The New Foster

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani nodded. She sat down up close next to Tom and let him start reading to her until Charlotte and Rebecca came back. “Nobody ever read to me before.” She said absentmindedly.

 

Charlotte looked around the kitchen and dining room for the others until she found them in the living room. She smiled seeing Tom reading to Lani. “We’re back with ice cream.” She said happily. “We have it all here in the kitchen.”

[Ishigreensa]

Tom frowned.

"Well, sometimes when people are sick, they don't really have a presence of mind to think about what would be nice for others, and children do like to be read to.  Rebecca likes it sometimes."

He started to read the story of the Wolf and the Three Pigs.  Though it was a simple book for her, he was careful to do voices for the characters to try to engage her more into the story, and he wiggled his fingers at her when he talked about the wolf saying he'll huff and he'll puff and he'll blow their house in.

He had just gotten to the brick house, when Charlotte came in.

"Oh, I was just reading to her to pass the time," he told Charlotte.  "I'll be right back, I need to take her to her room for a minute."

He lifted her up and made sure her new cup was hidden as he brought her up stairs to her room.

"Put your new cup where you can find it," he told her.  "Then we can go down and have some ice cream."

 

Rebecca smiled over towards the living room eventually, and she looked longingly at the scenario where daddy was reading to Lani.  He hadn't had time to really read to her the last few days, and she sort of missed it, but she didn't let it bother her.  She knew that Lani needed him right now.  He did take her on the bumper cars today, even if that was all he could do for now.

Oh, and he did spend some time earlier playing chess with her, so there was that, too.

Tom came back down with Lani and sat her in his lap and waited for Charlotte to divide up the ice cream.

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani was really engaged in the story as Tom read it to her. She was giggling and smiling and watching him very intently. She couldn’t remember ever having anything like this before.

She looked up between Tom and Charlotte as they spoke. She didn’t quite know at first why she was going upstairs, but once he explained to set her water down she understood. She was a bit disappointed to have to stop drinking it, but she listened without hesitation. She set the half empty bottle down on her nightstand and then headed back downstairs with him.

“We weren’t sure what you’d want Lani, so Becks picked out strawberry for you.” Charlotte said as she handed Tom and Lani their ice creams.

Once everyone had some, she sat down with her own and started eating. She’d gotten red velvet.

 

”Thank you.” Lani said without thinking as the ice cream was put in front of her. She didn’t hesitate to scarf it down, never knowing when she’d get to eat next, and especially never knowing when she’d get to eat something special like ice cream!

[Ishigreensa]

Rebecca frowned when she saw how fast she ate it.  She was worried that she might get "brain freeze."

"That's your ice cream," Rebecca told her.  "I promise no one is going to take it from you, and I'm not even going to ask to share.  I have my own, see?"

She frowned at her mom and dad wanting them to fix Lani.  Of course, eating ice cream sort of fast was childish, and it wouldn't have surprised her, except that Lani didn't seem to eat fast out of excitement, but as if something else was wrong.

She looked down to try to let Lani know that she didn't mean to tell her what to do.  She was just worried she wasn't able to enjoy it if she was eating it so fast to keep other people from taking it away from her.

 

Tom noticed how fast she ate it, and he pulled at her arm as she had already crammed a lot into her mouth.

"Slow down, sweetheart.  Becks is right.  No one is allowed to take your ice cream away, okay?  You don't have to eat it so fast you give your head an owie.  That's yours, and no one is going to take it away from you, baby."

He hugged her.

"Now, go ahead and eat, but try to enjoy it, sweetheart.  I'm not mad and I'm not trying to scold you.  You weren't bad.  I just don't want you to get sick or worry about whether someone will take that away from you or not.  No one will, baby."

[Shy-Diapers]

“Focus on your ice cream Becks.” Charlotte said quietly and gently. She recognized a noticeable pattern that it seemed to upset Lani whenever Rebecca tried to comment on her odd behaviors or tell her what to do. She was trying really hard to get Rebecca to be a little less involved in Lani’s business.

 

Lani flinched and immediately froze when Tom grabbed her arm. Her whole demeanor instantly changed as he spoke to her.

She bit her lip and did her best to hold back tears. She managed to continue eating the rest of her ice cream at a normal pace, though to her it felt like an agonizingly slow rate. She successfully finished it without shedding any tears.

