"Mum! Where are my shoes?"
"In your closet," Caroline called up to Flora as she moved to the Aga to prevent the pasta from boiling over. "Dinner's almost ready. You have to eat before we go." Flora would get lost in her daydreams and forget to eat if her parents would let her. She was already so thin she couldn't afford to be any thinner.
Just a few minutes later, the happy twelve year old bounded into the kitchen and plopped down on a stool at the counter. "Where's Nikki?"
"She's on her way home. She had a late meeting but will be here in time to go with us," reassured Caroline as she placed a dinner plate and a glass of milk on the counter in front of her.
With reckless abandon, Flora sprinkled grated cheese all over her plate, splashing a healthy amount on the counter in the process. Caroline couldn't help but grin at the enthusiasm she had as she dug into her dinner. She usually made short pasta for Flora but all they had in the pantry was long spaghetti. Flora wasn't yet fully adept at twirling the long strands on a fork using her spoon as a backstop but Caroline loved watching her try. She'd stick her tongue out a little as if it helped her coordination as she tried to get all the ends to stick to the tightly wound bits. She seemed so grown up and independent at times and yet at other times she showed signs of still being their little girl. Her childhood was flying by far too fast for Caroline's comfort.
She stood back and took in Flora's outfit of choice and wondered how many outfits were left strewn across her room before she settled on this pink and purple ensemble. It looked adorable on her and she knew it was one of her favorites.
"Slow down or you're going to get pasta sauce on your top," she cautioned, cringing at the thought of having to go through the process of picking out yet another outfit as it could make them late.
"So how was school today?"
"It was okay. How was your day?"
"It was made better when you got home. I had the day off to work on clearing out the spare room to get it ready for Gigi to move in."
"I wish Gigi could come tonight," Flora said mournfully. 'Gigi' is what Flora called Ginika when she was first learning to speak and the name stuck.
"So does she. But the good news is that she should be moving in with us at the end of next week if the doctor releases her."
"Are we going to see her this weekend?"
"I'm going to go tomorrow over lunch but I'll take you on Saturday if you'd like to go. She'd love to see you and hear all about tonight." Gigi had been moved to a care home from the hospital after she broke her hip; she developed diabetes a couple of years earlier and it was complicating her recovery.
"Will you run some words with me?" Flora asked between bites.
"Of course," Caroline replied with a smile as she picked up the spelling bee word list. "But don't talk with your mouth full."
Caroline and Nicola were so proud that Flora qualified for the regional spelling bee competition. She didn't know it but her brother, William, was going to attend. He won the regional when he was thirteen but lost in the semi-final round at the national competition. Caroline was experiencing a strong sense of déjà vu helping her prepare and she loved every minute of it.
Nicola swept in just in time to bundle everyone into the car and make it to the competition on time. As Caroline drove, Nicola did a final run through of some of the words Flora still stumbled over. Good luck kisses and hugs were bestowed on the nervous contestant before the proud mums found William who was tasked with holding seats for them.
"I'm so touched you came to support your sister," Caroline said as she hugged him hard. His acceptance of Flora from the start meant the world to her, especially since Lawrence, busy with his own kids, rarely acknowledged her existence. "Helping her prepare brought back so many happy memories of doing this with you."
"It's great to see the family tradition continuing," William replied. "How's Gigi?"
"She's settled. But I'm ready for her to move in so I can stop all this shuttling back and forth to see her."
"How do you feel about the move," he inquired of Nicola.
"I think it will be great to have her with us. She was always easy to have around when she'd visit from the States and we didn't see as much of her as I would have liked after she moved back here a few years ago," she said with a smile as she met his eyes. "It struck me after she fell that she's the only grandparent Flora has left so I want Flora to have as much time with her as she can."
Caroline loved how selfless and supportive Nicola was when it came to Flora and Gigi. She squeezed her wife's hand in thanks as the lights dimmed and the spelling bee got underway.
The first few rounds went by very slowly; all the contestants spelled their words correctly. By the fourth round, the words were growing harder and kids started to fall one by one. Through it all, Flora clung on, managing words like 'hospice' and 'juggernaut'. When there only three contestantants left, Flora was given a word she struggled with during her practices but sailed through 'dinghies' thanks to all her preparation.
About an hour and a half into the competition, it was down to just Flora and a boy from a nearby school. He missed his word and Flora was given hers. If she missed it, they would each go on to another word. If she spelled it correctly, she would win. As the moderator gave her the word, Caroline nervously grabbed Nicola's hand as Flora's word was one they had not practiced.
