Read Online Blue Eyes and Other Teenage Hazards by Janette Rallison - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Janette Rallison
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you’ve done. Boys and girls, repeat after me: Samantha does the doo-doo.”
The children chorused, “Samantha does the doo-doo,” while the girl led her brother over to the craft table. I did my best not to smirk at Samantha’s facial expression.
Elise opened the book of fairy tales again. “Now then, back to Cinderel a. What have we learned from this story?” The children stared up at her with blank faces.
“We’ve learned you can’t trust fairy godmothers to get you to the ball. If you want to go someplace in life, you have to get there yourself.” After Elise finished discussing this principle with the children, she went on to tell them the story of how Snow White left the seven dwarves and got a degree in advertising. The kids began yelling out questions about other story book characters. What happened to Shrek? To Mulan? To Rapunzel?
“Rapunzel went to beauty school,” I said. “So she could finally give herself a decent haircut.” The children laughed, but they weren’t the only ones. I heard deep male laughter and looked up to see Josh carrying a little girl. Another of Elise’s sisters trotted along beside him, half skipping as she came over to us. Josh plunked the littlest girl into our semicircle of children. “Abby and Olivia were convinced you were having more fun here,” he said. “I had to bring them.”
“How thoughtful,” Elise said. “You know how much I love entertaining kids.”
“You’re a natural,” I told her.
“I’ve had a lot of practice.” To the seated children, she said, “Do you know who this guy is?”
“Josh!” her little sisters chimed together.
“That’s right!” Elise said with excitement. “It’s Josh, Santa’s bouncer. He does security at the North Pole.” She gestured to him. “He’ll show you some of his tricks. You guys can try to tackle him, and he’ll show you what he does to the rowdy elves.” The kids jumped up and swarmed him with glee.
“Thanks,” Josh told Elise, but he got down on the floor and wrestled with the kids, laughing. I guess he’d had lots of practice too.
Abby and Olivia weren’t interested in wrestling with Josh, so Elise got out cookies for them to decorate. I sat down on the floor with Josh and did crowd control—keeping too many kids from crawling on him at a time. When Josh had had enough of that, he told them we would play rock-a-bye-baby. This consisted of him taking a blanket from the couch and holding on to one end, while Elise held onto the other like it was a hammock. I put a child inside, and they rocked him back and forth while we all sang the song.
The kids loved it. As I sang along, I watched Elise and Josh, entranced. Usually I’m fine with being an only child. Sometimes I’m even glad there’s no one else around to bother me. But right then I felt the loss. This is what having brothers and sisters would have been like—this fun, this noise. I envied Elise the inside jokes she shared with Josh. I envied the way her little sisters looked up at her with admiration. I would never have any of that.
The older children abandoned their crafts and came over asking for rock-a-bye-baby rides, so Samantha and Chelsea got another blanket and formed a second line. We swung the kids until the first mother came by to pick up her children; then Samantha told the kids if they helped us clean up, they could have some cookies to take home. While Elise and I folded up the chairs, Samantha sidled up to Josh with a gleaming smile. “I don’t think we’ve officially met,” she said. “I’m Samantha Taylor.”
“I’m Josh Benson.” He nodded over to a table where Olivia and Abby had gone back to dipping their cookies into the bowl of frosting. “Those are my sisters. Unless they’re misbehaving, and then they’re Elise’s sisters.” Samantha let out a tinkling laugh. “You just moved in, right?”
“A couple of days ago.”
“If you need any help getting around or if you have questions, feel
The children chorused, “Samantha does the doo-doo,” while the girl led her brother over to the craft table. I did my best not to smirk at Samantha’s facial expression.
Elise opened the book of fairy tales again. “Now then, back to Cinderel a. What have we learned from this story?” The children stared up at her with blank faces.
“We’ve learned you can’t trust fairy godmothers to get you to the ball. If you want to go someplace in life, you have to get there yourself.” After Elise finished discussing this principle with the children, she went on to tell them the story of how Snow White left the seven dwarves and got a degree in advertising. The kids began yelling out questions about other story book characters. What happened to Shrek? To Mulan? To Rapunzel?
“Rapunzel went to beauty school,” I said. “So she could finally give herself a decent haircut.” The children laughed, but they weren’t the only ones. I heard deep male laughter and looked up to see Josh carrying a little girl. Another of Elise’s sisters trotted along beside him, half skipping as she came over to us. Josh plunked the littlest girl into our semicircle of children. “Abby and Olivia were convinced you were having more fun here,” he said. “I had to bring them.”
“How thoughtful,” Elise said. “You know how much I love entertaining kids.”
“You’re a natural,” I told her.
“I’ve had a lot of practice.” To the seated children, she said, “Do you know who this guy is?”
“Josh!” her little sisters chimed together.
“That’s right!” Elise said with excitement. “It’s Josh, Santa’s bouncer. He does security at the North Pole.” She gestured to him. “He’ll show you some of his tricks. You guys can try to tackle him, and he’ll show you what he does to the rowdy elves.” The kids jumped up and swarmed him with glee.
“Thanks,” Josh told Elise, but he got down on the floor and wrestled with the kids, laughing. I guess he’d had lots of practice too.
Abby and Olivia weren’t interested in wrestling with Josh, so Elise got out cookies for them to decorate. I sat down on the floor with Josh and did crowd control—keeping too many kids from crawling on him at a time. When Josh had had enough of that, he told them we would play rock-a-bye-baby. This consisted of him taking a blanket from the couch and holding on to one end, while Elise held onto the other like it was a hammock. I put a child inside, and they rocked him back and forth while we all sang the song.
The kids loved it. As I sang along, I watched Elise and Josh, entranced. Usually I’m fine with being an only child. Sometimes I’m even glad there’s no one else around to bother me. But right then I felt the loss. This is what having brothers and sisters would have been like—this fun, this noise. I envied Elise the inside jokes she shared with Josh. I envied the way her little sisters looked up at her with admiration. I would never have any of that.
The older children abandoned their crafts and came over asking for rock-a-bye-baby rides, so Samantha and Chelsea got another blanket and formed a second line. We swung the kids until the first mother came by to pick up her children; then Samantha told the kids if they helped us clean up, they could have some cookies to take home. While Elise and I folded up the chairs, Samantha sidled up to Josh with a gleaming smile. “I don’t think we’ve officially met,” she said. “I’m Samantha Taylor.”
“I’m Josh Benson.” He nodded over to a table where Olivia and Abby had gone back to dipping their cookies into the bowl of frosting. “Those are my sisters. Unless they’re misbehaving, and then they’re Elise’s sisters.” Samantha let out a tinkling laugh. “You just moved in, right?”
“A couple of days ago.”
“If you need any help getting around or if you have questions, feel
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