Shy-Diapers

Charlotte shrugged. “She was only placed into foster care about a week ago. And it seems her school didn’t bother doing much in the way of trying to find motives or even correct her behavior.” She said shaking her head. She took a breath and let out a large sigh. “I don’t know what to think to be honest. Maybe we can talk about this later. At this point there’s not much we can do unless we send her back. Other than that all we can do is wait around and keep an eye on her.” Lani sniffled and couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her face as she heard the adults talking about her. She jumped a little bit in her seat when Tom addressed her directly. “I like to read.” She answered meekly, clearly scared and unsure. “I’m sorry.” She added after the fact, apologizing for her file and the behaviors within it. “Are you gonna send me back now?” She asked sadly, keeping her eyes on her lap.

Lani didn’t say anything but accepted the juice and was more than happy to drink it. Maybe this new house wasn’t so bad. “Sometimes.” She said quietly. She did watch TV at home, but not too often. She had a few shows she watched on repeat when she could, but wasn’t glued to the television most days. “Mommy says TV is too loud, so I only get to watch it sometimes.” She said without thinking twice. It wasn’t much, but she was slowly opening up about her mother and her home life. Wanting to be good, Leilani flipped through the channels until she found some cartoon. She wasn’t interested in whatever it was, but Tom seemed to want her to watch something. She instead was still looking around and trying to take everything in around her, as well as the fidgeting that hadn’t stopped since arriving. Charlotte grabbed Lani’s file from her bag from earlier and handed it to Tom in the living room. The file had various documentations in it from over the years. It had reports of her acting out at school, bullying other kids, stealing from other kids, stealing from stores on occasion, as well as general disobedience and refusal to listen. None of it was very detailed, but there sure was a lot. The file also stated some vague details about Lani’s living situation, simply stating she lived with her mother and was removed from her care due to neglect. Lani’s face fell when Tom asked for her file. She set her half empty juice cup down and stared at her lap. She knew from experience this past week that whenever someone actually had a good look in her file, her time there was cut extremely short. She was trying not to let it show, but she was scared and sad. She had started to feel comfortable around Tom and now she’d be sent away. She kept her eyes down, sitting as still as she could muster as tears welled up in her eyes.

“I’m sorry.” Lani mumbled softly when Tom acknowledged how she felt about the clothes. She really didn’t like how the nightgown felt on her. She felt bad that it seemed to be obvious to Tom. She wasn’t supposed to let on that she wasn’t happy or comfortable. Charlotte raised her eyebrows in surprise when Tom said she was an angel. That was completely different from everything they’d read and heard about the child in her file. Maybe the file was wrong, though that wouldn’t explain why seven separate families didn’t want to keep her for more than a day. “Mommy isn’t lazy!” Lani protested, frowning and scowling when Tom started talking poorly about her mother. She may not have understood what was wrong with her situation, but she understood he was saying something negative about her beloved mother. Charlotte frowned when Lani got upset. She supposed she couldn’t blame the little girl for being protective of her mother. She didn’t know what to say so she just nodded when Tom said they’d talk more later. She went back to cooking dinner and made sure to check the time occasionally so she wouldn’t be late picking up Rebecca. A little overwhelmed with all the information Tom was throwing at her, Lani didn’t know what to say for a moment. “I like reading.” She managed to squeak out before he started telling her what to call him. She was feeling more and more overwhelmed with how much information she was being given. When she was ushered away to the backyard, she just stared out at it. She wasn’t used to playing outside too much since she didn’t have a nice yard at home and she wasn’t very coordinated or good at running. “I’m okay.” She she said quietly. She didn’t know what to think or do at the moment. She was trying to internalize and remember everything Tom had told her as well as memorizing the layout of the house. She was hungry of course, but she knew better than to say so.

