Page 67 of Second Round

“Have I told you that you’re an amazingwoman?”

“I am, aren’t I?” I liked her when she was like this. Spirited and flirty. I never knew what mood Jackie would be in, but I liked them all. She turned her face towards me, and I kissed her. She tasted like carrots andhappiness.

24

Charlotte’sWeb

Jackie

“What are you doing,Jackie?”

I was completely engrossed in my painting and hadn’t even noticed Charlotte sidling into the little studio I’d set up in thelaundryroom.

“I’m painting.” Ordinarily, I didn’t work while the kids were around, but with Tristan at soccer camp and Hannah and Charlotte playing a videogame with Noelle supposedly supervising them, I’d snuck away to paint. I still had so much to do fortheshow.

She did a slow circle of the cramped space. “May I look at them?” She motioned to some finished and half-completed works stacked againstthewall.

“Sure.” I took a wide brush and dipped it in a yogurt tub of pale blue paint. I was starting a new canvas and I wanted to put a wash in the background to give it texture and depth. A task like this wouldn’t take too much thought, since Charlotte was bound to havequestions.

It had been a week since she’d arrived in Vancouver, and the more I got to know her, the more I enjoyed her quirky ways. She was introverted and very adult in her speech. She was a mini-Leo with her strong opinions of right and wrong. Her shyness hid an iron will, and I was beginning to fear that she was never going to take to Noelle. Noelle was a big Golden Retriever puppy: all emotion and action. She was the perfect babysitter for a bunch of hyperactive kids or outdoor campers. Charlotte was a Siamese indoor cat: full of imagination and sensitivity, and a disdain for Golden Retrieverpuppies.

“You’re a very good painter,” she declared. “I love the one with Minx in it. Did you do the paintings in mybedroom?”

“I did.” I laughed and confided, “You know, your father still hasn’trealizedthat.”

She sat cross-legged on the striped mat in front of the dryer. “That’s because he’s colour blind. Did youknowthat?”

“Yes. It’s so sad to me. I don’t think I could live without seeing all the beautifulcolours.”

“Papa says you can’t miss what you don’t know,” she answered. “But I agreewithyou.”

I continued to brush on the blue paint in textured criss-crosses, and Charlotte watched me. She was capable of being quiet for long periods of time, unlike Tristan andHannah.

“Would you like to paint?” Iaskedher.

Charlotte nodded. From my ragbag, I dug out an oversized logo t-shirt of Brent’s and put it over her beautiful t-shirt and capri set. Charlotte’s stylish, expensive clothes seemed impractical to me. And Sophie would also have been horrified to see Charlotte’s messy pigtails, but neither Leo nor Noelle knew a braid from theirbutts.

I placed a good-sized sheet of paper on the table and taped down the edges. Then I filled a few small plastic containers with diluted paint and put an old brush ineachone.

“If you keep the same brush in the same paint, the colours will stay bright andclean.”

“What should I paint?” sheasked.

“Just take your brushes for a walk on the paper. Make marks and don’t worry if they look like anything or not. Choose the colours you like andrelax.”

Charlotte carefully took out the purple paintbrush. For a time, we both painted side-by-side, each in our own heads. I had a lot of big decisions to make, and they were marinating in the back of my mind. Everything was physically in order for the move now, except for the big question: where were wemovingto?

Sharon was excited about the idea of our buying a house together and fixing it up. I’d gone to see the East Van rental she’d found, and it was nice. But I still wasn’t sure about leaving West Van. Even after Hannah and Tristan both declared they didn’t care where we lived, I worried about how they would react to a new neighbourhood and new friends. I had tried so hard to keep their lives the same, but change was unavoidable. Brent and I were both dating, and now their home was gone. Uncertainty was probably worse than moving. But I couldn’t make upmymind.

My thoughts were interrupted by the clattering of heavy footsteps on the stairs. Noelle burst into the room. “I am so sorry, Jackie. Hannah and I were playing DDR and Charlotte’s so quiet, I didn’t even notice she had disappeared. Is shebotheringyou?”

Charlotte’s eyes widened and her expression communicated don’t-make-me-leave.

“It’s okay, Noelle. Maybe I could ask you to start the dinner? There are potatoes on the counter that need to be peeled andsoaked.”

Noelle nodded. “Sure, no problem. I’ll set thetabletoo.”

After she left, Charlotte released a sigh of relief. Clearly, the little girl made character judgements and didn’t back away from them. Apparently, Noelle had failed, but I hadpassed.

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