When she finished her ice cream she carefully set down her spoon and stared at her lap. She was stiff and silent. She didn’t think anyone would take her ice cream away from her, she just didn’t really know the next time she’d get fed. She was fidgeting and squinting more than before, but she was still quiet.

[Ishigreensa]

Rebecca nodded when her mom told her to focus on her ice cream.  Her mom was trying to intervene probably before she said something that would upset the little Lani, so she nodded and continued to eat her own.  She didn't mean to cause any trouble.

 

Tom noticed that something was off about the way Lani was eating after he slowed her.  While he did suspect the same as Rebecca that someone was probably teasing her with her food or something, he felt something else was wrong here, too.  He rubbed her leg.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart.  I didn't mean to make you think you couldn't enjoy your ice cream.  I think we should talk a bit after you finish, okay?  Don't worry.  You're not in trouble.  I'm just trying to understand you sweetheart.  I don't like making you upset."

He rubbed her back.

Rebecca continued to eat her ice cream, but she couldn't help but look  at Lani every few minutes wondering how to fix her so she wasn't sad all the time or looking like she was always scared.

[Shy-Diapers]

“Why don’t you go play or watch TV.” Charlotte suggested gently to Rebecca once her ice cream was finished.

She stood up and gathered the trash to throw away before heading to her office. She figured she’d give Tom and Lani some space.

 

Lani nodded silently and stayed in Tom’s lap. She was still fighting back tears as she stared down at her lap. She swallowed hard and started fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. She was desperately trying both to stay still and not to cry.

She looked up and watched as Charlotte left the room. She felt her heart pounding in her chest and her mind was racing. Tom said she wasn’t in trouble but she had a hard time believing that right now after he grabbed her. 

[Ishigreensa]

Tom sighed as he noticed that she was fidgeting and he could tell by her breathing that she wasn't feeling very happy, so relaxing his hold on her, he let her eat her ice cream.

"Okay, let's go wash your face off," he said when she was done with her ice cream.  "It's okay, sweetheart.  I'm just worried about you, baby."

He got her to the bathroom, and sat her on the sink while he washed at her hands and face.

"Honey, do people take food away from you after you start eating?" he asked her.  "I want you to know, that will never happen at our house.  You have a right to eat, baby."

He then waited for her to explain.

 

Rebecca nodded, and seeing the tears in Lani's eyes, she realized she probably didn't feel like talking at that moment.  She ran off to her room to play with her beads.

 

Tom eventually brought Lani to her room when Lani told him it had nothing to do with people teasing her with food.

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to understand, baby.  I know kids sometimes eat fast because they are excited, but your fast eating looked scary to me, like you were afraid you weren't going to eat."

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani sniffled and quickly shook her head when Tom asked about her food. She was trying her hardest to keep the tears from falling.

She sat fidgeting in place as Tom continued to talk. She had her head hung but was keeping a careful eye on him. As soon as he released her, she grabbed her dragon and brought her knees to her chest.

“I’m sorry.” She squeaked out timidly, her voice cracking a bit as she continued to fight the tears. “I’ll be good! I’ll eat slower, I promise! I didn’t mean to.”

In reality, the little girl didn’t fully realize that she was eating so fast. Consciously she worried about getting enough to eat, but she didn’t really realize that she always scarfed her food down. She wasn’t used to basically unlimited access. Really it was a subconscious reaction to growing up with food insecurity. 

[Ishigreensa]

"Honey," he reached out and hugged her.  "I'm not trying to force you to eat any particular way.  I'm just worried that you will make yourself sick or you may choke if you are not careful.  It's for your health and safety that we want you to slow down a little bit, honey."

He settled with her and put her in his lap.

"Do people take food away from you?" he asked her.

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani nodded her head while looking down. She didn’t really consciously realize she was eating so fast all the time, so she wasn’t sure exactly to fix it. But nonetheless she wanted to be good for Tom and not get in trouble or make him mad.

She stiffened up again when he put her in his lap. She wanted to relax and let him hold her, but she was scared after he grabbed her arm earlier.

She shook her head when he started asking her more questions. “Nobody takes food from me.” She squeaked quietly. 

