Each girl struck a pose in front of Amelia, spinning this way and that for her approval.”
“It looks good, Ava. But I liked it when the three of you wore the same sundresses. I made lots of them. Do it for me again?”
“Augh, Abuela, no. Sundresses are the worst,” Ava said and twisted, strutting all the way back to the stairs.
Mia sashayed out the elevator, channeling Ava, but her step-out kick could have put an eye out.
“I’m wearing skinny jeans.” She did a twirl, luckily staying on her feet in the end. I was impressed. She also wore a seafoam green T-shirt with sea turtles on the front. She stopped in front of me, one hip cocked to one side, her head tilted to the other, and her fist landed on the wrong hip. “I bought most of my clothes from Save the Oceans.” She pivoted to Amelia for the final say. “Abuela, my shoes are made from recycled ocean plastic.” The show paused when her gaze lifted to the ceiling in thought. “It’s maybe from Save the Manatees.” Her stare lowered back to Amelia. “It’s something like that.”
She shrugged and grinned happily.
“It’s very nice,” Amelia said. “But know what I’d like?”
“For us to dress the same again.”
Dash chuckled at the way Mia rolled her eyes. Her good nature returned instantly, and she kissed Amelia’s cheek before darting up the stairs. Livie came next. She wore a bright yellow, sunflower inspired dress. Her sandals and pretty hair clasp matched. She walked straight to Amelia.
Since the big schooling discussion and learning she had no real friends, which was difficult for us to absorb as parents, we’d all given her more attention and love. “Little girl, you look lovely. Put together effortlessly. I want your sisters to wear your clothes.”
Livie beamed even as Ava came halfway down the steps, sticking a finger in her mouth and giving a gagging sound.
“Ava,” my mom said, trotting down the steps, taking Ava’s hand as they came to the bottom stair. “Livie concludes tonight’s fashion show. Please give a round of applause to Livie, Mia, and Ava. Without them, there’d be no show.”
Mia hopped down the stairs to land next to her sisters, already giving bows. We all clapped at their performances. Dash was the first to his feet. “Hunter, Fisher, tell your sisters they look nice.”
That was one thing my kids did well. They parroted the compliment we required them to say, never looking up from the devices in their hands.
“Need help hanging everything up?” Dash asked just as the front door swung open. West, our little cowboy in training due to Scott’s influence, was starting pre-K this year and couldn’t be less interested in going to school. His new school clothes lay in sealed packages on his bed, namely, five pairs of blue jeans, five western shirts, underwear, and socks. My mom ordered them from Amazon.
A few months back, Scott bought West a cowboy hat to match his. My boy wore it now, along with a matching gray hoodie, starched blue jeans, and matching boots. Both wore aviator sunglasses with mirrored lenses. We were still in the long summer season, but no one needed sunglasses at this hour of the evening.
“Watch this.” Scott put West on his feet in the living room, where his thumbs went instantly to his front pockets. Dash was on his A-game, already filming as Scott turned Spotify on with his phone. A twangy Brooks & Dunn country song began playing. Both man and boy began boot scooting, shuffling their feet in a dance, around the living room floor. West held the rhythm and movements like a pro until everyone began to cheer for him. He lacked no confidence as he raised his fists high with pride, the other children got involved, mimicking West’s dancing style.
The song changed and Scott handed West a toothpick. They put them in their mouths at the same time. They’d added props to their show. West’s thumb hitched back into his pocket, and he continued to dance, scooting without missing a beat.
West was an absolute cutie. Tall for his age, he stood out in a crowd, exuding my fearless vibe. West was naturally gifted with safety, meaning every time he hurled his body from the boat into the ocean, he popped up again. Thank goodness for a well-equipped life jacket. None of the children went without one.
“Well done,” I clapped. The rest were cheering for themselves and West, offering a congratulatory high five to each other. The little guy’s grin landed on Dash who was still recording, and he tilted his hat. I couldn’t help laughing as I hoisted him up in my arms, giving him a tight hug. “You gonna be a dancer?”
West tilted his hat back on his head and swiped off his sunglasses. “I’m gonna be a cowboy and have a horse, and it’s gonna be black as night. And me and my horse are gonna do cowboy things. Then I’m gonna get a cowgirl to ride on the back with me.” The declaration was swift and sure. I glanced at Dash to make sure he’d caught that moment too.
“Those are mighty big goals, little man,” Dash said. “Where are you gonna keep that horse?”
That question took a second to answer. “In the backyard.”
What a great life goal. I hugged him tighter before Dash came and took him out of my arms. School started soon and these unexpected joyful nights would lose their frequency. They were all growing up too fast.
Dash
I tried to lay down a foundation where Beau and I would sleep well tonight.
We drank a glass of wine, talked together outside, and swam in our secret alcove of the swimming pool. When we came to bed, I made sweet, gentle love to him. I came on his ass to alleviate the need of a thorough cleaning then held my love in silence while I tried to sleep. From there, I tossed and turned, before finally giving up altogether. I quietly made my way to the living room and read the files I’d brought home by lamplight. The scattered pages went in different stacks in an attempt to utilize the organizational system my brain operated best with.
They’d gathered quite a bit of information already, and I agreed there were more than these women to add to the mix. Predators didn’t stop preying, especially when they got away with it. The gaps were sometimes years apart, then bam, three times in a single year. It stood to reason that there was so much we didn’t know.
The thought of the creepy sport between father and sons made me want to vomit. When had their sick games started? Who else knew?
I couldn’t help wondering what life would have been like if Beau and I had stayed with that family. What if he hadn’t rescued me? The emotional roller coaster of the whole saga was going to be a tough ride.
