The school year had wrapped up quickly the last few months flying by. Nikki and Brett were now settled in their new home and it was feeling like it was theirs. The only signs it had ever been Evelys were the growth chart in the pantry and the treehouse, even the tree house had been painted. The weathered wood had been sanded down and a fresh coat of sky blue paint applied with white trim to match the house. The cracked old patio had been dug out and they had poured new concrete. They were making the house their home. Nikki and Brett were enjoying doing the work themselves even if Tyler was often in the way. He liked helping. In the backyard stood three apple trees one for each of the siblings, Nikki decided to plant a cherry tree Tyler's tree, she knew each of Owen's kids had a fruit tree in their backyard and Meghan had planted one in her's for Faroke, it was time Ty had a tree.
Meghan came flying though the door, "SQUIRT."
"MEGHAN," Nikki bellowed back.
"Where are you," Meghan called.
"Your room," Nikki answered.
Meghan charged up the stairs and into her old room, her once purple walls now a muted grey.
"I like what you've done in here," Meghan said.
"It's a guest room for now," Nikki said.
"For now," Meghan asked, "are you not telling us something?"
"After the wedding we're going to try," Nikki said, "wedding first."
"Wedding first," Meghan agreed.
"You guys," Nikki asked.
"We're trying but I'm 41," Meghan said, "hopefully."
"You will," Nikki said, "maybe if we don't try. It worked before."
"We'll figure it out," Meghan said.
"Mommy," Tyler called from across the hall.
"Nap times over," Nikki said. They went across the hall so Nikki could get Tyler out of his crib.
"It's time to get him a big kid bed and potty train," Nikki said.
"He's just over two," Meghan said.
"Don't tell me that he's still my baby," Nikki said.
"He always will be," Meghan said.
"How do you toilet train a boy," Nikki asked.
"Time," Meghan said, "put him on the toilet every hour."
"How do I teach him to aim," Nikki asked.
"You ask Brett," Meghan said, "that's dad's job."
"Can I ask him," Nikki said.
"Just tell him you need help," Meghan said, "I let Nate have the growing up talk with Faroke. I could do it but it's a man to man talk."
"Your coming tomorrow for the fourth tomorrow," Nikki asked.
"We're all off," Meghan smiled.
"Moms bringing don and his kids," Nikki said, "I don't know about his kids. I don't like the looks."
"Your engaged," Meghan said, "you're a successful adult. There's nothing to worry about."
"I hate letting you and Owen down," Nikki said.
"Why would you think that," Meghan asked.
"I don't know anymore," Nikki said, "I know on paper it's not much different but I remember the comments at church about me only teaching. Then when I was asked not to come back once people found out about Ty."
"Your the only one that thinks that," Meghan said, "I was reading a bit about adhd and trauma the other day for Faroke trying to help him and I think you show some of the same behaviors still."
"You don't stop having it because you turn 18," Nikki said, "it's life long and it presents very differently in females. Owen was tested years ago."
"Owen," Meghan asked looking shocked.
"When I was part of the MRI study for Derek Shepard," Nikki explained, "Owen wondered about the genetic link so let Shepard test him."
"You were part of the Shepard study " Meghan asked, "the MRIs were ground breaking."
"Three years," Nikki said, "I'm brain 26. There's the contrast to a sibling brain image in the study. Owen has traits but not enough. The contrast image brains 26 and 27 are me and Owen. I was 18 for that one."
"How do you know," Meghan asked.
"Owen asked Derek Shepard," Nikki said, "a lot of the data they have on me is from right after my accident. I was trapped there and it gave me something to do. We talked about the Shepard study last summer in an exceptionalities course. I had fun adding details about the tests. And had to explain that I was a subject. It was Shepard that taught me about bell curves and standard deviations my senior year of high school. He would show me the stats and where I came out on the charts. Mom and Owen would come but he talked to me. They explained why my brain is different to me. He had this resident they called her little grey she was killed in the plane crash lexie would talk to me. She taught me about it and they made sure I knew what was going on. Last week I had to sit in a staff meeting and listen to people get all the facts about adhd wrong and no one listened to me. I'm the one who has learned to harness it as a super power but no the old grumps think the kids with it are just lazy and need to be drugged into submission. I suggested looking at the Shepard study but it was too much effort. I hate the stigma that ADHD makes you lazy or less than. We are just as smart and often work a thousand times harder."
"What are you going to do," Meghan asked.