[Ishigreensa]

"Okay," he smiled and patted her back. "I'm sorry if I startled you earlier.  I was just afraid of you choking on your dessert, sweetheart."

He smiled at her.

"Maybe we can do something else to help you not eat so fast.  I'd hate for you to choke, honey.  But I don't like you getting scared just because you're eating either."

He held her tight until she calmed down some.  He could feel the tension in her muscles.  

"Did you like the ice cream?" he asked her.

 

Rebecca came skipping back to the kitchen after a while and sat at the table with a few beads and an arm bracelet she was currently working on.

"Today is Saturday, right mom?" she wandered to the office door, looking in at her mom, and asking.  "I might have a game next week.  I hope maybe the whole family can see it."

Rebecca had not realized that the next Saturday was Lani's birthday yet.  No one had a reason to let her know just yet, it seemed, or maybe in the confusion they just forgot to tell her.

[Shy-Diapers]

“It’s okay.” Lani responded reflexively. She didn’t even think before she said it. She just knew it was the thing to say when someone apologized. Though she wasn’t used to adults apologizing to her very often.

“It was good.” She nodded with a slight sniffle. She was starting to calm down now that she realizes Tom wasn’t going to yell at her or do anything else. “I don’t get ice cream very often.” She added as an afterthought, thinking to her time at home.

 

Charlotte smiled when she heard Rebecca in the doorway. “I hope so too honey.” She said warmly. “I promise that we will do our best to be there for you.” She said honestly. She was adamant about keeping every promise she ever made. That was why she only promised they’d try. She didn’t want to get her daughter’s hopes up just to be let down.

“I’m sure Lani will feel a little more settled by then.” She said with a smile. She wasn’t thinking about Lani’s birthday in the moment either. 

[Ishigreensa]

She said it was okay far too fast for Tom, and he was starting to wonder if she truly understood what it meant to dismiss an apology, to accept one, or ... maybe she was just trying to move past it for some reason.  It wouldn't have bothered him, except he has never heard her say anything with real meaning when she was apologized to, and it felt like she didn't know if it was genuine.

Tom cupped her hands in his, and he looked into her innocent little eyes.

"Baby, no, it's not okay if I scare you.  It's not okay if you feel fear, if you feel like you are in the wrong when you are not, or if you feel your feelings don't matter.  None of those things are okay, sweetheart.  That's why I apologize.  If I didn't think I did anything that might have hurt you either physically or emotionally, then I wouldn't need to say I'm sorry, honey.  But the truth is, I am human, and I make mistakes, and I am afraid I did scare you earlier, sweetie.  And it is important that you understand, that I do not want you to feel scared here.  This is safe place for you."

 

"You're always there, usually," Rebecca said.  "I guess, I was just worried because she needs so much attention, and she couldn't even handle being at the fair, that maybe you won't be able to come to my games anymore."

She sighed.

"I understand that she has had some difficulty.  I don't want her to be upset all the time, either, but sometimes, I just... I want to know that I matter, too."

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani stared down at her lap and squirmed uncomfortably. She didn’t know what to say or do in response to Tom. She didn’t think she could tell him that she was scared. She also didn’t really know why she was scared in the first place. It happened so quickly in her mind that she wasn’t able to fully process what happened or why.

 

Charlotte shook her head. “First of all, one of us will be there for you no matter what. Lani only needs one grown up around at a time.”

She stood up and got down on Rebecca’s level. “Sweetheart you do matter.” She insisted gently. “What makes you think you don’t?” She asked, hoping for some reason she could fix. “We’ve been making sure you get individual attention a lot. You got a big bracelet kit and the robot set at the store. You got to spend all the time at the fair doing things, even the bumper cars with Daddy. You got to make the jewelry. And then you and I went out for ice cream individually and you got two ice cream flavors where everyone else got one.” She reminded her daughter gently. It wasn’t to make her feel bad, but to remind her of everything positive. “And we still made sure to get you to practice the other day when Lani got here.”

[Ishigreensa]

Tom saw a bit of confusion on her face as she seemed to try to process what he was saying.

"Well, I apologized, and you said it was okay for now, but I want you to know, you matter, baby.  If you feel scared, you feel upset or just unhappy, you need to tell me.  If it's something I did, I will try to fix it.  If it's something no one did, I will try to help you find the cause and deal with it.  If you need help at all, you need to learn you have a place you can come to and safely tell how you feel, baby."

