The New Foster

[Ishigreensa]

"Oh, I never thought about it like that, mom," she said a little sorry about the way she said it.  "I just meant, like, you are an adult and I'm a kid, and I was just thinking it might be fun to look like mom, is all," she looked up at her innocently.  "I would never say something about someone's body if I thought it was mean or embarrassing or something that would upset them.  I really, thought you'd think I meant you were big and I'm small, because I'm a kid, honest.  You taught me better than to be mean about saying stuff like that."

She smiled up at her.

"I'm sorry if it sounded like I called you old.  I didn't mean to."

She kicked her foot on the ground.

"Yeah, I still wanted you to come.  That's why we go to these places together, right?  It's more fun with someone to share it with than on your own and not have anyone to laugh about things with."

She reached her arms up towards her mom.

"I really am sorry if I said something hurtful to you.  I didn't realize I hurt your feelings or said anything mean."

 

"Well, the grocery store one is just really for little kids that are still younger than eight," he explained the reason for the monstrous size.  "But at the fair, they try to make sure families can enjoy things together, so they have to make it big enough that even mamas and papas can ride, if they want to."

He patted her bottom.

"I'll be right next to you the whole time if you want to ride it.  If you'd rather though, we can go find the other two first, so you can get used to the idea of riding first, and then when we get back, your mind might be used to the idea.  Either way, I'll be right next to you, if you want, sweetheart."

 

As they started into the glass house, Rebecca saw her stomach get low and very fat causing her to laugh, and then it went higher up, and seemed all bent out of shape.  When her mom went by the same mirror, Rebecca smiled and joked.

"Why you all bent out of shape?  I just asked if that mirror made me look fat," she smiled up at her mom.  "Just kidding!"

Looking at another mirror that seemed to make you disappear for a moment, only to have you look like your face was so thin, it might fit on a pencil with the eyes mixing together.  She giggled happily.

"Look, you put your finger out, and it looks like your arm is connected to another arm and you have no hands!"

The mirrors were making her laugh a lot.

[Shy-Diapers]

“I know you didn’t sweetheart. That’s why I’m not scolding you. I just want you to know that it might hurt some people.” Charlotte responded gently. “It didn’t hurt or upset me. I just want you to know.” She said smiling, trying to hammer home that she wasn’t upset in the slightest.

She laughed and followed Rebecca along through the funhouse. She was glad that Rebecca was carefree and laughing right now. She knew how stressful it must be to have Lani around so much. Even though they planned to meet back up with Tom and her soon, she was happy to give her daughter the individual time.

 

Lani bit her lip and stared at the carousel. She nodded slightly. She wanted to be brave and try it out. “I’ll try it.” She said softly. She made sure she had her dragon clutched close to her chest, wanting his comforting presence.

When she got placed upon a horse she gripped the pole tight in anticipation. She didn’t really know what to expect.

Once the ride started though, she visibly relaxed. She wasn’t too fond of the music being so loud in her opinion. That aside, she was smiling and seemed to be enjoying herself. The gentle and repetitive motions made her very happy and she even laughed a bit as she enjoyed herself. She did make sure she could always see Tom though. 

[Ishigreensa]

Tom stood right next to her on the moving platform, holding her on the horse, because even he was nervous of her falling off of the taller structure, especially since it did move up and down.  When she looked around nervously until she saw him even step a bit more forward so she could see him, he realized how worried she was.

"It's okay.  I wasn't going anywhere, honey."

He put a hand in hers so she would know he was right there, and after a while, he noticed that she started to relax as the monstrous ride made three revolutions around and eventually stopped.

"How about we go find the others?" he asked her picking her up off the tall structure.  "I bet you're getting hungry."

He started to look around for Charlotte when he noticed a little stand that was selling some plastic "jewelry" with the fair's logo on it.

"Look at this, sweetheart," he told her holding up a bracelet that had "I went to the fair" on a flat band.  He picked it up for her and got Rebecca one too, Rebecca's in purple, one of her favorite colors while he waited for Lani to choose her color.

Then he called to see where Charlotte and Rebecca were.

 

Rebecca came out of the house of mirrors laughing and looking around to see what to do next.  She wasn't even thinking about food just then.

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani smiled and was very reassured when she knew Tom had her in case she fell off. The security of him being so near made her able to fully enjoy the carousel.

She nodded along and walked with him while he spoke to her, making sure she had her dragon. She didn’t really know if she was hungry or not, but wouldn’t turn down food if it was offered to her.