Lani let the nightgown fall again when Tom said it was okay. She didn’t think twice about showing him that the underwear weren’t falling off, especially since she didn’t want him to think she was lying. She frowned a bit when he mentioned safety pinning the clothes. She couldn’t articulate why she didn’t like that idea, but she didn’t comment on it. She decided she’d try to deal with it so she wouldn’t upset him. After it was pinned she frowned again, not liking how it felt with the extra fabric bunched up and pinned to make the nightgown smaller than it was. She was doing her best to tolerate it, but was fidgeting more than she was earlier. Walking around the rest of the house, Lani looked up at Tom and was doing her best to take in and remember everything he was saying, especially when it came to the rules. She was determined to do her best to follow these rules and be as well behaved as she could. In her mind, if she was bad again she’d be sent away and wouldn’t get to see her mother again. She stiffened when she saw Charlotte in the kitchen when Tom took her downstairs. She hadn’t expected to see her back and didn’t hear the door at all. She didn’t say anything, but instead stayed close to Tom’s side while he continued to show her around, occasionally glancing at Charlotte when she started talking. Charlotte smiled when she saw Tom and Lani come downstairs. “Hey there sweetie, how are you settling in? I see you got a nice bath.” She said sweetly, bending down to Lani’s level. She frowned when Lani didn’t say anything in response and stood up to look at Tom. “How’s it going?”

Leilani approached Tom a little shyly, but she wasn’t as afraid of him as before. She looked up at him and shrugged a little bit. She didn’t really understand what he meant by being attached to her clothes. They were simply what she had. None of them were her favorites or anything. “Mommy said I don’t need new clothes.” She said nonchalantly. “Clothes are expensive.” Sometimes the way she spoke seemed to be unnatural for a seven year old child. She had a tendency to parrot what the adults around her said. She felt embarrassed when he kept going on about her clothes. She didn’t really understand what was wrong with them, but Tom seemed very focused on them. She knew she didn’t have nice and fancy or new clothes like other kids at school, but she didn’t really understand why it was bad. She let him look over her feet while she watched him with curiosity. “They’re okay.” She said softly, talking about her underwear. She lifted up her nightgown to show Tom. He was being nice to her and she didn’t want him to think she was lying about how they fit her. They were certainly too big, but seemed to be just tight enough to get by without any safety pins.

Lani looked up curiously when Tom said he’d get her something of Rebecca’s to wear. She didn’t know why she wouldn’t be wearing her own clothes. She wanted to ask him but didn’t want to get in trouble for questioning him, so she stayed quiet. She followed him to the bathroom and felt the water. The temperature was fine so she just nodded without saying anything. She turned back to face him when he spoke again. “I can wash them myself.” She said responsibly. She was used to doing her own laundry at home, though she didn’t ever use the washer since she didn’t know how and her mother didn’t like her trying to use it anyway. When Tom finally left, she got undressed and put her clothes on the closed toilet seat and left her shoes on the floor. She made sure to place her clothes in a way that the stashed chicken nuggets from before wouldn’t be seen. Leilani washed herself in the bath as best she knew how, though she decided not to try to wash her hair. She wasn’t good at getting herself clean by any means, especially in important places, but it was good enough to get any visible dirt off her slender body. She got dressed in the clothes and picked up her own. The nightgown was much too big for her, but the underwear at least weren’t falling off her. They were definitely loose and too big, but could get by without being pinned. Lani took a deep breath and exited the bathroom. She didn’t know where anything was other than her room. She frowned and walked down the hall towards it. She didn’t know where Tom would be since she hadn’t gotten a tour of any other parts of the house. While Lani was in the bath upstairs, Charlotte came home and not seeing either her husband or the little girl, decided she’d start dinner. She figured she’d give them some space.