He hugged her.

"Now, rather than saying it's okay," he looked into her eyes.  "Because it's not okay if I scare your or hurt you, honey.  So instead of saying It's okay, if you really understand that I'm sorry, then say thank you instead.  Saying thank you means that you know I am sorry, and that you appreciate me trying to fix it.  And don't say thank you unless you believe someone is sorry.  Don't say it's okay if they hurt you either.  Just say that if they are sorry, then you know they will try not to do it again."

He hugged her.

"Or, if you want, don't say anything at all.  Just smile at them for trying to make peace, but judge for yourself if you see if they are sorry or not.  If you find out they are sorry, later, then say thank you later.  Let them know how you really feel.  I don't believe in making Rebecca say she's sorry unless she means it or if something happened she didn't mean to happen.  It doesn't teach kids to do the right thing if you force them to say they are sorry and they are not really sorry."

He looked at Lani.

"But I do think that a lot of things that kids do, is not on purpose when it hurts other people, and talking kids through what happened, I believe that most kids will say they are sorry about a lot of things.  Rebecca certainly has not disappointed me with that philosophy."

He hugged Lani.

 

Rebecca looked up at her mom.

"I know you did a lot of things," she said.  "I didn't mean you were ignoring me today or anything.  But sometimes, it does feel like maybe Lani means more to daddy than I do."

She looked down.

"I don't mean to be selfish.  I just don't know what having Lani around is going to do with how daddy loves me, and if Lani does need a lot of extra needs, maybe even you might forget that I need you, too?"

She didn't mean to complain.

"I like Lani, but culture or not, she's not the same as other kids.  I go to school with a lot of different kids, and Lani is... well, different.  I think she needs help in a different way that other kids do.  I can't explain it, but she doesn't talk like other kids, even ones that are a different color than me or ones that are said to be Ispanak."  She misheard the word Hispanic, and hasn't seen it spelled right or recognized it yet.

Lani looked up at her mom.  "I'm not going to tell her she's different.  That sounds mean to me, but I don't think she has any friends at school even where she goes to school.  Kids don't like her.  She is like... um... a lonely girl or something.  That's why she doesn't sound right.  I can't put my ... um... I forget how you say it, but I don't understand why I know.  I just know she's not like other kids."

Rebecca frowned.  "She needs help.  Maybe it's cause she's poor, but I don't know."

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani sighed and continued to nod along. She was starting to feel overwhelmed again. She just decided she’d try her best to do what Tom wanted her to say and do. She kept staring down at her lap and tried to sit still, but couldn’t help but squirm. She just desperately wanted to not be in this situation. It was too much for her right now and couldn’t even process why she’d gotten scared earlier.

 

Charlotte shook her head. “That’s not true. Daddy is trying very hard to make Lani feel comfortable and safe here. She just got here a few days ago. Both of us love you just the same. You will not be forgotten about at all.” She insisted. Her tone was kind and gentle, but also told Rebecca that this wasn’t up for a debate and it was the firm truth.

“Don’t worry about Lani. That’s not your job to worry about if she’s different or not. Just because she’s not like you or other kids you know doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with her.” She insisted gently. “You only know kids from our neighborhood. That’s not a very large group of people. People from different places or with different families can talk or behave differently.”

She sighed. She didn’t want Rebecca continuing to focus on Lani and how she was different. It wouldn’t do anyone any good. “I had friends when I was in college who didn’t eat certain foods, or wouldn’t eat them together. I also knew people who talked differently. Some people are very direct and tell you exactly how they feel. Some people don’t talk about how they feel or think much at all. All of that is okay. Being different is a good thing. It’s not something to focus on. It just makes people people.”

”It’s not nice to speculate on if she has friends or not. Nor is it okay to talk about if she’s poor. That’s none of your business right now. You just met her and these aren’t things to talk about if you want to be nice. I know you wouldn’t like someone wondering if you have as many friends as them or if your family as less money.”

”Focus on yourself. It’s not your job to focus so much on Lani. I know your teachers at school talk about this too. Focus on yourself and not other people. That’s not a kid’s job to focus on everything another kid needs or makes them different. It’s mine and Daddy’s job to take care of her. She’s been here only a few days.” She sighed and shook her head.