She looked up at him when he was picking out the bracelets. She didn’t really understand he was getting one for her as well at first. Once she did though, she picked out a blue one. “I like blue.” She said softly.

When they caught up with Rebecca and Charlotte she seemed to be squirming even more than she was before. The fair was getting so loud and she was starting to have a hard time.

Charlotte answered her phone and figured out where Tom and Lani were. Once she hung up she turned to Rebecca. “We’re gonna meet up with Daddy and Lani now. That way we can eat some lunch and then do some things together.” She said cheerfully.

When they met up with the other half of the family, Charlotte smiled. “How’s Lani enjoying it so far?”

[Ishigreensa]

"I'm not really sure," Tom picked her up and hugged Lani.  "She pet some animals and fed them, and we went on the merry-go-round, so I think she's enjoyed some stuff, but I'm not sure about her overall.  She still seems scared to death of missing me for even a second and the fair is a rather big place after all."

Rebecca frowned when she saw how attached Lani was to her daddy.  She might not get to do anything with him at this rate.  Oh well, at least mommy is spending time with her, and mommy has told her several times now, that Lani just needs to feel comfortable.  

She sighed and looked up at her mom.  She wasn't ready to say anything nice to her yet because even if she did need it, she was still hogging her daddy from her.

 

Tom reached out and put the bracelet on Rebecca's wrist which made her smile until she saw that Lani had a similar blue one.  Okay, maybe she was getting a little bit jealous.  But Lani didn't even act like a little sister, but she was taking up all of daddy's time.  You'd be a little bit jealous, too.  You would!  

She sighed and looked up while the adults were talking about lunch.

 

"Are we eating lunch?" Rebecca tried to get the conversation started so she wouldn't just be standing there looking awkward at the girl in daddy's arms who didn't seem too friendly and who said they couldn't even be friends let alone sisters.  That's what she heard even though that's not exactly what Lani said, nor had she meant, and she would have known that, if she had overheard them after she went off with her mommy, but she didn't.

Tom smiled down at his big baby.  "Of course, sweetheart.  Just a minute."

He looked back to Charlotte.  "So, what were you thinking?"

[Shy-Diapers]

“I saw a place that has chicken tenders and sandwiches. I think that’s the best option here.” Charlotte suggested and nodded in the direction of the vendor. “Everyone should be able to eat what they have.”

She walked with everyone and once they’d ordered and received their food, she had the idea to eat in an indoor area with tables. “Let’s go inside to get away from the heat.”

 

Lani had Tom get her some chicken tenders, French fries, and a lemonade. She was happy to eat the food in front of her when they got inside. She made sure her dragon was in her lap. She wasn’t eating as fast as she had the past few days, but was almost chugging the lemonade. Her squirming got more noticeable the longer they were inside. It was a very bright and echo filled room and it was starting to bother her more and more. 

[Ishigreensa]

"That sounds like a good place to get everyone something then," Tom agreed.  "I hope Rebecca is being a good girl and not causing you too much grief?" he asked Charlotte but looked at Rebecca who just looked down shyly.

And once they all had their food and Charlotte advised going in, once again, he agreed with her.

"That would be better for Lani.  She's been a little on edge, and I'm sure she'll feel less worried about losing me inside a smaller place than worrying about me getting away from her out here."

He didn't know she was suffering from anxiety or being overwhelmed from a medical sense, but just knew that the seemed fidgety and fearful of losing sight of him.  And he kind of understood that.  They hadn't known each other that long, so she might have trouble explaining to someone who she was looking for.

He carried her into the bright room to help keep her calm and noticed that she was fidgeting a bit more and a little more squirmy.  He breathed into her ear.  "I know baby.  It's okay.  We are all right here."

When they settled down at a table, he put her in his lap to keep contact with her thinking it would help her.

 

Rebecca was nearly jealous that daddy was holding Lani, and she looked up at her mother but was sure that was a no go with her.  She breathed in heavily and looking down, she breathed out in a low voice so as not to draw much attention, but to tell of her displeasure anyway.  

"I guess no bumper cars this time."

Her eyes were misty and watery as she said this, almost like a fact thinking that there was no way daddy would put the little girl aside for even one little ride with her, and she was certain, by looking at Lani's movements, that she probably didn't want to be jostled about by getting hit against her car with another bumper car.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked off at the top of the tent, tears starting to creep down her face in disappointment.

 

Tom reached out towards her, but she flinched away from him.

"No, I get it.  She needs you.  I get it," and she started to sniffle like she was about to cry.

 

He looked helplessly at Charlotte not sure what he was supposed to do.