Leilani looked up at Tom curiously as he spoke to her. He didn’t seem to fully understand what she meant but she didn’t say anything. She just decided she’d do what he asked of her when the time came. “A toy?” She asked with raised eyebrows. “Mommy says I’m too old for toys.” She said nonchalantly. When he had said he’d buy her some things she hadn’t imagined he’d meant a toy. She couldn’t remember the last time her mother had bought her toys. She swallowed hard and sat on the bed next to him as he instructed. She looked up at him curiously as he continued to talk. None of the other families had spoken to her like this before. None of them cared to get to know her at all. In reality she didn’t get much further than house rules and the adults reading over her file before she was sent away again. She decided not to say anything about why the other families didn’t keep her, hoping if she didn’t bring it up this family wouldn’t send her back. “I’m not scared!” She insisted, the softness she had showed before going away as she stiffened up to defend herself. She relaxed a little when he hugged her. It caught her off guard and she didn’t expect it or for it to comfort her. She climbed off her bed and laid out the clothes she had in her bag. None of it was in good shape. Each item was stained or were starting to fray. It all seemed dingy and not quite clean as well. This wasn’t even taking into account that none of it was the right size for the little girl, it was all too small. “No!” She insisted when Tom mentioned Charlotte helping her bathe. She really didn’t like that idea for multiple reasons. “I know how to bathe myself!” She added after the fact. She’d been bathing herself at home for quite a while and was quite accustomed to it.

Lani obediently took Tom’s hand and followed him up the stairs. She was silently taking in all of her surroundings and was quite amazed by how big the house was. She was also surprised to be getting her own bedroom. “This is all for me?” She asked curiously as she looked around. Everything was so new and clean. The bed was so much bigger than her bed at home. At home she had a small twin sized mattress on a basic metal bed frame. The bed here was a double sized mattress on an actual wood frame with a headboard and everything. The room was the family’s guest bed before they got approved to foster Lani. The bed had a white quilt with purple and pink ruffled fabric in horizontal stripes across and had pale blue sheets underneath. “Like buy me things?” She asked with skepticism in her voice. “What do I gotta do?” She scowled a bit and looked up at Tom, trying to figure out his motives and what the trade off would be. Charlotte smiled. Seeing Rebecca so happy and herself made her momentarily forget the disappointment she felt in how things with Lani were going so far. “That’s great sweetie! I’m so proud of you! You’ve been working really hard this summer.” She said cheerfully. “Daddy and I will do our absolute best to be at any games you get to play in. I don’t want to promise something unless we know for sure, but we will most certainly try!” Charlotte was always careful ever since Rebecca was a baby to not make promises she wasn’t sure she could keep, wanting to build a healthy and trusting relationship with her daughter. “Daddy or I will come pick you up after practice as usual.” She said when they arrived. She unlocked the car and let Rebecca out, keeping a watchful eye on her until she saw her successfully reach her coach and teammates. Once she knew Rebecca was safe and sound, she started the drive back home.

Lani straightened for a moment when Tom started rubbing her back. She was on edge still. She didn’t know how to respond to this question. She didn’t feel comfortable around either adult so far, but she was somewhat more trusting of Tom, partially because he’d actually introduced himself to her. When Charlotte squatted down and reached out to hug her, Lani took a big step backwards and shouted “NO!” as confidently as she could muster. She didn’t really even think before she said it, but rather it just came out. Charlotte tried not to feel offended when Lani clearly didn’t want to be near her. It definitely hurt though. She forced another smile and stood up. “I’ll take Becks then.” She told Tom. She turned to her daughter in the kitchen. “Do you have your water bottle kiddo?” Lani kept a watchful eye on Charlotte as she got up and eventually left with Rebecca. She felt a little safer now though that didn’t say much.

