"The father-daughter and mother-son dance are coming up soon." A fourth grade girl told at the lunch table. "My mom said she would take me shopping to get a new dress and my daddy a new tie so that we match."
"My dad came all the way from San Francisco when my sister was in fourth and fifth grades. I bet he will come again for my dance this year. I usually only get to see him in the summer and at Christmas, but he always says that this dance is a priority. He will even bring me something special to wear." Another girl said.
"Well, my dad can't come, but my step father, Robert, said he would go with me just like he did with his daughter. He said that we could find something to make me look like a princess." Yet another nine year old said.
"What about you, Mari? Who will go with you?" Jordyn taunted. She had been taken down several pegs after her sleepover, but girls like that are never down long.
"Um, I don't know. Last year Callie went with Mom. Mama said it was more like of a family dance anyway... I think we will all just go as a group." Mariana answered nervously.
"You'll be the only girl there without a father because you don't have one. Your moms will be so busy with their own kids they probably won't want to go with you anyway." Jordyn continued not really knowing the Adams Foster family dynamic.
"You could go with my dad, Mari. He wouldn't mind taking me along with my best friend." Lexi offered. "He said he thinks of you as part of our family sometimes."
Mariana shrugged and took a small bite of her sandwich before putting it back down. She looked around the room and spotted Callie when the fifth graders started coming in. She waved and got a wave back. Mariana knew, though, that she couldn't really move over by her sister. During elementary lunch, each grade had to sit together. Jesus and Mariana rarely ate together, but Brandon and Callie still searched each other out nearly every day. Today, Mariana was sort of wishing she could join them and get a few more details about this dance.
"I'm not really hungry if anyone wants my turkey and cheese sandwich." Mariana stated holding up the sandwich. Two different people reached for it and she gave both of them half. She picked up her bag filled with apple slices and ate a few before giving the rest of those away as well.
Soon the fourth graders were dismissed for recess. Mariana waited near the building for when the fifth graders would come out and join them. Lena came out the door instead. "Hey, Mari! How is your day going?"
"Okay, I guess." Mariana answered nervously shifting foot to foot.
"Are you waiting for someone?"
"I am waiting for Callie. I thought we could do something together at recess today."
"Ah, I love it when my little girls spend time together. Tell her I say hi. Have you seen Xavier, by any chance? His mom is here and I am supposed to be getting him from the playground."
"I think I saw him over there." Mari said pointing to an active soccer game.
"Thanks, Sweetheart." Lena gave Mariana a quick hug before setting off across the playground the get the boy she was looking for.
Lena went back inside and a few minutes later, the fifth graders came piling out the door. "Callie! Callie! Wait! I need to talk to you!" Mariana called.
Callie reluctantly came over. "What is it? I am missing the soccer game."
"I just have some questions for you about the dance. I mean, I remember you guys going and all, but I need to know details." Mari pleaded.
"Like what?"
"You went with Mom, right? Were you the only girl their without a father? How did you choose your dress? What is the dance really like?"
"I did go with Mom. I think I am going with Mama this year. Brandon and I agreed to that last year. I got my dress from Lilly. She wore it to something the year before. You can probably wear it, too. I am not sure who other people went to the dance with. They had games and stuff out along on the sides in the gym. Brandon and I played a lot of games and only danced a little. Mama insisted that we do one dance with each of them and then we also joined a fun song. We also got a picture taken of the four of us. It is in the family room. I don't know. There will probably be a paper about it to take home soon. Talk to Mama. She has been at the dance more times. She knows all about it. Can I go now?"
"Sure, Callie, but how will it look this year? There are four of us and only two moms. Who will I go with?"
"Look, I don't know. All I really know is that I am missing the soccer game. My team will be creamed my Jesus's team if I don't get over there right away. We can talk more at home tonight." A few weeks back after an incident, it was determined that Jesus and Callie had to play on separate teams during recess.
Mariana let her go and wandered back over to a group of girls who were still talking about the dance. "I am going to get my nails done and my hair done. My mom already said she was going to take me to a really expensive store in San Diego to find my dress. It will be much fancier than anything that could be found around here. I am going to get matching shoes and a purse, too." Jordyn bragged with a group of girls around her.
"Mari, do you want to go do gymnastics with me on the playground?" Lexi whispered seeing as both of them were uncomfortable by Jordyn's speech.
"Sure!" After those two girls ran off a few more went to join them. Jordyn was once again a little deflated, although still held a few people in her conversation.
A few minutes later the kids were all called in to go back to class. At the end of the day, Mariana's teacher handed out the official paper telling the details of the dance. Some of the boys made faces, but the girls looked at it with full attention. All the fourth graders, including the boys, had been looking forward to this dance since they started this school year. It was like a rite of passage at Anchor Beach.
