Page 13 of Unexpected Gifts

“That’s right. She was my aunt. My mother’s sister.”

“She died before we were born,” Jack said.

“I’m sorry you never got to know her,” Abby said. “She and my mom were sisters and a lot alike.”

“Where’s your mom?” Jack asked.

“She’s in heaven too,” Abby said. “She passed away right as I graduated from high school.” In hindsight, Abby felt certain hermother had held on until Abby turned eighteen so her daughter wouldn’t have to go into the foster care system.

Neither child said anything, returning to their game. Still, Abby could see their little minds working, trying to make sense of all the loss they’d endured in their small family. How was it that she and these two precious children were all that was left?

Abby was not equipped for any of this. And God helped her; these children needed her.

Abby managedto put together the Jell-O salad dish with some help from Sophie and Jack. Although, they’d had a few mishaps. The first bowl of Jell-O had been dropped onto the kitchen floor by a slippery-fingered Jack. Then, while she was distracted cleaning up said Jell-O, Rufus slurped up several pieces of pineapple from the counter, contaminating the entire can with his tongue. Fortunately, they had another box of Jell-O and a second can of pineapple.

Despite her inabilities in the kitchen, Abby discovered that even she could make a salad made from gelatin and canned fruit. To her surprise, she felt genuinely proud of herself and the kids. They’d made their first dish together.

Abby yawned. The night on the couch had been rough. She hadn’t slept well for several reasons. She hadn’t had enough blankets, and this old farmhouse grew frigid in the early-morning hours. Secondly, the couch was narrow and lumpy. At least she had her own pillow, which she’d brought with her from California. Still, it wasn’t enough to provide a comforting night’s sleep.

She had to move into Ramona’s bedroom. Which meant she had to broach the subject with Sophie.

Jack had taken Rufus out for a potty break. Now was as good a time as ever.

“Sophie, I need to talk to you about something,” Abby said. “Before we go to the Hayeses’.”

Sophie had just put the last bowl into the dishwasher and straightened, watching Abby with a wary expression. “What?”

“I need to sleep on a real bed, not the couch. I’m going to move into the bedroom.”

“Fine.” Sophie’s chin quivered, but she didn’t say anything further before heading out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Abby flinched at the sound of Sophie’s bedroom door slamming.

That went well.

Jack came running in with Rufus on his heels. “He did his business, Abby. Now there’s a yellow spot in the snow.”

Apparently, given Jack’s grin, yellow snow was a delightful outcome.

“Upstairs you go. You need a bath before we go to the Hayeses’.”

“I don’t really need one.”

“Trust me. You do.”

“Why’s everyone obsessed with baths?” Jack asked.

“Do you want to smell bad?”

“No.”

“Then you have to bathe on the regular.”

“Yeah, okay. I don’t want to smell like Ryan. He sits next to me at school.” Jack pinched his nose and waved his hand in front of his face. “I don’t think he takes many baths. His clothes are dirty too.”

The idea of a child who didn’t have access to baths or clean clothes made Abby’s heartache. “You must be kind to him, regardless. His family must be going through a hard time.”

“Yeah, okay. See you upstairs.” Jack ran out of the kitchen, with Rufus not far behind.

She hesitated before heading upstairs herself, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Hearing about the boy in Jack’s class hurt her in ways she didn’t completely understand. Except maybe because the responsibility of making sure Sophie and Jack had a childhood with a nice place to live, good food to eat, and an adult who always looked after them was hers and hers alone. If she messed this up, she would never forgive herself. She needed a job, to learn how to cook, to get Sophie to trust her. The list went on and on.

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