Lani eyed the extra food nervously. It felt like a trap to her. Of course she wanted the food being offered to her. She didn’t know when she’d get fed again. At the same time however, she didn’t want to get in trouble for taking it. Thinking quickly, she grabbed the fries and scarfed them down without saying anything. She was willing to risk getting in trouble if it meant she got more to eat. Charlotte grabbed her bag and collected the trash from everyone’s food before unlocking the front door. “Let me know if you want me to do your hair real quick.” She said with a smile when Rebecca hugged her. She lightly patted her back to tell her to head upstairs to change. “And make sure you try to go to the bathroom before we leave!” She called as an afterthought. The girl had gone close to an hour ago, but she knew bathrooms weren’t easy to access at the girl’s soccer practice and the soda would make her need to go eventually. “Do you want to take her or should I? It’s too late for her to catch a ride with her friend like usual.” She asked her husband as he brought Lani in the house. Lani looked up at Tom while he spoke to her but avoided eye contact. She still wasn’t too fond of anyone yet. “My room?” She asked in surprise. She had her own room at home with her mom but hadn’t had her own in any of the previous foster homes. They either didn’t have enough rooms for each kid or they were reserved for the biological children. She wanted to hold her backpack herself, but wasn’t going to tell him that. It wasn’t worth a fight or getting in trouble. She obediently followed him inside the house and tried unsuccessfully to hide her shock. The house seemed huge to her and it was so clean and nice. It was nothing like she was used to at home.

Lani took the food and drink that were handed to her without saying much. A quiet and reflexive “Thank you” was all that she said. Without any hesitation, the little girl started devouring her food. When nobody was looking at her however, she did sneak two of her chicken nuggets into one of the pockets of her overalls. She wasn’t sure the next time she’d be offered food, so she wanted to make sure she had something in case she wasn’t fed later. Once she’d stashed away some food for later, Lani quickly polished off the rest of her food, including every single French fry and her entire drink. “That sounds like a good idea. Some sense of normalcy will be good for Becks too. I don’t want her to feel like Leilani is taking things away from her that she likes to do.” Charlotte agreed. She started eating her meal while occasionally glancing back at the girls. At least they weren’t fighting.

Charlotte sighed. “We can talk more about everything at home. I don’t want to worry either of the girls or talk about Leilani’s business in front of Becks.” She suggested. They seemingly had more to talk about when they got home than she’d planned. “I’ll just get a ten piece nugget meal with a coke.” She said as she glanced at the girls in the mirror. At least it seemed like Rebecca was trying to get to know Leilani. “It’s okay honey. She’s probably just nervous. She doesn’t know us at all and is going to live with us for a while. She probably has a lot on her mind.” She said gently. She could tell Rebecca was just being thoughtful and worried, but didn’t want to start a pattern of talking about the girl like she wasn’t around. Lani pulled her arm away when Rebecca reached out to touch her. She didn’t like this older girl suddenly putting her hands on her. “I’m not scared!” She responded sharply. She wasn’t going to let this other girl get away with thinking she was a helpless baby. “And I don’t need help!” She turned her head back to looking out the window, not in the mood for this other girl.

Charlotte nodded. She turned around to look at the two girls. She kept a cheery smile though it was only for show. She had thought the girls would be talking by now but it seemed things would be more difficult than they’d thought. “We’re gonna stop for McDonald’s so we can get something to eat.” She informed both of them before turning specifically to Rebecca. “Becks, what do you want to eat?” Once she’d taken note of her daughter’s order she turned to Lani. “Leilani sweetie what do you want to eat?” Lani straightened when she heard Charlotte talking directly to her. She still kept her gaze averted however. “I’ll eat anything, Miss.” She responded without much thought. Charlotte frowned. “Are you sure sweetie? You can order anything you want.” She urged gently. “And you don’t have to call me Miss. You can call me Charlotte, Aunt Charlotte, or Aunt C, if you don’t want to call me Mom or Mommy.” When Lani didn’t respond after that, Charlotte sighed and turned back to Tom. “Let’s just get her the same thing as Becks I guess.” Lani turned back to look out the window after Charlotte was done talking to her. She didn’t feel comfortable around this woman at all yet. She hadn’t even introduced herself to Lani in the office. She knew from the past few days that there would be lots of questions with this new family, and she wasn’t looking forward to it.

Charlotte sighed a bit and looked at the two girls in the back of the car. She started to wonder if taking in this girl was a good idea or not. “Well I guess we can just stop for McDonald’s on the way home. She seems too shy to want to go in somewhere.” She suggested. She sighed for a second and turned to Rebecca. “I heard you sweetheart. Daddy and I are talking about food right now.” She explained gently. Lani kept her eyes on her lap for the most part. She’d sometimes turn and look out the window but she didn’t look over at Rebecca at all, even when the older girl spoke to her. She didn’t trust this girl yet. Some of her previous foster siblings had been really mean to her. And this girl should know her name anyway. Maria had said it in her office to Charlotte and Tom. She decided not to say anything and just continue to stay quiet. She was still doing her best to stay still, but she continued to fidget and squirm in her seat.