Mariana's teacher told the class to put the papers in their take home folders to make sure it got to their parents. Some were so excited, though, that they kept their papers in their hands. Mari, however, was feeling a little unsure. She tucked the note into her folder figuring she wanted to think things out a little more before making any decisions.
The kids all arrived in the office shortly after school. "Okay, Babies, I need all of you to pull out your homework. I have a meeting right now with some of the high school teachers regarding testing. It shouldn't take that long, and I would like to take you home with no homework. I am leaving Miss Mary in charge. Listen to her, please."
"I don't have any, Mama!" Jude said happily. "I can just go to the meeting with you?"
Every now and then Jude could go with Lena to certain types of meetings. He could play quietly where she could watch him and it had a tendency to speed up otherwise lengthy meetings. "Not this time. How about if you go find your teacher. She told me last week that next time we had an afternoon like this she wanted to get a little extra reading done with you. Everyone else, homework."
As soon as Lena walked away, the four kids left decided they could talk at the same time as work. "So, I guess you got the note about the dance today, Mari? Did that answer your questions?" Callie asked.
"Not all of them. You are going to Mama." She said pointing at Callie. "And you are going with Mom." She said pointing at Brandon. "Who will go with Jesus and I?"
"I was going to ask Mama to go with me, too." Jesus said excitedly. "Callie said they had a basketball game last year and I am going to practice so I can beat her. I really won't have to do any of that slow dancing stuff, right?"
"We had to last year." Brandon joined in. "Mama said we had to dance at least once with her and at least once with Mom. We also got dressed up. It was really fun, though."
"Josh said he was wearing jeans. I thought I could, too."
"Nope. Moms will say dress pants, button up shirt, and a tie. You've seen the picture." Jesus made a face and Brandon continued. "A tie isn't that bad. I have to wear one to piano recitals. We both had to wear one to the adoption. It is kind of nice to look good every now and then."
"So, I should ask Mom to go with me?" Mariana questioned. "Won't I be the only girl there without a father?"
All the kids stared at her a moment before Callie answered. "I won't have one either. We are in this together. No one teased me about it or anything last year. Actually, other than two dances mostly the kids all ran around together and the adults sat at the tables and watched. Like I told you before, I don't even know who anyone else came with."
Brandon agreed. "I know that one of the fifth graders last year came with his grandmother. I only remember because Mom knew her and wanted to talk to her a long time when it was time to leave."
"Oh yeah. I remember that, too. Mom went to school with the kid's uncle. We thought Mama might be finished cleaning up before we could even get out of there. They talked forever."
"Well, what if I want my own date? Maybe I could invite Mike or Grandpa?"
Again her question caused her siblings to stare at her. "Why would you invite someone else? Don't you want to go with us?" Brandon finally asked. "You should go with Mom and me. My dad and Grandpa aren't even around much right now even if you did want to go with them."
"I think it would hurt Mom's feelings to invite someone else. If you want, I would go with Mom again and you could go with Mama? Or maybe Jesus will switch and we can both go with Mama? It doesn't really matter who we go with anyway."
The secretary had not really been listening to the kids' conversation, but did notice not much work was being done. She walked over there for a moment. "Adams Foster clan, I was told to make sure you were all working. Since you aren't, I will have Jesus come sit with me. I want Brandon to go to your mama's office to work, Mariana go sit over there and Callie stay right where you are." She had known all of these kids since they started school and generally knew them quite well from Lena's stories.
No one would argue with Mary. The kids immediately dispersed to their different areas. Mariana looked at each of her siblings a little more as they began to work and then looked back at her paper about the dance.
Lena was soon back with Jude. She thanked Mary and gathered up her children. "Did you all get done with your work?" She asked as they loaded into the car.
"Yeah…" Brandon answered with a lack of certainty.
"Really, Brandon?"
He sighed loudly. "No. I still need to read tonight and I might need a little help with my math."
"Thanks for the more honest answer. How about the rest of you?"
"I did my reading with my teacher, Mama, but I want to read with you more when we get home is that okay?" Jude asked excitedly.
"Of course." Lena looked at her silent three in her rearview mirror. "Callie, Jesus, Mariana, did you hear my question?"
"Yes, Mama. I just need to read. You can check if you want." Callie offered.
"I have a lot of homework, Mama. My teacher said all of it had to be done or I would not get to play basketball. It is just so much." Jesus said dejectedly. "I didn't get done with anything today in class."
Mariana was still quiet. "Well, Bud, how about when we get home, you can go outside and play while I help Brandon. Then you can come in and we will do your hardest thing together. Then you can have a snack and we can knock another assignment out. It won't be so bad. Mariana, sweetheart, do you still have homework?"