Flora began by asking for its derivation but when she asked for the word to be used in a sentence, her proud mums noticed the glint in her eyes and realized she wasn't stalling for time but was prolonging the moment. Then she spelled it, "Grundyism. G-r-u-n-d-y-i-s-m. Grundyism." The audience broke out in applause as the moderator confirmed her spelling.
Caroline's heart burst with pride as Flora was declared the winner and had a gold medal on a blue ribbon draped around her neck. As the child bounced off the stage and into her waiting arms, Caroline felt pangs of sadness that Kate wasn't there to share in the victory. It was something she felt each time Flora seemed to blossom in ways that would have made Kate proud. She wondered if Kate was looking down on Flora at that moment. She hoped so.
After eventually calming Flora down enough to tuck her into bed, Caroline wearily climbed into bed beside Nicola, who was reading Marcus' latest report. Realizing Caroline looked pensive, she put the report and her readers on the night stand and rolled over to fully look at Caroline.
"I see the wheels turning in that pretty head of yours. Whatcha thinking?" Nicola asked.
"I'm trying to figure out how a twelve year old knows a word like Grundyism. It wasn't on any of her lists. Do you think she's been picked on at school? I hate to think she's gotten any treatment like Lawrence did because of Kate and me. I'd like to think society has moved forward since then," Caroline said quietly.
Nicola wriggled closer to her wife and gathered her in her arms, cradling her tenderly. She took a quick mental inventory of Flora's behavior of late and dismissed the concern. In an effort to soothe Caroline's fears, she said, "She's happy and open and I'm sure she'd tell us if anything like that were going on. Besides, I doubt any other kids her age would know that word."
"You're probably right, but then again it sounds like something a parent could have said and it could have filtered down through a classmate." After all her years at Sulgrave, Caroline knew how cruel both parents and kids could be. She was thankful that up until now Flora was blessed with good friends and a supportive environment at school.
"I think you're worrying for nothing," she said as she placed a tender kiss on her lips. "Tomorrow's a work day. We'd better get some sleep or we'll be dead on our feet. What an exciting night. If you're still concerned in the morning, we can ask her over breakfast."
"You're probably right." Caroline kissed Nicola good night and they drifted off to sleep curled up in each other's arms.
The next morning, as Flora ate her cornflakes, Caroline sipped her coffee and told her again how proud she was of her the night before. Nicola breezed in at that moment and instantly echoed the sentiment.
"But what I want to know is where did you learn the word Grundyism? It wasn't on any of your work sheets," Nicola inquired, taking the conversation where she knew Caroline wanted it to go.
"Gigi gave me an old book of Mum's a couple of weeks ago. I asked her why there were words underlined on some of the pages and she said Mum would underline the ones she didn't know and look them up in the dictionary. It was one of the words she marked so I Googled it."
Caroline turned her back on them to wipe a tear that instantly formed upon hearing the story, hoping neither would see it. "Would you show me the book after school," Caroline quietly asked as she realized it was about time to hustle Flora to the bus stop. Mornings like this she was glad for school uniforms as it prevented all sorts of wardrobe drama and helped them leave on time.
As she returned to the house, she wasn't surprised to find Nicola waiting for her just inside the front door.
"Come here," Nicola said gently. Caroline wordlessly stepped into her waiting arms, resting her head on Nicola's right shoulder as she slumped into the comforting hug she really needed. Caroline loved Nicola for her understanding when it was clear Kate was on her mind; she wasn't confident that if their positions were reversed she could be so devoid of jealousy.
"I'd love to see Gigi's expression when you tell her about that book saving the day. Imagine, of all the words she could have gotten, she got one that Kate helped her learn."
"It's incredible isn't it," Caroline said as she choked back some tears again. "I often wonder what she sees and knows about Flora but it's clear her influence is ever-present."
"Yes, but so is yours my love. Think of her success in the science fair last month and all those words you've been running with her," she said as she kissed her squarely on the lips so the tips of their noses touched. It was one of Nicola's signature kisses when she wanted to drive home a point. It always made Caroline smile, no matter what her mood.
Nicola released her and stepped back to admire the form-fitting suit Caroline was wearing. She still knew how to dress for success and Nicola appreciated the view on her way out the door every morning. It gave her an image to cling to until she returns home each night.
"Besides, where do you think her love of shoes and clothes comes from?" Nicola teased.