Lani didn’t say anything as Tom got her buckled into the carseat. She didn’t know anything about this other girl and wasn’t sure about her. She worried this other girl wouldn’t like her or would end up being a bully. She kept a careful eye on Rebecca and Charlotte, wanting to anticipate anything bad that might happen. Charlotte sighed a bit. She had hoped the girls would get along from the get go. That didn’t seem to be happening however. She was a little disappointed that Rebecca wouldn’t even introduce herself to the girl. This would seemingly be an awkward twenty minute car ride. She turned to Tom as she gestured for Rebecca to climb in the other side of the car. “Should we stop for something on the way home you think? Or just wait until we get there. Is she hungry at all?” She asked him as she got in the front seat of the car.

Charlotte smiled and walked out with Rebecca. She was mostly keeping her big smile on to help her daughter feel a bit better. “Looks like Daddy took Leilani out to the car already.” She said cheerfully. After confirming everything was settled with Maria, she walked with Rebecca out to the car. “Why don’t you introduce yourself honey.” She encouraged gently once they were almost to the car. Lani shrugged when Tom mentioned the car seat. She didn’t mind it and besides, she knew it wasn’t something she could fight. And she didn’t want to put up any fuss since she had to make this family want to keep her for a while. She of course would rather be home, but she understood that for a while she had to live with other people. She also had been told that this was her last chance to be with a real family and if she ruined this one too she might not get to go back home. She stiffened a bit and straightened her back when Tom patted her. She occasionally glanced up at him to see him putting the carseat in. She was small enough to still need one, but was big enough now to be able to be in one with a traditional seatbelt and not the harness. She inched ever so slightly closer to Tom when she saw Rebecca and Charlotte coming out. She knew who they were but they hadn’t introduced themselves to her and she didn’t know how old the bigger girl was.

Charlotte didn’t feel comfortable with what Rebecca suggested. “I’m just going to turn my back sweetheart. I don’t want you going with the door open.” She explained as she did so, along with locking the door. “You’re not being rude sweetie. I know she seems strict and not very nice. I’m sure she’s just tired and busy. We all get grumpy sometimes.” She empathized while trying to reason. She didn’t totally believe what she was saying, but wanted to give Maria the benefit of the doubt. “Once you’re done we can see if Leilani is ready to go. I’ll try to make things as quick as possible but I might need to talk to Maria some more with Daddy.” Maria nodded and gave Tom the car seat they had for Lani. The office couldn’t supply much for the children, but car seats for kids who needed them were something they made sure they had when necessary. Lani stayed quiet while the adults talked about her. They weren’t saying anything overtly negative, well not yet anyway. She did blush a bit at being called restless. She wasn’t trying to squirm, she just couldn’t stay still for a variety of reasons. Outside she looked at her feet and nodded. “I’m okay.” She fibbed out of habit. She didn’t need to use the bathroom, but she was quite hungry. Regardless though she wasn’t used to being allowed to express such needs. She was always taught it was rude and naughty. Lani wanted to make the best impression on this family that she could so she was determined to do everything in her power to be on her absolute best behavior.

Lani nodded. She didn’t really have much of an opinion on this family in particular. She knew this was her last chance though. And she kept being told she might never see her mom again if this house didn’t work out. She put her hands in her pockets and looked away, her mind still racing. She hesitantly took Tom’s hand when he offered it to her. She didn’t say anything, but food sounded amazing. She was removed from the previous foster family’s home early that morning and Maria had been too busy to think to offer her food. She was starving and would happily eat almost anything right now. Charlotte stood up and approached Maria again. “Do you have a restroom we can use?” She asked hopefully. Once the social worker nodded and directed the two, Charlotte took Rebecca down a short hallway to a small bathroom with just a toilet, sink, and trash can. She closed the door and smiled. “Do you want me to wait outside the door or just turn around while you go?” She asked gently. She wanted to give her daughter the space and privacy she needed, but recognized this was an anxiety producing situation and environment.