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani ate her food without a fuss. She was still really overwhelmed, but didn’t know how to communicate that to Tom. She blushed a bit when he told her everyone was right there.

 

Charlotte sighed. She didn’t know why Rebecca was crying about the bumper cars. She understood being jealous, but she’d been doing so well about being patient.

After a bit of thinking she sighed again. “Why don’t I take Lani for a while so you two can do the bumper cars together?” She suggested hesitantly. “I’m sure she’ll be fine for a few minutes.”

[Ishigreensa]

"I... I guess maybe for one ride," he nodded.  "It's been kind of hard for Rebecca the last few days, and I don't want her thinking I'm neglecting her."

He patted Lani on the side of her leg as he spoke with Charlotte.

"I do one thing with Rebecca, right?  If you are anxious, you can watch us, or maybe Charlotte can take you to do something while I'm playing with Rebecca for a few minutes.  It is only fair that she get some play time with me, too, sweetheart."

He kissed the back of Lani's head.

"Don't worry, sweetheart."

 

Rebecca looked over at her daddy and then her mommy in surprise.  She felt a smile creep up on her lips though she did feel a little guilty.  But why shouldn't she get at least their traditional ride together?  He was her daddy after all, wasn't he?

She looked down at her food trying not to do anything to mess up the chance to play with daddy on the bumper cars.

[Shy-Diapers]

“I’m sure she’ll be fine. She’s almost eight.” Charlotte insisted. “What’s the worst that can happen? She doesn’t talk to me?” She thought aloud. She didn’t think Lani would like it, but figured she’d have to get used to her eventually.

 

Lani frowned but tried to be good and not say anything. She didn’t understand why Tom had to leave her side. He kept telling her he wouldn’t and that he was always there. Nobody was explaining it to her either which didn’t help.

 

When everyone finished eating, Charlotte smiled. “Let’s go over to the bumper cars so you two can have fun together.” She said cheerfully. Once they got through the line, she took Lani’s hand from Tom and let Rebecca go off with him to play together. She didn’t see anything really going wrong.

 

The bumper car area was so loud and busy. There were so many people around and everything was too loud for Lani. She didn’t even have the security of Tom to calm her down. She whined a bit and tried to run off to get away from how overwhelmed she was feeling. Her escape plan didn’t work however when Charlotte picked up the now crying and thrashing girl so she wouldn’t get lost.

 

”Lani it’s okay. He’ll be back soon. It’s okay.” Charlotte said, trying her best not to be annoyed at the girl’s behavior. She’d tried being patient, but it was getting increasingly difficult now that she wasn’t behaving without Tom around. 

[Ishigreensa]

Tom wasn't sure about leaving her side, but he did know that Rebecca needed him, too.  He sighed and he took her by the hand as they walked towards the bumper cars.

"I'll be right over there," he told her.  "I need to do this for Rebecca.  It's just one ride, sweetheart, and I don't think you'd like to be bumped around in the bumper cars right now."

It was really the explanation he had time for because lucky for Rebecca, it being just around lunch time, people had gone off to eat, which meant the line was a lot shorter than normal at the moment.  She smiled and yanked daddy towards the bumper cars before he could change his mind.

It was only one ride.  He tore himself off and went to stand with Rebecca in line, and then they were soon in the bumper cars.  

The bumper cars got started, and she needled her way through the mass of slamming cars until she found her daddy's, and smacked it from the left rear, giggling.  Then she started to pull out from it, but was slammed into by another car.

It took her a little bit, but when she got out of the pickle, she chased her daddy down, but missed him by inches when another car came at her and she just slipped around the other side of it so she wasn't pinned against the wall again.  

Again, she found an opening and caught her daddy's car from the back, and this time, somehow threaded the needle so someone else hit her daddy and missed her car.  

She was giggling and laughing so hard by this point, it was a wonder she could still maneuver her own car, but she caught up with him two more times, though he did get her back several times, and at the very end, she had her car pinned against the wall.

Laughing along the way, leaving the ramp, she looked off towards mommy and then frowned....

Tom, worried about Lani a bit, but still smiling, just looked from Rebecca and noticed what has happening with Lani....

[Shy-Diapers]

By the time Tom and Rebecca were coming off the bumper cars, Lani was crying pretty hard. She was still thrashing in Charlotte’s arms and trying to get away. Her brown eyes were clenched tightly shut and she had her hands pressed hard against  her ears. She wanted Tom back, yes, but that was secondary to his overwhelmed she felt. Charlotte scolding her didn’t help her feel any better either. 
 