”If you had to go live with a brand new family I know it would take you more than a few days to feel okay again.” She pointed out gently.

”Now, you need to focus on yourself. No more talking about you thinking something is wrong with Lani. And no more talking about things that don’t affect you. Your job is to worry about yourself and just be nice and patient with her. That’s what sisters do.” She gave Rebecca and hug and smiled gently. She hoped this conversation would get through to Rebecca and get to ease up on how much she was obsessing over Lani. “Besides, you can’t know everything about someone from just a few words from her. I know she’s hardly spoken to her.”

[Ishigreensa]

Rebecca nodded understanding that her mom didn't want her to worry about Lani.  She couldn't help it though.  She did.  She decided to stop talking to mom about it.  If mom and dad were going to fix it, then what help would it be to dwell on it?  Rebecca couldn't really help her as much as her parents could.  She was worried though.  Mom might be right, she'd be upset if people worried about how many friends she had, but then, she could handle herself and make friends, so she thought.  Little Lani, she was not the kind of person that Rebecca saw a lot of people wanting to talk to.  She seemed a little gruff at times, and very withdrawn.  It did no good to dwell on that either, though.

Finally, trying to find a way to get her mind off of it, she looked up at her mom.

"I'm going to go outside for a bit.  I promise, I won't go any further than where you can see me on the block, but I need to clear my head.  I have too much stuff about Lani in it, stuff that you keep saying I shouldn't care about, and I don't know how to get rid of it, but to maybe take a walk."

She waited to make sure she had her mom's permission though.

 

Tom sighed as it seemed to him that Lani was tired.  She had had a very hard day, so he couldn't blame her.  He wondered if she even took in what he had told her to do about apologies and about it not being okay to hurt her.  Well, if she didn't, he could just remind her what he said later.  She needed some rest.

"Come here, baby," he called her over and picked her up to cradle her.  "I think you should take a little nap, okay?  So, I'm going to put some of your night time panties on you, so if you have an accident, while you are sleeping, no one will know until you come and get me to change you, okay?"

He took her to her bed to help her get her pants and undies off so he could put her in something that would be less embarrassing if she wet herself, and then he pulled her pants back on over it.  "That way, Rebecca doesn't have any reason to suspect you change your undies, and you can nap without worrying about wetting, okay?"

He then picked her up to carry her down to the living room to read to her until she fell asleep.

[Shy-Diapers]

“You know Daddy and I don’t like you going out front without us. You can go in the backyard but because we’re both busy you can’t go out front.” Charlotte explained gently. “Neither of us can watch you in the front right now.”

 

Lani frowned. She didn’t even get a chance to speak up and tell Tom that she wasn’t tired. She wasn’t too happy about Tom putting her into her nighttime underwear without even letting her say anything. This only made her more frustrated and overwhelmed than she already was.

“I don’t wanna nap.” She said with a slight whine. The girl wasn’t that tired really, she’d just had a hard day. Sleeping was one of the last things she wanted right now, but she knew better than to fight an adult on something.

She sighed and stared down while he carried her. She felt like she wasn’t being listened to. She was used to that at home and school sure, but Tom had gotten her used to being heard. She’d much rather play with her toys or make something with the origami paper she’d gotten. Sure she loved reading, but right now she wanted to do something and reading didn’t feel like doing something. 

[Ishigreensa]

As he put her in his lap and tried to get her interested, he realized that maybe she wasn't just whining and wanted to play.

"I'm sorry," he picked up from under her arms and set her down.  "I just thought you..., well, I should have asked you, sweetheart.  Do you want to go play?  Do you want a break from me?  You can do anything you want as long as it's in the house and it's not going to hurt you, okay?"

He patted her shoulder.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings by ignoring your wants.  I just wasn't sure if you were tired.  Kids sometimes whine a bit when they are tired because they don't honestly know what they want, and it's because they are sleepy."

[Shy-Diapers]

“I’m not tired!” Lani protested in frustration. She was trying her best not to cry again. Everything was happening much too quickly for her liking. She didn’t even get a chance to process wearing her pull-up for the first time ever, because Tom just put it on her without asking or giving her time.