Charlotte frowned. Her file said quite a lot but it said nothing about possible malnutrition. She didn’t have much time to focus on that though, sensing Rebecca needed her. She bent down and hugged her daughter for a moment. “It’s okay honey. I know this is all a lot right now. Do you want to introduce yourself to Leilani or wait a few minutes?” She asked gently. Tom and Charlotte had a tendency to baby their daughter a bit. Not detrimentally so, but being their only child they definitely doted on her. Leilani squirmed in place and looked down at her feet, she had looked up long enough to see who was in front of her but that was it. She didn’t know what to say to him, scared to say the wrong thing. “Leilani, I know you have manners. Say look at them and say hi, introduce yourself.” Maria instructed the small girl. She really wanted the girl to behave and things to go well, knowing this was the girl’s last chance before going to a group home. “H-Hi.” Leilani squeaked out quickly, looking up at Tom for a few moments before averting her gaze again. “I’m Lani.” She added, fiddling with the frayed straps of her dirty backpack on her back. She wasn’t trying to be rude by being quiet, she was just worried and scared.

Charlotte took a deep breath and followed her husband to the office. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but this wasn’t it. She smiled and shook Maria’s hand, momentarily letting go of Rebecca’s. “Hi, I’m Charlotte, this is my husband Tom and our daughter Rebecca.” She introduced herself warmly. Maria smiled and shook the hands of the adults. “It’s nice to meet you, we spoke on the phone. My name is Maria.” She said with a nod. She gestured to the small girl across from her desk. “That’s Leilani. And just to be absolutely sure, you’ve looked over her file and you definitely want to take her in?” She asked hopefully. “In all honesty, you’re her last hope before she goes to a group home.” Leilani looked up at the seemingly perfect family that walked in. They all seemed so well dressed and nice. In her mind they looked exactly like the kind of family you’d see on TV. She hung her head when she heard Maria start to talk about her and though she tried not to, she couldn’t help but fidget a bit in her seat. What if they don’t want me? What if I do something bad? What if one doesn’t like me? Is the girl nice? Her mind was racing with a million questions and fears as she stared silently at her lap. Charlotte smiled and nodded. “Yes, we definitely want her.” She confirmed quickly. “But she’s awfully tiny. I thought she was eight? Did I misread?” She started to pull Leilani’s file out of her bag before Maria stopped her. Maria shook her head. “She’ll be eight in one week. She’s small for her age, possibly due to malnutrition.” She pointed to the floor next to her and spoke to the small girl. “Leilani come here.” She said in a stern voice. Leilani was shaken from her trance and she quickly stood up and hurried to stand next to Maria. She looked down at her feet as the adults talked about her. She was trying so hard to stay still. On a good day that was a difficult task for the girl, let alone when she was scared and anxious, plus her sneakers were at least two sizes too small and were hurting her feet.