“Leilani you can’t do this!” Charlotte scolded lightly. She knew the girl was struggling but didn’t like how much she seemed to be throwing a fit because she couldn’t be with Tom. “You’re too old to be throwing a tantrum!” She tried her best to always be calm and nice, but she really didn’t like this new behavior and didn’t want her thinking she could just throw a fit to get whatever she wanted.

She sighed and looked over at Tom with an exasperated expression. “She won’t stop. She tried to run away so I had to pick her up but she’s just been throwing a fit the entire time.” When he got close enough, Charlotte happily handed the girl off to him.

Trying to keep her cool, she turned to Rebecca. “Did you have fun kiddo? Run into Daddy enough times?”

[Ishigreensa]

Tom took hold of her, and he patted her back.

"She's been on edge for a little bit," he told Charlotte.  "I'll take her somewhere quiet to calm down and see if we can salvage the situation.  How about you take Rebecca and do something she wants to do?  I'm sorry, I shouldn't have handed her off when I knew she was on edge."

He carried Lani away from the bumper cars and tried to find a quiet bench somewhere to talk to her.

 

Rebecca frowned when she saw how much trouble it had been to take daddy for even a few minutes.  She sighed and shook her head.  Was she never allowed to have her daddy back?

When mommy addressed her, she smiled and looked up at her.

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun!  I actually got out of a trap a couple of times and daddy got pinned instead of me!  But how come she can't just give me like five minutes with daddy without starting to scream and cry like that.  It wasn't like we were gone for even an hour or anything!"

She looked up at her mom wanting to understand why she had to give up her daddy for nearly the whole day, but she couldn't even be patient for maybe fifteen minutes.

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani was still thrashing and crying while Tom carried her away. Him taking her back didn’t seem to be making much of a difference initially.

It was only once they found a quieter and less busy part of the fair that she started to calm down a little. She was still crying and struggling, but no longer thrashing and trying to get away. It was still bright and hot outside, but the area being quieter was helping her calm down.

 

Charlotte smiled. “I’m glad you had so much fun!” She said in a cheery voice.

When she asked about Lani, she sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know honey. I wish I could tell you.” She said honestly.

She looked around to see what she could do to cheer Rebecca up. “How about we go to that jewelry making booth you saw earlier?” She suggested hoping to make up for Lani’s tantrum. 

[Ishigreensa]

"Um... mommy?  You said no toys," she said reminding her of what she said so that her mommy would know that she knew the rule, and tried not to use what was happening to get her own way.  "So... um... I want to, but I don't want to be bad and break your rules."

She looked up at her.

"Like you said before, you got me stuff at the store before, so um... I just want to be grateful that I have my mommy with me.  Can I get a hug?"

She was feeling clingy because Lani kept taking her daddy away.

Eventually, though, as they started that way because she really was interested in making the fake jewelry, and mommy said she could, she happily looked up at her.

"I'm going to make daddy something for his tie," she told her.  "You know, one of those clipping things for keeping the tie straight?"

[Shy-Diapers]

“This is something different.” Charlotte explained gently as they walked. “It’s not a cheap toy you’ll get tired of in a few days. You get to make something.” She continued, wanting Rebecca to understand.

She bent down and hugged Rebecca for as long as she wanted.

”I’m sure he’ll love that. You can make something for yourself too though sweetheart.”

 

Lani sniffled and rubbed her eyes as she started to calm down. She was still fidgety and seemed somewhat on edge, but nowhere near as much as she was a little bit ago. She held her dragon close as she sniffled and tried to calm down.

“I’m sorry I was bad.” She said softly. She looked down at her lap with a frown. “You’re probably gonna send me back now.” She said sadly, fully believing what she said. “Cuz I threw a fit….” She didn’t mean to cry and get upset. She couldn’t help it! But nobody ever cared about that. They only saw the behaviors and never questioned why. It wasn’t like she could fully explain it anyway. 

[Ishigreensa]

Rebecca got more excited when mommy understood why she wanted to do this so much, and she soon forgot that daddy wasn't spending time with her right now.  She started to nearly pull mommy along to make stuff with her mommy.

"And can I make something for you, too?" she asked her.  "If I can only make two, then I'll make daddy a present and you one.  I want to."

She was nearly skipping now, and when they got into the crafts shop, she couldn't wait to get started.

 

Tom listened to the baby, and after giving her a chance to talk, he sighed.