“I don’t wanna talk.” She managed to get out. Tom kept trying to get her to have big conversations or give him certain answers and she didn’t have it in her right then. One minute she was eating her ice cream happily and then Tom grabbed her and then everything else just kept happening and she didn’t even have a second to think.

She shook her head and shrugged off Tom’s hand on her shoulder. Without another word and without much thought, Lani just ran away and up to her room. She finally had a second where Tom wasn’t holding her so she wanted to get away, though she didn’t even really think about it, it just happened.

When she got upstairs, the first thing she did was change back into her underwear. She wasn’t ready to wear the pull-up and didn’t want anything new happening. The pull-up was definitely something new for her and she wasn’t in the mood for that.

Once she was back in her underwear, she sat down with her Lite Bright and started examining all the pieces and instructions. 

[Ishigreensa]

Tom decided to let her be.  She was obviously upset about something, and she needed some time.  He decided to go check in with how Charlotte was doing.  He stood at the doorway watching as she had finished sending Rebecca out to the backyard.

"Is everything going alright with you two?" he asked her.  He knew Charlotte was disappointed because Lani still wasn't comfortable around her yet.  "Lani is finally taking a break in her room, I think," he told Charlotte.  "Today has been a bit more stressful than I thought an outing would cause.  Maybe we should wait to plan anything big for a while.  At least anything where Lani has to deal with it.  I think she's nervous."

He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulder to try to message any stress out of them.  

"I think the fair overwhelmed her so bad, she waited too long to have me take her, and wet herself.  Of course, she was upset, so even though she was changed, that has been souring her mood all afternoon."

He sighed.

"I don't think she realizes that she has a right to feel safe, and to be heard," he told her.  "I was trying to explain what I do with Rebecca, but she didn't look like she understood me.  I apologized to her because I realized I had scared her, and it seemed she thought that's just what happens, and she said it was alright, not in that she forgave me so much as, that's just the way it is, and it's what is supposed to happen," he told her.  "I'm telling you, someone has been abusing that child... not physically as I can tell, but definitely emotionally."

[Shy-Diapers]

Charlotte sighed and stood up. “Yeah, I’m just trying to explain to her in a nice way that she needs to mind her own business with Lani. She’s so extremely focused on every little thing she does that’s different. I don’t know how to get her to understand that it’s not nice to keep talking about Lani behind her back like that.” She shook her head.

“That seems like a good idea. Anything we do should be small and something we can easily leave if need be. Maybe we’ll stick to things like the park and the store. We can always let her play outside so she’s not so cooped up.”

She nodded along. “I don’t disagree. I definitely think something is up. I’m not sure what or who though. I noticed she really seemed to get scared when you grabbed her earlier. I know you were trying to help but if someone is scaring her I can see how scary that would be to a little kid.”

[Ishigreensa]

Tom nodded.

"I hadn't considered that, actually.  I might have scared her again.  Anyway, she is in her room, hopefully calming down.  I think I need to be more careful to ask and make sure she is ready to do something no matter what rush I am in to either help her or if we need to get somewhere.  Even if we are late, it's not likely to be worse than making her feel like this isn't a safe place for her."

He sighed as she explained about Rebecca.

"Remember, hon, Becks is only ten years old.  She doesn't really know any better.  I think maybe we need to find a moment when things are not too hard on Lani, to play some kind of ice breaking game.  Maybe once we get Rebecca to understand that different likes are not too much different than different living styles, maybe she'll give up this notion that she has to fix Lani to like what she likes?"

He frowned.

"But you are the teacher.  What do you think?"

[Shy-Diapers]

“Ten is plenty old enough to know to worry about yourself and not what everyone else is doing.” Charlotte said with a sigh. “I’m not sure what I can do honestly. I’m giving her every ounce of attention I can but even that doesn’t stop her from saying that Lani is weird. I’ve tried getting her to be empathetic but she’s not listening.” She shook her head. “Maybe you can get her to understand. She’s also worried that you won’t love her as much if Lani still needs so much help.”

She took a deep breath. “I want Lani to feel safe and comfortable. And I know we’re her only chance. But do we really think keeping her is the best idea? I don’t want Becks to feel neglected forever.”

“I don’t think Lani is anywhere near ready to play any ice breakers with her. Lani won’t even say more than a few words to anyone but you.” She rubbed her temples in frustration, desperately trying to find a way to balance everybody’s needs.