"Fight for change," Nikki said, "I killed the soldier letters my first year at blue pine. Julie and I. We told our stories about her dad and you and how scared we were we could also say good by to Owen, Teddy, Nate, her uncle Jordan. Julie and I told our story that we don't know which kids have lost family members or have loved ones serving and how terrified you are for them. When your in middle school and towers fall and your siblings disappear. Where other families talk about the baseball game you and your mom listen to the news from the Middle East praying the worst of it is far away from where your siblings were. I told the rest of the staff about being in Beths class. Weeks after you disappeared and being told to restart my letter because I wrote to Owen. But that was her sample so she ripped it up. I wrote to Teddy instead. It didn't matter that I had emailed her that morning about the second kick a finger day. I wrote the Beth approved form letter to Major Altman."
"Did she write back," Meghan asked.
"Always. Every email," Nikki said, "but they got the letters the day before my birthday. She called her and Owen were in separate bases for a few days so she phoned me to wish me happy birthday. She liked getting my letter. I got in trouble for doodling in the margins at school but Teddy liked my little birds and flowers."
"You fight for your kids," Meghan observed.
"I will do everything I can for them to see how amazing they are," Nikki said, "my teachers didn't fight for me. My siblings did. Owen took a strip off a my senior history teacher a few times."
"Why," Meghan asked.
"Not following my IEP, callous offhand remarks about conflict and war, teaching world war causes wrong," Nikki said.
"Yes senior year is the first and second world wars, Cold War and space race," Meghan said.
"He got two of my high school teachers fired," Nikki admitted.
"Who," Meghan asked.
"Beth," Nikki said, "he was chaperoning a field trip for summer session in my junior year. We went rock climbing. Mom was out of town and I was staying with Teddy and Owen. That was a fun two weeks. Teddy let me get away with anything even Owen wasn't grumpy. But we were rock climbing and he drove a group of us and stayed as the medical person. He decided to climb with us and when he went to get the shoes she cornered him and tried to kiss him."
"Where was Teddy," Meghan asked.
"Working," Nikki said, "that was the night she came in and got jealous we had sushi because she couldn't have the raw fish."
"I need some timeline clues," Meghan said. Sometimes she still needed help with the time line as new events came out.
"Summer between my junior and senior years, both had been home a while. She was pregnant with Allison," Nikki said.
"Beth and him broke up how long before that," Meghan asked.
"He dumped her just after the soldier letter incident," Nikki said, "between doing the assignment and the letters arriving. He never opened his and was hurt that I didn't write to him when he saw where they were from. He would have understood if I had written to you but he didn't see that Teddy had one from me."
"Is that why you do what you do because your teachers didn't care," Meghan asked.
"I teach how I do for the kids like me. The kids that their other teachers don't see. My teachers never saw me. I was always trying to fit in a box when my brain doesn't always realize the box exists. Our family saw it but my teachers didn't know or couldn't. I'm going to fight for the adhd kids because no one fought for me. It was trying to make me normal not how can we teach Nikki skills to cope, it was how can we drug her into submission and make her normal. Drugs were not what I needed. I needed to move and create and be taught strategies. I'm just as smart as Owen and probably as smart as you but it looks different."
"Who are you convincing here," Meghan asked, "me or you?"
"I don't know," Nikki said as she sat down on the couch with Tyler in her lap.
"Why are you worrying about this now," Meghan pressed.
"Don's kids. I'm the family failure. I will never be normal and I hate it sometimes. I just want to be like you and normal," Nikki sobbed.
"I'm not normal either. You don't remember me in high school or college. You were too young. None of us are normal any of us. Owen might be the strangest of us all, or Eeyore is an alien," Meghan said, "it would be pretty dull if we were all the same. I think sometimes you get compared without the age gap factoring in. Your 27 being compared to Owen who is 44. That's huge. I'm 41. Yes we've done more because we've had more time to. At 27 we were in the army. Nikki, you're doing well. We all have to remember you are significantly younger. You and Owen are actually different generations. You're a millennial."
"I didn't choose that," Nikki said, "I had the strictest mom of all my friends. And what's her boat thing?"
"I ignore the whole boat metaphor. Just keep being a good mom," Meghan said.
"I'm trying," Nikki said, "it's hard."
"Hardest thing I've ever done," Meghan agreed.
"Most rewarding," Nikki said.
"It is," Meghan agreed, "why are you really nervous about tomorrow. You know it's not about me and Owen. i'm pretty sure you could murder someone and he would help you hide the body."
"Don's son," Nikki replied, "Jeff had a friend Andrew with the same last name."
"You don't want to see him," Meghan asked.
"Last time I saw him was almost three years ago," Nikki said, "they were both black out drunk. Andrew crashed on our couch that night."
"You lost a lot of friends didn't you," Meghan asked.