"I don't know why you couldn't be patient while I spent just a few minutes with my other daughter, honey.  I am not happy that you gave Charlotte a hard time," he was trying to explain how he felt to her.  "But sometimes, Rebecca throws fits too, and sometimes, she has to be scolded or punished, too.  That's no reason to throw a child away."

He hugged her.

"You are not going anywhere, baby, and later on, when you are calm and able to think things a little clearly, I want you to say you are sorry for throwing a fit on Charlotte.  She was just trying to keep you safe and keep you from getting lost, baby.  It's not nice to throw fits when someone is protecting or helping you.  I am serious about that.  But sweetie?"

He pulled her into his lap.

"Just because you make a mistake or something, it doesn't mean we'll get rid of you.  Mistakes are what kids do.  Kids get upset when things don't go their way sometimes, but if we don't insist on your correcting it, then you won't learn how to, sweetie."

He rubbed her back.

"What is it that made you act up so much on Charlotte.  Do you really hate her that much, baby?"  

It was time to find out the root of her problems with Charlotte because if he were to go back to work, he needed to know that Lani could obey Charlotte for that time period.

[Shy-Diapers]

“That’s alright with me.” Charlotte said warmly. She was happy that Rebecca was in a better mood now.

When they got to the booth, she let Rebecca do her thing. She hadn’t planned on spending the money that day, but they had plenty and she wanted her to be happy.

 

Lani sniffled and stared at her lap. Everything Tom was saying to her was hurting and upsetting her even more. She felt the tears return and fall down her face. She knew better than to argue with adults and already anticipated big trouble after what happened.

She shook her head. “I don’t hate her.” She insisted quietly. She sighed and squirmed in place some more. She didn’t really have the words for how she felt. “It was too much. It hurt.” She whimpered quietly. Everything around her felt so overwhelming and painful when she got to the point of a meltdown.

She stared at her lap and sighed. She didn’t know what to do or say. She never meant to be bad, she just couldn’t help it sometimes. “I didn’t mean to be bad….I wanna be good…I promise….” Her voice was small and sad, expressing more hurt than a child should ever feel. She seemed disappointed in herself and a little confused even. 

[Ishigreensa]

"Well," Tom tried to find out what was going on.  "What did Charlotte do that hurt, honey?" he asked her.  "Did she pull you or squeeze you or smack you in some way that you didn't like?  I'm not trying to upset you, just figure out what caused all this baby."

He rubbed her leg.

"Are you scared or something?"

He decided to pick her up and he stood up to look for some place a little quieter, maybe off from the path which meant no benches, but at least if they had more privacy, she might be able to talk more freely.  It was embarrassing to some children to admit to reasons for bad behavior, he figured.

Once they were in some shade of a tree, he sat her down and he sat on the grass next to her, and he pulled her closer to him.

"No one is paying attention to us," he told her.  "They are all over there, where the excitement is, having fun.  No one is going to bother us here, so you can take as long as you need to try to tell me what is going on, baby.  I promise, Charlotte isn't going to hit you.  We don't believe in hitting in our house, baby."

He rubbed her back.

"No one is sending you away.  I just want to understand, baby.  We were trying to do something fun for you and for all of us, and so really, your misbehavior and unhappiness don't make a lot of sense to me right now, sweetheart.  And I really want to understand why you are not happy.  It breaks my heart you can't be happy at a happy place, baby.  Did people hit you when you had fun before or something?"

 

Rebecca was cheerfully listening to the directions, and trying different designs, wanting something special for daddy's tie clip, and she wanted to make mommy a special jade pendant as a necklace, and for herself, she wanted a bracelet.  

She didn't want to think about Lani right now.  Lani kept ruining things, and she didn't want to think about her.  It wasn't that she hated her, really.  She just didn't understand her, and she didn't want to try to think about her because she always kept ruining the fun.

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani shook her head. “She didn’t hurt me.” She corrected softly. She sighed and stared at her lap. She didn’t really know what else she could say. “Everything is too much.” She whimpered out. She didn’t feel like Tom understood her, which wasn’t surprising. Nobody ever tried to ask what was wrong so she never learned how to talk about what was going on inside her head and body.

She sniffled and rubbed her teary eyes as he continued to talk to her. She was still fidgeting as usual, but not nearly as much as before and she seemed much much calmer once they were in the quiet and shady area. She was starting to act more like herself again.

“I had fun with the animals.” She pointed out to Tom. She didn’t want him to think she didn’t have any fun at all. “And I liked the merry go round.” She added. She was being truthful, both of those things were really enjoyable for the little girl. She had been laughing and smiling during both those activities.

