Hope in case Sage or Naomi had an emergency. I glanced at Claudia. “Sounds like a new baby in the neighborhood.”
“Yeah, I think the woman who rents the garden apartment next door had a baby a few weeks ago. It cries constantly. I always wake up. I’m glad these two are sleeping through it.”
“The poor mom. The beginning is tough. What did she get?”
“Pardon,” Claudia asked.
“Boy or girl?”
“Oh, I’m not sure. I haven’t really seen her. I hear her constantly.”
I wasn’t sure if Claudia wanted me to feel bad for her and her lost beauty sleep, but by the sound of the baby’s cry, the mom was overwhelmed.
“Is it the first kid?”
“Um, yes,” Claudia said definitively. “I mean I don’t really know her, but I am more than sure we would have seen an older kid if they lived there.”
“Did they just move in or something,” I asked. I had gone back to snapping shots, but Claudia was finally on my good side, so I could hear her.
“No, they’ve lived there for a while.”
The baby stopped crying and I kept working. Claudia was hovering around us, but at least she had stopped directing the kids. She interrupted for a minute to fix the headband in Emily’s hair.
“Emily ’ave pretty in ’air,” Emily said.
“Yes, Emily, it’s very pretty in your hair,” I said.
“Jac wan retty. Wan reeeeettttttttyyy!” Jacob whined.
“Jacob, you can’t have a pretty,” Claudia said. “He wants everything his sister has.”
“My three-year-old, Sage, is the same way.”
“Your son?”
“Yeah, if it’s sparkly and pink he loves it.”
“It must drive your husband crazy. My husband, Peter, hates it.” I wish I could have disagreed with her, but it did seem to be driving David crazy. Emily was not having the headband back in her hair. She pulled it out, threw it on the ground and shook her head free.
“No,” she said. Emily was going to be a handful when she grew up. I knew from experience.
“Emily!” Claudia scolded. “Do you want a time-out?”
“You know, don’t worry about it,” I said. “I think we are done.”
“Really?” Claudia said, suspiciously. She was looking angrily at Emily.
“Yeah, I got some great shots.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
We stood there in the backyard for a minute, watching Jacob pull out some grass and Emily attempt more somersaults.
“Emily, watch out for your brother,” Claudia yelled. Then added for my benefit. “Please.”
I started to pack up my stuff. Claudia brought out some iced tea. It was delicious with sprigs of fresh mint. Claudia had grown the mint in her backyard. Yet another reason to have a backyard.
“So where are your kids?” Claudia asked. I felt her consciously trying to make conversation with me. It didn’t come easy.
“Well, the younger two are with their grandma and my five year old is in preschool.”
“Oh, are you local?”
“We live pretty close in Boerum Hill, but she goes to school at Brookese.”
“Really?” Claudia looked more excited than she had all day, but then she did something weird to her face and composed herself.
“Yeah, have you heard of it?”
“Of course, it’s so highly rated.”
“I guess,” I said. Of course I knew that it was, but I tried not to think I was sending my daughter to a school that this yuppie coveted. “It’s a good school. Julissa enjoys it.”
“How do find the curriculum?” she asked.
“Curriculum?”
“You know the course of study at the school,” she said, defining the word for me as if it was beyond my grasp. Something about her expression made me think she realized how annoying that was, but I didn’t give her a chance to apologize.
“I don’t know what the official curriculum is, but Julissa seems to have a lot of fun.”
“How did you get her in?”
“We applied, like everyone else.”
“Was the interview brutal?”
“Um, there’s not an interview.” I thought back. “They have this playgroup that they do
“Yeah, I think the woman who rents the garden apartment next door had a baby a few weeks ago. It cries constantly. I always wake up. I’m glad these two are sleeping through it.”
“The poor mom. The beginning is tough. What did she get?”
“Pardon,” Claudia asked.
“Boy or girl?”
“Oh, I’m not sure. I haven’t really seen her. I hear her constantly.”
I wasn’t sure if Claudia wanted me to feel bad for her and her lost beauty sleep, but by the sound of the baby’s cry, the mom was overwhelmed.
“Is it the first kid?”
“Um, yes,” Claudia said definitively. “I mean I don’t really know her, but I am more than sure we would have seen an older kid if they lived there.”
“Did they just move in or something,” I asked. I had gone back to snapping shots, but Claudia was finally on my good side, so I could hear her.
“No, they’ve lived there for a while.”
The baby stopped crying and I kept working. Claudia was hovering around us, but at least she had stopped directing the kids. She interrupted for a minute to fix the headband in Emily’s hair.
“Emily ’ave pretty in ’air,” Emily said.
“Yes, Emily, it’s very pretty in your hair,” I said.
“Jac wan retty. Wan reeeeettttttttyyy!” Jacob whined.
“Jacob, you can’t have a pretty,” Claudia said. “He wants everything his sister has.”
“My three-year-old, Sage, is the same way.”
“Your son?”
“Yeah, if it’s sparkly and pink he loves it.”
“It must drive your husband crazy. My husband, Peter, hates it.” I wish I could have disagreed with her, but it did seem to be driving David crazy. Emily was not having the headband back in her hair. She pulled it out, threw it on the ground and shook her head free.
“No,” she said. Emily was going to be a handful when she grew up. I knew from experience.
“Emily!” Claudia scolded. “Do you want a time-out?”
“You know, don’t worry about it,” I said. “I think we are done.”
“Really?” Claudia said, suspiciously. She was looking angrily at Emily.
“Yeah, I got some great shots.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
We stood there in the backyard for a minute, watching Jacob pull out some grass and Emily attempt more somersaults.
“Emily, watch out for your brother,” Claudia yelled. Then added for my benefit. “Please.”
I started to pack up my stuff. Claudia brought out some iced tea. It was delicious with sprigs of fresh mint. Claudia had grown the mint in her backyard. Yet another reason to have a backyard.
“So where are your kids?” Claudia asked. I felt her consciously trying to make conversation with me. It didn’t come easy.
“Well, the younger two are with their grandma and my five year old is in preschool.”
“Oh, are you local?”
“We live pretty close in Boerum Hill, but she goes to school at Brookese.”
“Really?” Claudia looked more excited than she had all day, but then she did something weird to her face and composed herself.
“Yeah, have you heard of it?”
“Of course, it’s so highly rated.”
“I guess,” I said. Of course I knew that it was, but I tried not to think I was sending my daughter to a school that this yuppie coveted. “It’s a good school. Julissa enjoys it.”
“How do find the curriculum?” she asked.
“Curriculum?”
“You know the course of study at the school,” she said, defining the word for me as if it was beyond my grasp. Something about her expression made me think she realized how annoying that was, but I didn’t give her a chance to apologize.
“I don’t know what the official curriculum is, but Julissa seems to have a lot of fun.”
“How did you get her in?”
“We applied, like everyone else.”
“Was the interview brutal?”
“Um, there’s not an interview.” I thought back. “They have this playgroup that they do
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