"My true friends stayed, Julie, Sydney, Bryn," Nikki said, "it was the circle of acquaintances but thats okay. They were more his friends. I just don't know what he's said about me to them."
"Hold your head up," Meghan said, "you've done a lot. You own your home at 27."
"My birthday is still 2 weeks away, I'm 26," Nikki said.
"You own a home, you have your masters and are doing your PHD, continuing contract," Meghan listed, "engaged. Nikki you did it all with Tyler. You did it no matter how much Jeff has tried to drag you down. Is that what's really bothering you?
"Sometimes," Nikki said, "you didn't hear the gossip and the comments."
"I've heard them about myself and Faroke," Meghan said, "you're going to stop worrying. Those people that talk about us like that and mom don't know us."
"They'd talk about Owen and say the same things if he wasn't a guy," Nikki said.
"They would," Meghan agreed.
"Why the double standard," Nikki said.
"I don't know I've always hated it," Meghan said.
"Can we stop it," Nikki asked.
"By you teaching kids about strong women in sciences and strong independent women," Meghan said.
"Every day," Nikki said.
"Mama I hungry," Tyler said.
"Let's get you a snack, you've been really patient while I talked to Auntie Meghan," Nikki praised, "thank you for being polite."
"Hes a good boy," Meghan said.
"We don't accept poor behaviour," Nikki said, "he's 2 and he acts like he's 2 but we dont give in to tantrums or whining."
Opening the fridge Nikki asked, "do you want strawberries or cheese?
"Both please," Tyler said.
"You can have both," Nikki smiled, "go sit down."
Nikki quickly added some cheese cubes and strawberries to a toddler sized plate, "Meg are you hungry?"
"I had lunch right before I came over," Meghan said.
Nikki set the snack and a sippy cup of water in front of Tyler. Before pouring two glasses of lemonade and handing the larger one to her sister. They continued to make small talk before Meghan had to go pick Faroke up from day camp.
The next day every one gathered in the back yard for the BBQ, Nikki and Brett had decorated with red, white and blue streamers and balloons and had set up the kiddy pool and slip and slide for the kids.
Don arrived and came though the gate with his two kids. Nikki froze and shrank back seeing Andrew. He was a friend of Jeffs.
"Nikki," Andrew greeted, "I didn't realize you would be here."
"It's my house," Nikki said, "how are you?"
"Good," Andrew said, "you?"
"Great," Nikki smiled.
"How's your little guy," Andrew asked, "which one is he?"
"Tyler is the one in the blue swim shorts," Nikki said, "and the dinosaur hat. He's good. You knew?"
"When Jeff told everyone why he ended it with you we had it out and I haven't talked to him in about two years," Andrew said, "I never knew how to reach out to you.I'm sorry, I should have."
"I'm good," Nikki said, "getting married in March, Brett is over at the BBQ with Owen. you remember my brother?"
"I remember him taking my keys," Andrew said.
"That's Owen," Nikki said, "you don't need to apologize. I shut myself off from most people."
"How's Tyler," Andrew asked.
"Great," Nikki said, "obsessed with dinosaurs."
"Explains why my dad had dino eggs for the kids to play with," Andrew said.
"They can have them in the pool," Nikki said, "last time they stained the bathtub green."
"Where are you working these days could you keep teaching," Andrew asked.
"Sixth grade math at blue pine and Brett is there as well," Nikki said, "we just started our PHDs."
"Your at Blue Pine," Amanda said, joining the conversation.
"Yes," Nikki said, "your dad mentioned you teach second."
"Moving to sixth english and social studies at blue pine for september," Amanda said.
"Which pod," Nikki asked, "I'm math for green and yellow pods."
"Green," Amanda replied, "how do pods work."
"For sixth its humanities, English and socials, then Science, PHE and Careers plus a math specialist, "Nikki said.
"Why is math the specialist role," Amanda asked.
"It's my fiance and I," Nikki said, "we have our masters in math ed and are doing PHDs in it. I have green and yellow, Brett is red and blue."
"Fiance which one is he," Amanda asked.
"Over there with our little guy," Nikki said.
"Our," Andrew asked.
"Brett is in Ty's life every day," Nikki explained, "he's Ty's daddy."
"What about Jeff," Andrew asked.
"Has seen Tyler four times total in 27 months," Nikki stated, "it's complicated and we're not going there today."
"So his I wont be involved," Andrew said, "I wanted to kick his ass for that. Nikki you didn't deserve that. You were always too good for him."
"It's the past," Nikki shrugged, "I've moved on and am much happier."
"Thats good," Andrew said.
"Hows the sixth team at Blue pine," Amanda asked.
"Great," Nikki said, "we're a really close group. It'll be interesting when we loop with these kids to have them for two years."
