After putting them in the dishwasher, I took a deep breath and turned back around. He’d moved closer.
“Is there a particular reason this place is a disaster and there are twenty girls in my home?” He crossed his arms over his chest.
The way his voice echoed off the marble tiled floors and countertops, I wanted to make the sign of the cross over my body.
“It’s just a party for Victoria, for her birthday. I wanted to –”
“You didn’t feel the need to run this by me before you did it?” Venom laced every word.
“I apologize. I didn’t realize you would have a problem with it.” I paused and swallowed my anger. “I simply wanted to give her a party with her friends.”
“Her party is tomorrow, with my family ,” he snapped.
Hold it together. Hold it together.
But I couldn’t hold my tongue without biting it entirely off and swallowing. And frankly, I like my tongue where it is so I unleashed.
“A party with children her own age is quite different from an adult tea party. I’m sure she enjoys her time with your family, but every kid should have a party with children their own age. I’ll clean up the mess tomorrow, and you will never know it happened.” Pushing away from the sink, I left the stoic Dr. Bishop in the kitchen.
I stripped out of my dress and hung it back up before jumping in the shower. After drying and dressing for bed, I sat waiting for him to show up and fire me. But just as before, he never came.
The next morning a stream of nannies arrived to pick up Victoria’s friends. After the last guest had departed, I got Victoria dressed for her tea party.
Mrs. Ilene Bishop, Dr. Bishop’s mother, arrived around ten in the morning to retrieve Victoria and take her to her house. It was technically my day to be off, but I cleaned up the birthday mess instead.
Weeks passed without any further confrontation with Dr. Bishop.
The day of the first snow came mid-November. Deciding Victoria’s homework could wait for a little bit, I quickly bundled us up in coats and boots. Pulling her into the backyard by her hand, we stopped in the center of the yard. It looked like a winter wonderland. I leaned down and made a small snowball. I threw it and hit her in the arm. Her shocked expression made me erupt into a full belly laugh.
“Hey,” she yelled. “What was that for?”
“Hmmm…just because I felt like it.” With a small shrug, I stuck my tongue out and made another snowball.
She took off running. “No, don’t hit me again!” She giggled.
“You can run, but you can’t hide,” I shouted and chased after her with the icy lump in my hand.
She dodged behind a thick oak tree. I quickly rounded it to get her, but she surprised me with her own frozen mush ball. She hit me right on the side of my face. A sharp intake of breath passed her lips. Her widened eyes studied my reaction.
I laughed loudly and smashed my snowball onto the top of her head.
“Ahh…that’s cold!” she screeched and took off running.
We finished our snow fight and decided to make a snowman before we went back inside. Victoria wanted to stay out longer, but her chattering teeth and the homework that was still waiting for her made the decision for us.
SOON IT WAS the week of Thanksgiving. Larissa was coming to pick Victoria up for the holiday. I had Thanksgiving and the day after off so I decided to visit my dad. The trip to Tacoma was longer than normal because of holiday traffic, but I still made decent time. When I pulled up to the house, there was an unfamiliar car in the driveway. Grabbing my bag out of the back of my jeep, I headed to the front door and went in.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” I shouted.
“Sophia!” My father came around from the living room and pulled me into a large hug. The warmth of my father was a welcome change to my interactions with the snow miser I worked for.
“I’m so glad you could make it.”
“I’m happy I got to come home too.” I kissed his cheek. “I’m just
“Is there a particular reason this place is a disaster and there are twenty girls in my home?” He crossed his arms over his chest.
The way his voice echoed off the marble tiled floors and countertops, I wanted to make the sign of the cross over my body.
“It’s just a party for Victoria, for her birthday. I wanted to –”
“You didn’t feel the need to run this by me before you did it?” Venom laced every word.
“I apologize. I didn’t realize you would have a problem with it.” I paused and swallowed my anger. “I simply wanted to give her a party with her friends.”
“Her party is tomorrow, with my family ,” he snapped.
Hold it together. Hold it together.
But I couldn’t hold my tongue without biting it entirely off and swallowing. And frankly, I like my tongue where it is so I unleashed.
“A party with children her own age is quite different from an adult tea party. I’m sure she enjoys her time with your family, but every kid should have a party with children their own age. I’ll clean up the mess tomorrow, and you will never know it happened.” Pushing away from the sink, I left the stoic Dr. Bishop in the kitchen.
I stripped out of my dress and hung it back up before jumping in the shower. After drying and dressing for bed, I sat waiting for him to show up and fire me. But just as before, he never came.
The next morning a stream of nannies arrived to pick up Victoria’s friends. After the last guest had departed, I got Victoria dressed for her tea party.
Mrs. Ilene Bishop, Dr. Bishop’s mother, arrived around ten in the morning to retrieve Victoria and take her to her house. It was technically my day to be off, but I cleaned up the birthday mess instead.
Weeks passed without any further confrontation with Dr. Bishop.
The day of the first snow came mid-November. Deciding Victoria’s homework could wait for a little bit, I quickly bundled us up in coats and boots. Pulling her into the backyard by her hand, we stopped in the center of the yard. It looked like a winter wonderland. I leaned down and made a small snowball. I threw it and hit her in the arm. Her shocked expression made me erupt into a full belly laugh.
“Hey,” she yelled. “What was that for?”
“Hmmm…just because I felt like it.” With a small shrug, I stuck my tongue out and made another snowball.
She took off running. “No, don’t hit me again!” She giggled.
“You can run, but you can’t hide,” I shouted and chased after her with the icy lump in my hand.
She dodged behind a thick oak tree. I quickly rounded it to get her, but she surprised me with her own frozen mush ball. She hit me right on the side of my face. A sharp intake of breath passed her lips. Her widened eyes studied my reaction.
I laughed loudly and smashed my snowball onto the top of her head.
“Ahh…that’s cold!” she screeched and took off running.
We finished our snow fight and decided to make a snowman before we went back inside. Victoria wanted to stay out longer, but her chattering teeth and the homework that was still waiting for her made the decision for us.
SOON IT WAS the week of Thanksgiving. Larissa was coming to pick Victoria up for the holiday. I had Thanksgiving and the day after off so I decided to visit my dad. The trip to Tacoma was longer than normal because of holiday traffic, but I still made decent time. When I pulled up to the house, there was an unfamiliar car in the driveway. Grabbing my bag out of the back of my jeep, I headed to the front door and went in.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” I shouted.
“Sophia!” My father came around from the living room and pulled me into a large hug. The warmth of my father was a welcome change to my interactions with the snow miser I worked for.
“I’m so glad you could make it.”
“I’m happy I got to come home too.” I kissed his cheek. “I’m just
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