Terri’s lying on the carpet, playing with Olivia’s toes. Emma’s sitting on the couch watching them, her bare feet resting on Terri’s lower back.
“And this little piggy had roast beef...that one’s me,” Terri’s saying, wiggling Olivia’s toes and making her giggle. “And this little piggy had none...that’s your mommy because she’s weird and doesn’t eat meat.”
Emma digs her heel into Terri’s back, causing Terri to glare over her shoulder at her. She turns back to the wide eyed two year old, squeezing her pinkie toe gently.
“And this little piggy was a teeny, weeny piggy...I think her name was Olivia...and she cried all the way home,” she finishes, tickling Olivia’s sides, making her scream in delight as Terri pulls her into a hug and kisses her blonde curls.
When she releases her the little girl bounces up and down.
“Again Mama, again, again!” she chants, clapping her hands.
Terri rolls her eyes.
“Livvy, this’ll be the fifteenth time we’ve done it,” she says, although Olivia has no concept of number and laughed just as hard on the fifteenth time as she did on the first.
Emma smiles as Terri starts the rhyme all over again. Her vision is drawn to the hallway, where a small figure, followed by a taller one are tiptoeing past the door. It’s not the first time, they’ve been back and forth a few times over the course of the evening.
“Girls,” she calls out. “What are you doing?”
After a few beats, two heads appear around the door, one blonde, one redhead.
“We’re just playing, Mommy,” Isabelle says, her big brown eyes the very picture of innocence.
Abby smirks and looks down at her feet. Emma quirks an eyebrow.
“Abby, is there something funny?” she asks.
Olivia, distracted from her game with Terri gets up and wanders over to the older girls, holding her arms up to Abby, who picks her up and looks at Emma.
“No, Memma, we’re just playing salons,” she manages, before a wicked grin that is the image of her mother’s spreads across her face. “Cuz ‘Belle wants to look pretty for her booooooyfrieeeeeend.”
Isabelle elbows Abby in the side.
“Shut up! I do not have a boyfriend,” she whines.
“You do too!” Abby protests. “It’s little Jimmy Jackson. I saw the two of you holding hands!”
There are tears welling in Isabelle’s eyes and she blinks them away, folding her arms across her chest and turning away from the others. Terri’s pushed herself into a sitting position and she can see that Abby’s about to take the subject further so she interjects.
“Okay Abby, that’s enough,” she says, the warning clear in her voice. “Can you please take Livvy into the kitchen and get her some grapes?”
Abby looks from Terri to Emma and decides it’s probably better for her to make a quick getaway.
“C’mon Livvy, Auntie Abby’s gonna get you some grapes,” she says, putting the toddler down and taking her hand, leading her out of the room.
Isabelle's first boyfriend - aged 5 (part 1)
“And this little piggy had roast beef...that one’s me,” Terri’s saying, wiggling Olivia’s toes and making her giggle. “And this little piggy had none...that’s your mommy because she’s weird and doesn’t eat meat.”
Emma digs her heel into Terri’s back, causing Terri to glare over her shoulder at her. She turns back to the wide eyed two year old, squeezing her pinkie toe gently.
“And this little piggy was a teeny, weeny piggy...I think her name was Olivia...and she cried all the way home,” she finishes, tickling Olivia’s sides, making her scream in delight as Terri pulls her into a hug and kisses her blonde curls.
When she releases her the little girl bounces up and down.
“Again Mama, again, again!” she chants, clapping her hands.
Terri rolls her eyes.
“Livvy, this’ll be the fifteenth time we’ve done it,” she says, although Olivia has no concept of number and laughed just as hard on the fifteenth time as she did on the first.
Emma smiles as Terri starts the rhyme all over again. Her vision is drawn to the hallway, where a small figure, followed by a taller one are tiptoeing past the door. It’s not the first time, they’ve been back and forth a few times over the course of the evening.
“Girls,” she calls out. “What are you doing?”
After a few beats, two heads appear around the door, one blonde, one redhead.
“We’re just playing, Mommy,” Isabelle says, her big brown eyes the very picture of innocence.
Abby smirks and looks down at her feet. Emma quirks an eyebrow.
“Abby, is there something funny?” she asks.
Olivia, distracted from her game with Terri gets up and wanders over to the older girls, holding her arms up to Abby, who picks her up and looks at Emma.
“No, Memma, we’re just playing salons,” she manages, before a wicked grin that is the image of her mother’s spreads across her face. “Cuz ‘Belle wants to look pretty for her booooooyfrieeeeeend.”
Isabelle elbows Abby in the side.
“Shut up! I do not have a boyfriend,” she whines.
“You do too!” Abby protests. “It’s little Jimmy Jackson. I saw the two of you holding hands!”
There are tears welling in Isabelle’s eyes and she blinks them away, folding her arms across her chest and turning away from the others. Terri’s pushed herself into a sitting position and she can see that Abby’s about to take the subject further so she interjects.
“Okay Abby, that’s enough,” she says, the warning clear in her voice. “Can you please take Livvy into the kitchen and get her some grapes?”
Abby looks from Terri to Emma and decides it’s probably better for her to make a quick getaway.
“C’mon Livvy, Auntie Abby’s gonna get you some grapes,” she says, putting the toddler down and taking her hand, leading her out of the room.
...cont'd