"It's intriguing," Amanda said, "the other humanities person, what do you know about them?"
"Julie and I have been friends since high school, she was my roommate through college," Nikki said, "she's great. She's really looking forward to collaborating with someone and building a program together."
"That sounds good," Amanda said, "other summer plans?"
"Course work, house projects, family time we're driving to Nebraska to see Brett's parents in a couple weeks," Nikki said, "you?"
"Road trip with a couple girl friends," Amanda said.
"That sounds amazing," Nikki said, "where?"
"Down to LA," Amanda said, "going to disney land."
"That's on our list when Ty is a bit bigger," Nikki said, "he needs to be big enough for rides first."
"Totally," Amanda agreed, "have you started planning your wedding?"
"Some things," Nikki said, "we have a date, Brett's dad is a pastor so Bill will marry us. I don't want a big fuss. My siblings had big fancy weddings and my sister and sister inlaw were so stressed about it all that I decided to keep it simple."
"Simple is good," Amanda agreed.
"Sometimes less is more," Nikki said.
"Totally," Amanda agreed.
Evelyn and Don were watching Nikki and Amanda talk.
"Nikki is relaxed," Evelyn commented.
"So is Amanda," Don said, "Andrew knew Nikki years ago."
"How," Evelyn asked.
"He knew Jeff through water polo," Don said, "he stopped talking to Jeff when it came out that Jeff abandoned Ty."
"It was hard for her then but it was the best possible thing for her in the long run," Evelyn said, "it made her see her strength and stand up and fight for what she needed and what Ty needed."
"Faroke sprayed me with the hose," shrieked Allison.
"Faroke put the hose away," Meghan scolded.
"But she splashed me," Faroke argued.
"A splash does not mean you get to put the hose down your cousin's back," Nathan said, "put it away now."
"Allison you're in your bathing suit," Teddy soothed, "just let it go. You splashed him with a bucket full of water first."
"But," Allison argued.
"Drop it or go sit on the porch steps," Teddy commented.
Allison walked away to the steps pouting.
"What's going on kiddo," Owen said sitting beside her.
"Faroke sprayed me with the hose and mom and Auntie Meghan did nothing," Allison whined.
"Uncle Nathan told him to put the hose away," Owen said, "I saw you splash him two."
"It was a splash," Allison whined.
"I know you meant to splash him but it's a water fight," Owen said, "you splash you get splashed back."
"But boys cant hit girls," Allison whined.
"No one can hit," Owen said, "its a water fight he sprayed you with water he didn't hit you. I saw the whole thing."
"Will any one ever listen to me and take my side," Allison yelled.
"Allison Meghan Hunt," Owen scolded, "I hear that you are upset. Right now you need to calm down and take ten deep breaths. I know everything is going red right now."
"Make it stop," Allison cried.
"I know it's hard," Owen said, "let's take a walk. You know Auntie Nikki used to do the same thing when she was your age."
"Dad can you do surgery and make me normal," Allison asked.
"Ali ADHD is not something wrong with you," Owen said, "your brain just thinks differently. Your auntie Nikki has it, I have some parts of it and it's okay. Maybe you can talk to auntie Nikki another day about it. She's the expert."
"Just cut out the broken part," Allison said.
"I can't," Owen said, "because there is nothing broken. There's no surgery. There's nothing wrong with you. It's just different like you have red hair and Amber has blonde hair."
"Why do other kids call me weird," Allison asked.
"Because you're confident enough to be yourself," Owen said, "me, your aunties we were all weird as kids. We did what we loved."
"Will you and mom still love me if I'm weird," Allison asked, kicking at the stones on the path.
"We will always love you," Owen said, "and you're not weird. I used to know another girl a lot like you. She was a great dancer, loved to learn, could learn anything she chose, was a little shy and had a hard time making friends, she did the same tests you did for school that said she was off the chart smart. She was curious like you and could ask questions that would stump me."
"What happened to her," Allison asked.
"She grew up," Owen said, "she's a teacher now and getting married. She has a little boy. She's going to be a teacher doctor."
"Do I know this person," Allison asked.
"You do," Owen said.
"Who," Allison asked.
"Nikki," Owen said, "you are just like your auntie Nikki when she was your age. Allison you're not weird or broken. You're brilliant and your brain web with all your different ideas is part of that."
"But Amber is smarter and more popular than me," Allison said.
"You and your sister are different," Owen said, "I know how hard it is to be the oldest of three. I am."
"But your sisters weren't better then you," Allison said.
