Page 15 of A Taste of Grace

“Prettier, sweetheart. You’re unique in your own right. God knew you when you were in Mommy’s belly and said you would be queen. That is why we named you Esther. You’re royalty.”

“Like a princess?”

“No, a queen, sweetheart, like one who rules a kingdom. You’re worthy to sit on a throne.”

“Can I be a nice queen?”

I tickled her stomach until she bent over in laughter.

“You better be. It’s who you are, little one.”

Every time I shared this story with Esther, she lit up like a Christmas tree. Although Madeline gave up on motherhood, I would not tarnish my ex’s name until Esther was old enough to ask questions about why her mother left our family. Esther was as sharp as a tack. If she asked too many questions, I might call Madeline a crackhead.

“A new sitter is coming tonight, so tell me the rules of good behavior.”

Esther raised her short fingers and, one by one, recited our house rules in a strong, clear voice.

“Be kind. Listen. Have fun.” She lowered her hand and beamed, pleased that she remembered my exact words.

“Good girl.” I tickled my precious daughter until she bent over and almost fell on the carpeted floor.

When she caught her breath, she straightened her body.

“Now, get Hannah so you’ll be ready to meet our guest. I need to go.”

“I love you, Daddy.” Esther smacked me on the cheek, then whipped her small body around and rushed from my room as quickly as she had entered.

Madeline and I disagreed about a lot of things, but we did well when we created our girls. I loved them so hard it hurt. I would do anything to protect them as they grew into fearless women who never doubted that their daddy had their backs.

Breathless

I calledNita as I packed for my babysitting assignment with her great-nieces.

“Should I take anything special to your nephew’s house?”

My eyes roamed my room, looking for anything that might interest elementary-age kids.

“Not at all. Our family spoils those kids rotten. All they need is you and your beautiful spirit.”

“I can handle that.”

“Just tell my nephew hello. He can be uptight sometimes, so remind him to breathe.”

Uptight? Good to know.

“I will. Enjoy your evening, Nita.”

“You too, Grace.”

Since Nita’s nephew sounded a little high-strung, I refused to babysit unprepared. I walked about my family room, retrieving my laptop, colorful markers, drawing paper, and a new box of Uno cards. Did little kids play Uno? I’d find out tonight. I moved to my bathroom and rummaged through a small case of nail polish. I pulled out the glittery ones and put them in the bag along with other nail supplies. Manicures and pedicures were always a hit with little girls.

I walked by the bathroom mirror, checking myself out and brushing my peach gloss over my moisturized lips. I was cute.

“You’ve got this, girl.”

Time for a new adventure.

I pulled into the wide driveway of a gorgeous ranch house that looked like a relatively new build. It sat on at least an acre of land with a thick patch of trees behind it. It was a perfect home for a pastor, neat and painted in neutral colors that didn’t draw unwanted attention to it.

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