Lani shook her head. “Nobody hits me.” She responded. “Mommy says she doesn’t wanna hit or spank.” She said with a little shrug. “I have fun at school. I get to read and make things out of paper.” She informed him, wanting Tom to know she did have fun. A pattern was starting to show that everything she said she liked or had fun with was quieter and more laid back.

 

[Ishigreensa]

Tom still didn't quite get it, that she didn't like loud places just yet, but he certainly was relieved that she gave examples of having fun, and that she wasn't hit, or at least her mom made it seem to her like she didn't want to spank.  Maybe he was overthinking things.

"Well," he smiled and patted her back.  "I guess you didn't like where we had lunch or the looks of the bumper cars?" he asked trying to confirm that somehow, those places seemed to put her on edge.  "Maybe we can go try that jewelry making craft over there," he pointed out the tent.  "It might be a little noisy in there, but it won't be like the bumper cars, and everyone would have to be quieter so they could hear how to do the crafts there."

It was just a suggestion, to maybe make her feel a little better again before taking her somewhere more exciting again.  He still didn't get it that the noises and the bright lights and other things was the true cause of her discomfort.

 

 

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani nodded adamantly. “They’re too much.” She said in the best way she could. She didn’t think that bright and loud  really explained what was wrong.

She nodded and stood up with Tom to walk to the jewelry making. She was hesitant since he said it would be noisy, but she wanted to be good and try it.

As they started walking over, Lani stopped and tugged on his arm. “I gotta go!” She said with a slight whine. She was embarrassed about telling him she needed the bathroom, but she did tell him she would do that in exchange for not asking her so much.

She was squirming and fidgeting from foot to foot in her place while she looked up at him. She really needed to go all of a sudden and the urge came out of nowhere. She felt like she needed to go right away though. 

[Ishigreensa]

The way she said it, Tom still wasn't used to, so it took him a moment to realize what she was saying, but with her dancing on the spot and trying to get him to understand, he was on it in less than a minute.

"Okay, well, we can head to the washrooms first," he told her.  "We don't need any other reasons to make this experience less fun for you, honey."

He started to walk her in that direction, but he could see, that one, the closest place were porta potties, and two, every one of the six that were lined up had a long line behind them.  He sighed as he walked her over to one of the toilets to wait.

 

Rebecca was nearly done with daddy's neck tie clip, and was now working on mommy's pendant.  She was talking excitedly and smiling the whole time, showing her mommy every time she got something cool done with one piece or another that went together.

"Do you like it?" she kept asking.

 

 

[Shy-Diapers]

Lani followed along with Tom to the porta potties. She’d never seen one before and they seemed awfully scary. She looked up at Tom anxiously, but after what had just happened, she was too scared to say anything. She fidgeted in place anxiously and looked down at her feet. She didn’t want to make him more upset or disappointed with her.

She squeezed her dragon tighter to her chest and couldn’t help but take a step back when one of the doors opened a few feet ahead of them and she could smell how awful it was in there. She was trying her absolute hardest not to make a fuss about anything, not the fear of these cramped and smelly toilets nor the amount of people around them, or even that she needed to go pretty badly.

 

“It’s beautiful. You’re so sweet.” Charlotte said with a smile. She was so happy to see her daughter acting like herself again. 

[Ishigreensa]

Tom sighed because he could see that she looked very nervous, and he wondered if it was going to be any faster waiting for these or just taking her to the bathrooms at the front, where he could probably go in with her.  The line was pretty slow, so he picked her up.

"Come on, honey.  I think those ones might not be as crowded, but they are further away, so I'm going to carry you," he told her.  He started to walk as fast as he could with her until they were near the entrance of the park where the first aid area was and the only real bathrooms.

When he set her on her feet and started to walk her inside, he could see that it was indeed less crowded here.  No one wanted to go this far away because it would delay more time getting to do rides.  He walked her into the bathroom with but a single person glancing up at him, and then they were starting to go into the stall....

 

"I hope Lani starts getting use to us soon," she sighed as she thought about the third thing she was making.  Now that she had time to calm down, she thought about everything that Lani went through, and though she knew very little about it, her overactive imagination filled in gaps that were really not even there.  Just the same though, her imagination was powerful, and she understood, she wouldn't be happy being taken from her family either even if they tried to take her to a fun place.

"I've decided I'm making this last thing for Lani," she said.  "Even if Lani doesn't want to be friends, I guess I would feel the same if someone pulled me from my home and my own mommy and daddy.  It's not her fault."