"Years ago Meghan was the perfect one," Owen said, "smart, funny, the popular one. Everyone liked her. But when we grew up it didn't matter. It didn't matter that Nikki was the energizer bunny we're all friends now."
"You don't call your friends squirt," Allison said.
"It's a hard habit to break," Owen said, "are things less red?"
"Normal," Allison said, "but there were people."
"Don was a teacher, Amanda is a teacher and your auntie Nikki used to know Andrew," Owen said, "they will understand."
"But I don't like it," Allison whined.
"I know," Owen said, "let's go inside, have some juice then go back out."
"Okay," Allison agreed.
Meghan sat with Faroke in the tree house.
"How come Allison isn't in trouble she splashed me first," Faroke pouted.
"Uncle Owen is talking to her," Meghan said, "they went out front we came up here."
"She splashed me and the hose was right there I had to," Faroke said.
"Did you think first," Meghan asked.
"No," Faroke said, "I thought it was a water fight."
"I see that," Meghan said, "it looked like it to me until Allison started yelling."
"Why does Allison do that," Faroke said, "and she thinks funny."
"Allison has something called ADHD her brain is wired differently," Meghan said, "some people are just born that way like sometimes it's like having red hair it makes them special and unique."
"I heard a teacher say kids like that are lazy and just don't try," Faroke said.
"Not at all," Meghan said, "one of the most driven people the hardest workers I know has really bad ADHD but she uses it as her super power. It's not wrong or lazy, just different. Like being tall or short it just is. It's no different than that you have a hard time reading."
"I hate reading," Faroke said, "it's boring and doesn't make sense."
"We're getting help," Meghan said, "we'll practice. It's getting better. You will get better. You've only been reading in English for two years."
"But my friends can all do it," Faroke said.
"You're still getting ELL and help with reading," Meghan said, 'it's lack of practice the other kids started doing it in kindergarten they have three more years of practice. We will work it out. We are working on it."
"I have to go to summer school," Faroke pouted.
"For two weeks," Meghan said, "just two weeks then you dad and I are going on a road trip."
"Where are we going," Faroke asked.
"Califorina," Meghan said, "to the beach."
"Just us," Faroke asked.
"Just us," Meghan said, "family time. Your first road trip."
"Isn't it just driving," Faroke said.
"Interesting stops, junk food, good music," Meghan said, "dad refusing to follow directions or a map and getting lost."
"Will it be fun," Faroke asked.
"It will be," Meghan said.
Everyone rejoined the party with calm preteens.
"What was that," Owen asked.
"Preteens," Nikki said.
"She's 10," Owen said.
"I know," Nikki said, "think about middle school. That's nothing."
"How do you do it," Owen asked.
"Humor and trusting them," Nikki said, "let them have fun. You work with it not against it."
"Why do I think we're going to need your help with the kids more than ever," Owen said.
"They're not hard," Nikki said, "trust them, listen, have some humor."
"Allison may need your help," Owen said, "the ADHD is getting harder for her. I don't know how to help, Teddy doesn't know."
"You helped me," Nikki said.
"We did but you're the expert," Owen said, "we know the science. You have the experience. You are the expert can you help her."
"I can do what you did with me," Nikki said, "I can spend time for her and listen, let her talk, unwrap the web with her and teach her to unravel her own web when she's ready. I can be there ans support her like you always have. You took the time to listen, you still do. That's what she needs. She doesn't need to be fixed, she's not broken. She's Allison."
"When did you get so wise," Owen asked.
"Grow up thinking your brain is broken and you learn as an adult to make it your superpower," Nikki said, "she'll find it. For now we listen and let her dance, swim and follow her interests. And we never let her give up on herself. You never let me give up. How many times have you kicked my ass when I wanted to give in and give up. You dragged me forward, kicking and screaming at times. I think you literally dragged me to physio kicking and screaming at least once. But you never let me give up. We can not let Allison give up."
"We won't," Owen said.
Brett approached, "should we start the BBQ?"
"We should," Nikki said, "kids are getting hungry."
"Your mom is feeding our son chips," Brett said.
"Not again," Nikki said, "he won't eat veggies or meat now."
"It's a holiday," Brett said.
"I know," Nikki said, "can you get the BBQ going I'm going to change him. Last box of diapers before our summer project."
"He's ready," Brett agreed.
The family enjoyed the rest of the night BBQing and playing games in the backyard. Don's kids fit in with the others and Amanda quickly connected with Nikki and Brett they ended up spending most of the night talking about Blue Pine and teaching. Amanda was just starting her masters program and they were talking about all of the new theories and classroom practices. It was clear the three would quickly become friends. They were hesitant with Andrew given the history but he seemed to be okay.
Thoughts? Reviews? Criticisms?