wrong with needing help, and with the right support, she’s going to do very well. She’ll excel at everything.”
Except speaking.
I know the facts about selective mutism, but it still doesn’t make me feel better. The reality is, something happened to my daughter, and I’ve worked hard to assure my child nothing would ever happen to her again.
A knock on the door makes both Tricia and me jump, and then she laughs.
“Your nervous has made me nervous,” she teases as she stands for the door.
“Wait.” I reach forward for my sister. “I don’t want anyone else around. Just Katie, me, and Emily. I’m not turning this into an intervention or anything.”
Tricia frowns, but then she nods. “Okay. I’ll be upstairs.”
Upstairs? Why is she hanging out in her old room so much?
I shake the thought and open the door.
“Hey.”
“Hi.” My breath catches after that initial greeting. She’s cleaned up. Not dirt-laden or sweaty from a run or drenched from the rain. Of course, I already know she cleans up nicely from the night I walked her home, but I wasn’t really focused on her attire, even if I did steal her shoes.
That was kind of creepy, I remind myself.
I step back, allowing Emily to enter. She has a small present in her arms as well as an iPad. She looks around the big front room that opens onto the dining room though a large archway, taking everything in.
“Wow, this is really nice,” she says, scanning over the furniture that actually isn’t that nice.
“My mom tries to keep it up.”
“Your mom cleans your house? Does she still do your laundry?” she teases.
“No, smart-ass. This is her house.”
Emily stops in her inspection and stares at me. “You live with your mother?” As if the horror in the question wasn’t enough, the shock on her face is priceless.
“Yes, I’m thirty-six, a single father, and live with my mother. Satisfied? All the secrets are out.” I exhale, feeling us already starting out on the wrong foot. Her mouth, which was gaping, snaps shut, and she looks away from me. I swipe a hand through my loose hair and then take an elastic from my wrist and tie back the strands. I watch Emily observe me as I make quick work of my hair and then give her the explanation she really deserves.
“My dad died, and I decided to come home. My mom had this big house to herself, and I thought she could use the distraction of having Katie around. Plus, I was running out of options. Katie needed preschool, and I was at a loose end with work and daycare. It was just too much. I needed to put Katie first. She’s my priority.” I take another deep breath. “And that’s why you’re here.”
I step near her but don’t allow myself to touch her and point her to the dining room table. I’ve set out crayons and coloring sheets. Thank God my daughter likes the simple things. I’ve already mentioned sign language to Katie, but I have no idea if she understands the concept completely. This is where I’m hoping Emily can help. It was her bright idea after all.
Katie joins us as we sit at the table, and Emily immediately begins chattering about fairy tales and fairy godmothers. She’s given my daughter a book and tells her they can read it in a little bit. They draw stuff on the paper I provided, and I’m sitting back watching and wondering how she’s doing it. Emily isn’t a mother, yet the way she nurtures Katie is coming so naturally to her. I’m sad on behalf of my daughter, whose own mother wasn’t half as caring.
“What did you draw there?” Emily asks. Katie slides the paper to her, and Emily looks at it, then glances at my daughter. “A birthday cake. Is it your birthday?”
Emily sits straighter, gazing up at me. “Is it her birthday?”
I’m shaking my head when I hear footsteps behind me. “It’s Jess’s birthday. Tomorrow.” My little sister’s voice is too high for someone in her thirties. Her hand extends over my shoulder as she reaches forward toward Emily. “Hi, I’m Tricia, his sister. You should totally come to his party tomorrow night at Tom’s.”
Uhm, what the hell? Sami Knight will be there, and I haven’t had the chance to tell Sami I’m no longer interested. I don’t need some catfight over me and on my birthday no less, but then I start to wonder.