Page 67 of 7+Us Makes Nine

I leaned my cheek against the edge of the toilet and sighed.

I ran through all the things I needed to get done. Laundry needed to be folded and beds needed to be made. I needed to clean down the bathrooms as well. At least Jace’s and mine. I also needed to unload the dishwasher and get the dishes from breakfast clean.

Just thinking about all of it made me exhausted.

I flushed the toilet and stood up, then splashed more water in my face. I opened the doors underneath the bathroom sink and washed down Jace’s toilet. I cleaned down his bathroom while heaving for air, my exhaustion blanketing over my body like a heavy edifice.

All I wanted to do was roll back into bed and sleep.

I forced myself to get through the day. Forced myself to keep up with the demand of the household. I washed the dishes and just barely got the laundry folded. I gave my bathroom a quick wipe, knowing I was the only one who used it anyway. I didn’t mind if it had some spots here and there. Not if cutting corners in my own space could get me a fifteen-minute nap.

I laid down in bed as sweat dripped down my brow and closed my eyes.

And it wasn’t until the doorbell rang out that I was startled awake.

Shit.

The busses.

I threw a piece of gum into my mouth and wrapped my robe around me. I ran for the door, huffing and puffing before I threw it open. The boys ran into my arms and I kissed their heads, pulling them close as another bus pulled up. I heard the small pitter patter of Michaela’s feet as she ran up to all of us, and tears welled in my eyes as their lips peppered my cheeks with kisses.

“Miss Caffy! Look.”

Michaela held out her artwork for me to see. It was a drawing of all of us. Ivan and Dmitri were labeled, and she was in the middle holding their hands. The house was in the background and there was a pool and a hot tub. But it was the drawings of Jace and I that caught my eye. She’d drawn her father with his hand outstretched, and she had drawn me, holding his hand.

And she had labeled the picture ‘My Family’.

“You like it?” she asked.

I brought her in for a kiss on her forehead as I blinked my tears away.

“It’s perfect,” I said. “Now get inside. I think it’s time for an after-school treat.”

I closed the door and made my way for the refrigerator. Then I took a magnet from the top and adhered the picture right in the very middle of the stainless steel appliance. I wanted Jace to see it. To see how one of his children saw this family. Maybe it would bring him

some peace. A bit of comfort. Because I could only imagine how all of this was making him feel. If I was this sick about it, then I knew he was as well.

I hoped the picture would make him smile like it did me, even though we were still tiptoeing around one another.

“Can we have a snack?” Ivan asked.

“I’ll do you one better,” I said. “How about some ice cream?”

“Ice cream already!?” Dmitri asked. “What did we do?”

“What do you mean ‘what did you do’?” I asked. “You guys have all gotten good reports from school lately. You’ve been going to bed on time without fighting me over it. You’ve been eating all your vegetables at lunch. I think you guys deserve a treat.”

“Yay! A treat! A treat!” Michaela exclaimed.

“So, do you guys all want one scoop or two?” I asked.

“Two sounds great.”

I looked up and saw Jace standing in the hallway and his eyes were hanging heavily on my body. The kids rushed him, but I could see the exhaustion in his eyes. The fear bubbling underneath the surface of his strong exterior. I locked my eyes with him for what seemed like the first time in weeks, and as he made his way into the kitchen Michaela guided him to her picture on the fridge.

And the second he saw it, his eyes watered with tears.

“It’s beautiful, princess,” he said as he turned to me. “It’s perfect.”

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