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“Great, then I’ll see you Saturday.”
I left the coffee shop feeling better about things. I felt like I had settled the nanny situation. I was certain Lily would like her once she got to talk with her. Yes, Lily might be a little anxious at first simply because of Deanna’s look. But I wanted to believe my daughter was not judgmental. She was too young to be jaded…I hoped.
I drove to Cam’s apartment, which was now Cam and Izzy’s apartment. The luxury condo was great for them. They got to live freely in the city with all the bells and whistles. I preferred my house surrounded by trees and tall fences with a gate. I liked the quiet life. I liked that Lily could go out back and play with her toys or run around in lush grass without worrying about her getting hit by a car or snatched off the street.
Cam opened the door and shook his head. “I didn’t do it,” he said.
I sighed when I heard the music pumping from the living room. “Let me guess, ice cream?”
Cam laughed. “Maybe a little. Izzy says she’s helping Lily get all the energy out of her system. I hope these units are built as good as they claim or my downstairs neighbor is going to file a complaint.”
I followed him into the living room, standing near the entry and watching my sister and Lily dance like no one was watching. “Nice music,” I said dryly.
“Your kid,” he said. “How in the hell did she discover Billy Joel? Don’t you listen to good stuff at home? We’re going to have to stage an intervention. This cannot go on. Wasn’t it Adele a few weeks ago?”
“It was.” I nodded. “But I think Billy Joel is better than the gangsta rap she stumbled onto. I had to nix that pretty quick.”
As I watched my daughter twirl around the dance floor, a mixture of pride and nostalgia washed over me. It seemed like only yesterday she was a little girl, and now she had blossomed into a graceful little lady. She had always loved dancing. I really thought she was going to stick with the ballet, but Lily was a free spirit, going where the wind took her.
The dimly lit room was adorned with colorful lights, creating an enchanting atmosphere. Piano music filled the air, casting a spell that made everything else fade away. The lights from the city of Boston glittered in the night sky visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the high-rise apartment.
I watched them with a bittersweet smile. Izzy had always been the free-spirited one, unafraid to chase her dreams, while I had taken a more conventional path in life. Despite our differences, we had always shared a special bond, and seeing her dance with my daughter was a beautiful reminder of the ties that bind us. I was glad the old, playful Izzy was back. Her ex had done a number on her, and when she first returned to Boston, I was afraid the light in her eyes had gone out for good. Cam brought her back to life.
“She’s happy,” I said.
Cam was beaming as he watched them. “They both are.”
Lost in the moment, I remembered the days when Izzy and I were children, spending countless hours practicing our dance routines in our parents’ living room. I was tall and lanky and completely uncoordinated. Izzy had always been the graceful one. I was glad Lily would have her aunt nearby to help her through the years of puberty when a dad was probably not a girl’s first choice.
As the music reached its crescendo, my daughter spun and twirled, her eyes shining with joy. I could see her pure happiness radiating from within. She spotted me and started giggling. “Come dance!”
“This is not dancing music,” I said with a laugh.
Izzy walked over and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the middle of the room. “All music is dancing music!”
Lily was giggling as Izzy spun me around. Giving into the need to move, I grabbed Lily and started to dance with her. I had no rhythm but that didn’t seem to matter. It was piano music, not drums. I wasn’t sure anyone could dance to “Uptown Girl.” At least no one under the age of sixty.
When the song ended, Cam shut off the sound system. “Now we wait to see if we get served with an eviction,” he said.
“That was fun.” Lily giggled.
“Please tell me you actually ate some dinner,” I said.
“We had McDonald’s,” she announced.
I looked at my sister. “Really?”
“I was running late and didn’t have time to go to the store.” She shrugged. “A cheeseburger now and then isn’t going to kill her.”
“Did you do your homework?” I asked Lily.
“I didn’t have any,” she answered.
“Ah, so you just got to eat ice cream and cheeseburgers and dance your little face off,” I said with a laugh.
“Yep!”
“Go get your stuff,” I told her. “We need to get home. I need to figure out how to use that washing machine again.”