Mariana was lost in her own world and jumped some when Callie elbowed her to answer. "I think we should have chicken for supper tonight."
Lena laughed a little. "I will take that into account, but I was actually asking if you still had homework to finish."
"Not really…"
"You got your reading and you practiced your spelling words already then?" Lena asked.
"I guess I still have those things."
"Perfect." Lena pulled up in the driveway. "Homework first, babies."
By the time Stef was home four out of five were finished with their work and Jesus was nearly done. After her gun was safely stored she came back down the stairs to greet her family. Lena was actively working on dinner as she was also helping Jesus with his social studies. She gladly paused for a hug and a kiss. "Welcome home, Love!" She greeted.
Stef also went over and kissed the top of Jesus's head. "It is good to be home. Where are our other children?"
"All outside. I think Brandon was anxious to see you about something."
"Ah, I will go greet our babies outside." Stef grabbed a beer from the fridge. "It is such a nice evening I may stay out with them for a while."
"That would be amazing!" Lena said handing Stef a group of thawed chicken breasts. "While you are out there enjoying your time you could grill these for supper."
Stef gave her wife another little kiss. "No problem. I will have Brandon help and find out what he needs." She opened the back door and walked out into the yard. "Hey, Babies!"
Jude came running to her for a hug. "Mommy! I missed you today! Are you going to make those for dinner? That's what Mariana wanted." Jude said pointed at the chicken. "I don't eat that, though. Mama is going to make me something else."
"Hmmm, do you remember what Mama and I said about that last night?" Stef asked.
"You said that you were in charge and I would eat what you said I had to eat. Mama wouldn't make me eat meat, though…" Jude said in a slightly whiney voice.
"It has been nearly two months since the turkey incident. Mama and I have discussed it and we think it is time for you to try some sort of meat again." Stef said as gently as she could under the circumstances. Lena had a severe weakness where Jude was involved and it had caused several small arguments between the two mothers. Stef knew that none of the other four could have gotten away with all Jude had. Last night Lena finally agreed that tonight Jude would eat what everyone else was eating.
"But Mommy…" Jude said stamping his foot.
"Not this time."
Jude looked at her through his tears and ran inside to Lena. Stef shook her head slightly. She probably should have saved that argument for the dinner table when Lena was there to back her up.
"What's wrong with Jude?" Callie said after observing the scene from across the yard. She was not so fiercely protective of him anymore, but it was disconcerting anytime he cried.
"Hello, Mom, I sure did miss you today. How was your day?" Stef said in her best Callie voice and she gave her daughter a hug and kiss.
"Oh, hey, Mom. I am glad you are home. What happened to Jude?"
"He will be fine. He doesn't want to eat chicken. That's all."
"You know when I was even younger than him you always made me eat things that I didn't like. I was never allowed to just eat peanut butter or have Mama make me something different from everyone else." Callie pointed out.
"Oh, I know. You are better for it. Jude will learn, too. I heard Brandon wanted to talk to me? Would you go get him and you sister?"
"Sure, Mom." Callie ran off where the other were playing and brought the other two back. Stef greeted both and then sent the girls back off to their game.
"So, Brandon, Mama said you wanted to see me. What's up?"
"It is almost time for that dance thing at school. Remember that last year I said we would go together?"
"Yes, I do."
"That's all I needed."
Brandon started to run off, but Stef grabbed him. "That didn't sound like you were inviting me to go with you. I thought you were supposed to ask me. Think of this as practice for the prom. Is that how you would ask your date?"
"Oh, Mom! The only girl I would ever go to the prom with is Callie. I think she would be fine with just saying we agreed to go. I don't need to practice."
Stef laughed despite how red Brandon became. "I am so going to quote you on that later. No one goes to prom with their sister. Trust me on this one."
"Well, I didn't say I wanted to marry her! I just think we have more fun together than most other girls that I know…"
"Does Callie know your plan?"
"It was her idea. She said it when we were a little younger."
"Of course it was. So, are you going to ask me?"
Brandon rolled his eyes. "Mom, will you go to my school dance with me. It is a week from Saturday."
"Can you have me home by nine? That's my curfew on weekends…."
Brandon laughed a little. "Only if you don't start talking like you did last year. I am inviting you, but you have to do the driving."
"Oh, I see. Well, I will have to look at my schedule to see if I am busy that night."
"MOM!" Brandon said laughing a little more.
"I just remembered that I already have that day off and I would love to go with you." Stef gave her son a kiss on the cheek. "Make sure you tell the others that they must ask whoever they are going with. I am assuming I will have two dates for the evening."
"I will let them know. Thanks, Mom!" Brandon ran off leaving Stef to finish the rest of the grilling herself.