Charlotte smiled. She had a short blonde bob with greyish blue eyes. She had wanted to be a mother ever since she was a small child. She was thrilled when she got pregnant with Rebecca 10 years ago, and always wanted to give her a sibling. She found it difficult to get pregnant again after Rebecca though, so they turned to adoption and then foster care. After struggling to find children ready to be adopted, her husband and her decided to foster. After a few months they had been paired with a little girl and the family couldn’t be more excited. Today was the day and the family had arrived at the social services office on the other side of town. ”I have everything we need right here.” She told her husband, patting her tote bag with a smile as they climbed out of the car. She had checked numerous times that she had all the paperwork and documents they could possibly need. “Rebecca, I know you’re excited but we need you to be on your best behavior when we go inside. Daddy and I will probably need to talk to the social worker and your new sister so please be good.” She reminded her daughter gently. She was never very good at being strict unless she absolutely had to, but she wanted the meeting of their new foster daughter to go smoothly. Inside the large building in front of the family was the county’s social services office. It was small and mostly just a few offices, no real place to keep children long term. Leilani sat on a chair in the view of her caseworker, Maria, not being allowed to leave without permission. She was given a piece of paper and a pencil, though she didn’t enjoy having to keep still for so long. The small girl was seven years old, set to turn eight in exactly one week. Her dark brown nearly black hair was pulled back into a crude ponytail, clearly still tangled and not well taken care of. She had on some dingy denim overalls and a blue Tshirt, both of which looked old and not quite the right size for her, despite being small for her age and looking more like a six year old. Her medium brown skin was pale and dirty. Occasionally glancing up at Maria, Leilani kept her head down and scribbled on the paper in front of her, doing her best to sit still, though she wasn’t very successful and was quite squirmy. She’d been removed from her mother’s care a week ago now and had been bounced around a few foster homes but nobody wanted to keep her once they learned of her file. Supposedly there was another family coming to get her today, but Leilani knew inside that it wouldn’t be different. She worried what these new people would be like. She missed her mother greatly and still didn’t quite understand why she couldn’t go home, having only been told that her mother couldn’t care for her properly. Everyone always phrased it as if it was Leilani’s fault and bad behavior that caused her to get taken away. Her mother did warn her before that how she behaved could get her taken, though she never meant to misbehave. She glanced at the digital clock on Maria’s desk, she said the family would be here around 11:30 or so, and that meant they’d be there any minute now.

Charlotte sighed. Jessica had just apologized to them about being mean to Lani, and now she was acting like she didn’t know what to say to her. She shook her head. At least the girls weren’t fighting. “Why don’t the girls go play or watch TV.” She suggested, not being thrilled with Tom’s suggestion to relax. She didn’t think it did her any good to be told to relax when she was trying to guide their daughter. “It’s okay.” Lani responded instinctively. She wasn’t used to anyone properly apologizing to her, so Jessica’s forced apology wasn’t new to her. She just knew what was expected of her when someone said anything of the sorts to her.

Charlotte poured Jessica some more milk. She sighed a bit when she didn’t listen to what she said earlier. At least she was trying to get along though. “It’s not me and Daddy that you should apologize to.” She said gently. She wasn’t happy that Jessica was still talking about Lani like she wasn’t there, but wasn’t going to push the issue. Lani stared at her lap when she was finished eating. She didn’t know what to do with Jessica. She didn’t like that this girl kept talking about her like she wasn’t there. She wanted to say something, but it didn’t seem to be worth it. Besides, she was more worried about being good so she didn’t get sent away. She was determined to behave and not cause trouble. She squirmed in her chair uncomfortably, but didn’t say anything.

“Don’t worry about it sweetheart. Everyone spills stuff sometimes.” Charlotte said as she finished cleaning up the spill. She set the towel in the sink for the time being. “Do you want more or no?” She asked, referring to the milk. At this point she was just trying to act normal to show Jessica she didn’t need to be so anxious. Lani flinched a bit when Tom started rubbing her back. She shifted her gaze back and forth between him and Charlotte until she was sure it seemed safe. She was surprised Jessica didn’t get yelled at or anything. After she relaxed a bit more again, she went back to eating and finished what was on her plate.

Charlotte looked worried when she saw that Tom wanted to talk. When Jessica spilled the milk, Charlotte stood up and grabbed a dish towel. “It’s okay.” She said, seeing how shaky Jessica was. She didn’t understand why but wasn’t going to push it. “Do you want more?” She asked gently as she wiped up the spill. Lani didn’t respond when Tom told her she didn’t need to eat so fast. She was scared of not having enough to eat and didn’t know the next time she’d get a chance to have food in her belly. She froze and flinched a bit when Jessica spilled the milk, she looked anxiously up at Charlotte. She was anticipating the other girl to get yelled at or sent to her room for making a mess.