Chp29 princess in a box
Seattle:
Gail-pov
I sip my tea, as the practiced routine unfolds. Th girls stand cooing add awing at their sisters' dress, hair, her assured persona. I reflect back to a warm august morning: I watch my proud adopted kid's loss their minds.
Today is the first day of school, the first day the girls go off to school, A private school with serious security. The girls are a mix of emotions and feeling about school. The five princesses are ready, showered, dressed and ready to conquer kindergarten. The eat their breakfast of granola and yogurt like mom usually does, while their two brothers and little sister, whine about not going. Anna is a bundle of worry and nerves, checking and rechecking their backpacks and lunches. Jason and Christian are an arguing back and forth over the security, are they ready. Typical parents, typical first day jitters. I stopped trying to soothe Anna nerves, she just won't relax. Christian is nearly in panic mode. This is the first time the Girls will be out of their control.
Samantha, and Rachel are relaxed ready to go, Alexandria is strong, the oldest but very shy, worried about her sisters. Diedre is the one I worry about, she is most like Christian, fearless and bold. Lucy, poor little Lucy, now the fifth daughter, since Mia never recovered from Luke's death. When Lucy was three, she took a boat out one day and never returned, the note was heart breaking. Teddy and his twin brother Frank are three, Christian overachiever sperm again. With surprise Phoebe, a year later.
Anna has number the girls for their first day so they can't play who-who on the teachers. It's amazing that Christian and Ann are the only ones who can tell the girls apart. Even I have trouble. Although they lately have been doing their hairs in pairs. Jason boom "Aright you scurvy dogs, to the cars. The cars I say" in a pirate accents, the girls are in love with the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movies. The herd heads out. Anna does one last check and hug. Christian straps and double, triple check the car seat harness. As the precious cargo roll away. Christian supports a full on weeping Anna.
The two SUV pull up the curve Gilbert preparatory elementary school k to 7. the CPO and their charges disembark. The CPO have each girls schedule and have walked the campus. They lead the girls to the two-separate classroom. Three in one and two in the other. The teachers are used to security, the CPO makes sure the proper girl is in her proper class, no mismatch. Their classmates are awe struck by the identical foursome, while the staff by the Grey mystic. In the first classroom Diedre, Lucy, and Rachel are making friends an impressing them with clown tricks Uncle Elliot taught them.
In the second classroom Samantha and Alexandria are opposites. Sam's quickly makes friends, while Alex is standoffish, wary. The day progress as any first day goes. I sit in the kitchen as they pile in after school. A noisy and boisterous crowd. Anna and Christian with the little ones are still at Grey House. The Princesses tell me each and every detail. Christian is going to blow a gasket when he gets home. Alexandria, shy Alexandria has a boyfriend the first day. Her sisters are jealous, I suspect before the week is out they too may have boyfriends.
I watch Christian stand catatonic, frozen solid in the great room. Anna mouth open lost for words. Jason is all frozen as Sophie is still boys have cooties phase, so he hasn't gotten to this point of parenting. The kids stare at their parents some awe, some fear. I stare to laugh, which breaks the mood, soon everyone is talking, yelling and no one is listening. I drag Anna away for a word, to sooth her, help her understand, and most important to stop the rampant thoughts. That who is this boy, his family, motives?
Saturday:
As I predicted all the girls have boyfriend by Friday. But I suspect none will last except Alex's. Christian is worried the boy living and guardian situation is being transitory. David Rourke, is five, six month older than the girls. Suspended or expelled from six preschools/daycare centers. Has a violent, rage filled history, his father is multi-millionaire techie in San Francisco, his deceased mother was a party debutante from LA Orange county. He lives with a poor aunt working as a housekeeper down the street. The second day of school, he walks the mile to see Alex. The two make a very strange pair, the blonde blue eyed little boy with hate filled eyes and the brown hair little girl vibrant grey eyed, quiet and mannered. Apart the seem lost, together they are daring, bold, self-contained, like Anna and Christian one person in two bodies.
Christian is taken back by the boy's hostile attitude, his lack of fear at the great Christian Grey or Anna. He seemed always ready to fight, never backing down. It is a trait that will help and hurt him in school. I watch them swim in the pool, when he's here Alex ignores her sisters. It like she is separate individual different self-contained and assured, not one of an identical quintuplet.
Xxxx
I pull Anna downstairs and out to our seats. She smiles and chat with her large family. The music starts as the girls rush to the stage, taking positions. I turn to see Christian walk Alexandria down the aisle. The scared proud father, his radiant seventeen-year-old daughter. He argued for two whole week against the wedding. But I know in my heart it was always leading here. The David Rourke, the groom, stands alone and tall, no best man, not much family, just the aunt. Christian hands his daughter to him, and takes his place as best man. Everyone looks at him. He waves to proceed.
The ceremony is short and sweet. Soon the newlyweds are off to Harvard, Deidre to Stanford, Samantha to WSU, Rachel to Northwestern, Lucy to UH at Honolulu, and Frank back to his junior year at MIT, jumped five grade, the quiet super genius. But all the kids jumped grades. Grey overachievers.
The reception loud and roudie, with Lucy and Dierdre dates fighting. A Christian, nearly going thermonuclear when Rachel and a boy are caught in the boat house, Sam and her girlfriend in the sailboat, and Teddy in his room, naked with the equally naked Nordic blonde blue eyed Montrien twins. Anna takes it in stride except for naked Teddy, has all the kids gathered under her watchful eyes. I find Phoebe in the side tea garden sucking a much older boy's tonsil. She looks upset she has to stop, I lecture her as we walk back to her sister reception.
Patrick and his newly commissioned police officer Patrick Jr. are dancing their wife's around the floor. Marianna with her Naval officer fiancée is laughing with John and Carl about the latest cars. I hug Phoebe before she can dash away. It' a typical Grey blowout party. Jason hands me a flute of champagnes. As we toast the couple, I turn to Anna and Christian and toast them. What a happy family. What a great world they've created from the ordeal so many year-ago. I cuddle into my man's arms. I feel a tug on my skirt, my ten-year-old son Luke, looks up at me. Smiling and happy. It's been a great ride.
