Chapter 21 - Life

Lucy stood at the kitchen window looking out across the space in front of their cabin and over to Cam’s. She held the mug of coffee in both hands just inches from her mouth. The little car was still there, and now, so was Cam’s Audii.

“What are you looking at?” Nicole asked, sidling up to her with her hands full of kids’ jackets. She gazed out to where Lucy was looking. “Oh, Cam and Michelle are here? They didn’t call?”

Skidding across the kitchen in socked feet, Storm placed her palms on top of the counter and pulled herself up to look out too. “Shelly’s here?”

Nicole lifted her down. “You should be ready for school already,” she scolded gently and ushered her daughter off back to her room. “Luce? Is everything alright?” She couldn’t help but notice the pensive look that spread across Lucy’s face.

Sighing, Lucy turned to her and smiled. “I hope so. I called Cam last night about the car.” She finally sipped the coffee. “She said that it was Michelle and to make sure that she didn’t leave.”

Rain and Summer came running from their room screaming, with Wynter toddling after them, grinning as he chased them. “Mommy, save us!” shouted Summer.

“Oh my goodness…is that the scary bed monster?”

Wynter giggled and the two girls ran behind her legs, laughing.

Lucy stepped forward and scooped Wynter into the air. “Don’t worry girls, I’ll save you all,” she said, pulling him closer and blowing a raspberry on his tummy.

“I’m not a girl,” Summer said. She stepped out from behind Nicole and looked up at Lucy with the most serious glare she could manage.

“Okie dokie, what are you then?” Lucy asked, expecting something funny like a dinosaur, or an alien.

“I’m a boy, silly,” she said before running off.

“You’re not a boy, you’re my sister,” called Rain, chasing after her.

Lucy put Wynter down, and he giggled again and ran off after them. Both adults were a little unsure what to do with that outburst.

Eventually the silence was too much. Nicole asked, “So, Michelle? Is she alright?”

Lucy shrugged. “No idea. I’ll find out later.”

Nicole stepped forwards and kissed her cheek. “Okay, I have to get the kids to school and then get to work. Should we talk to Summer later?”

“It won’t hurt to ask her…him? About how they are feeling…it’s probably just a phase, right?” Lucy suggested, but in the back of her mind, she wasn’t quite so certain.

Rain was the girly one of the three. She was all about pink. Pink dresses, pink shoes, she’d dye her hair pink if they let her.

Her bedroom was pink, and all of her toys had some shade of pink in them. Her favorite singer was Pink.

Storm was the nerdy one. Her fashion statement was that she didn’t have a fashion statement. Shelly, or as the grown-ups called her, Michelle, had inspired a ‘be yourself’ attitude that Storm was taking to the extreme.

But Summer was always what Lucy thought of as the tomboy. Refusing to wear dresses, she had her hair cut as short as Nicole would allow it.

Maybe there was something to talk about.