about it when she was trying to get them out of diapers. But I think that’s normal, isn’t it? Never mind. That was a dumb thing to say.”
It was normal for the children in the family to be using the toilet by Peace’s age. Sunny’d already said too much. She found a rubber band in the pocket of one of the backpacks and slipped it onto her wrist while she quickly braided Peace’s hair into a smooth twist, then used the band to secure it tightly at the nape of her neck. She should do the same to her own hair. Leaving it unbound and uncovered this way made her feel more naked than if she’d taken off her dress, but the rubber band she’d been using had snapped this morning.
“Do you have another rubber band?”
Liesel put a hand to her own hair. She wore it short, cropped like a man’s. Like Bethany’s. “Oh, sorry. I don’t have any hair bands or anything like that. We can get some from the store. We can leave the kids here with Christopher while we go shopping. It’ll do him some good.”
Bliss was still sleeping, and Sunny paused, remembering his reaction to Peace’s accident. At home she’d have thought nothing of leaving her children in another’s care, just like nobody there would’ve blinked at leaving their children with Sunny. Everyone shared the responsibilities. But, as with everything else, Sunny was immediately reminded that here was not there.
“It’ll be fine,” Liesel reassured her. She’d turned to look into Sunny’s face. “Christopher’s a good guy. He can’t handle puke, but he’s a good guy.”
Sunny nodded uncertainly. Bliss would probably sleep for another hour, then wake hungry. “I should take the baby, though. She’ll need to eat.”
Liesel chewed at her lip for a second. “Right. Right, I didn’t think about that. And you don’t have a car seat for her or anything, right?”
Sunny shook her head. “I can hold her on my lap.”
“Oh, wow. No. That’s against the law, Sunny.” Liesel shook her head harder than Sunny had.
“I didn’t know.”
“How’d you get here?”
Sunny was silent for too long, she could see that in Liesel’s face. “We walked. And…a man in a truck gave us a ride. He didn’t say anything about a car seat.”
He hadn’t said much of anything. It had been sort of scary, as a matter of fact, the way he’d looked them over before opening the door to let them in. He’d asked only where they were going, driven in
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