Lil sighed and looked at the clock. Close to two a.m. Did this
child never sleep? The constant crying kept her awake most of the night,
leaving her exhausted for the next morning. It seemed that she could never
catch a break because little Jenna was never happy.
Named after Lil's grandmother, Jenna Melanie Thompson-Reed was a beautiful baby. She looked more like herself than Fulton, Lil thought, but would never say it. She was born at the end of spring, on May 16. It was now May 31, and Lil still hadn't gotten used to motherhood. She knew it would take awhile, but she figured things would be easier. It was agreed that Jenna would stay at Lil's house with her until Lil and Fulton could get a place of their own, when they were older. Lil figured that her mom would do everything for her: change Jenna's diapers, get up with her in the middle of the night, feed her, watch her when Lil went out with her friends. So far, her mother had left the responsibility up to her. Oh, she did show Lil how to put the diaper on and helped her until Lil had enough practice, and she helped her feed her, too. But other than that, she told Lil if she wanted her to watch her, she had to give her notice, like she would a regular babysitter. And she would only watch Jenna two times a week, if Lil wanted to go out with her friends. All things considering, Lil had it pretty good.
She got involved with an Unwed Teen Mothers group at the local recreation centre. They met three times a week, and took their babies, and discussed how parenting was. Their instructor, or colleague, was Lindsay Hopper. She was twenty and had a three-year old son, named Jacob. She talked to the girls about their financial support, and the emotion strain that a child could put on them, their families, and their relationships with their boyfriends. There were fourteen girls in total: nine were already mothers and five were pregnant. This group helped Lil vent her feelings about motherhood and all that was on her mind.
Her only concern, aside from her mother, was the team. The only friends she had known here in Minnesota. What did they think of her? She knew that it was obvious that they were in shock; Lil was the same age as them. If it could happen to her and Fulton, it could happen to any of them, right?
Months dragged on. Lil was still being home schooled, and Jenna was getting bigger by the day. Every day, after school, Fulton would rush over to see them, stay for a while, playing with Jenna and talking to Lil. They talked about everything, from school to gossip, but they managed to avoid one subject: their relationship. Lil found herself thinking that it was changing, and she wasn't sure if it was for better or for worse.
However, she put up with it for the following months, not letting it get in the way. She finished her schooling in October, taking longer because home schooling went through the summer months. It was that year that Fulton and the rest of the Ducks went on to the Junior Goodwill Games as Team U.S.A. Fulton desperately wanted Lil to join them, as a friend of the team. He sensed the distance growing between them, and wanted to correct it before it got any further.
Lil felt torn. How could she leave her mother alone for so many weeks? She would take Jenna with her, of course, but could she leave her mom? She cared for Fulton a lot, a lot more than before Jenna was born. He showed a genuine interest in his daughter and even got a part-time job at the local sports store to help earn money for her. Could she really deprive him of his fatherly rights by staying with her mother? Oh, decisions, decisions!
Lil never expected her answers to come with one simple telephone call. But they did. "You'll never guess who phoned today while you were out!" her mother crowed, as soon as Lil walked in the door from the Unwed Mothers group. Lil went about, setting down Jenna's bag and getting the little girl ready for her nap.
"Who?" she asked, rather absentmindedly.
"Auntie Gloria! She's coming to visit for three or four months while Uncle Glen is in Europe!"
This caught Lil's attention. "Three or four months? When is she coming?"
"The day after tomorrow," her mother replied. "This means you don't have to worry about leaving me alone because Gloria will be here, so you can go with Fulton to the Goodwill Games! Of course, we'll miss little Jenna around here." Lil's mom picked up the baby, who was gurgling away happily in her baby seat. Lil sighed. That was an easy decision.
Fulton was thrilled that she and Jenna would be able to go to the Junior Goodwill Games with him and the rest of the team. "Awesome!" he cried when Lil told him the good news. "Jenna will get to see me play!"
Lil was happy that everything fell into place so easily. But the feelings of dread that had been building up inside of her for weeks were finally pushing to be released. She couldn't decide if she herself wanted to go, for she didn't know if she loved Fulton like she did before.
Jenna was six months old when the team left for the Goodwill Games. Packing for her turned out to be a great chore. It took all three of them—Lil, her mom and her Aunt Gloria—to pack for one baby. Finally, they managed to get it done, and Lil kissed her mother and Aunt goodbye.
"You make sure to call us everyday!" her mother said, as she watched Fulton's mother pull up to the curb outside the house. Fulton got out of the car and ran to help a struggling Lil with Jenna's bags and things. He grabbed the baby, who was in her car seat, and hurried back down to the car. Lil stared after him, and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. It's OK; I'll get it, she thought to herself as she bent down to pick up another bag. Her mother leaned down to help her. As she did, she smiled. Lil smiled back.
The airport was a madhouse. Fulton marched along up ahead with his new found friend, Dean Portman. A few other players were added to the roster, and Portman was one of them. He was a rough and tough type, and he and Fulton apparently didn't like each other very much at first. But those friendships take time and Lil was glad they decided to be friends instead of enemies.
Lil struggled along behind them, Connie and Julie, another new player, the new backup goalie, helped her. "Men!" Lil huffed as she tried to carry Jenna and her diaper bag at the same time. "They think they can walk all over you!" Of course, she was referring to Fulton, but Connie and Julie just smiled, not sure of what to say.
Once they were seated on the plane, Lil felt exhausted and worn out. She could see that this was going to be a real working trip. Fulton sat by Portman, three rows up from her and Jenna. Connie and Julie sat on either side of them, playing with Jenna. As soon as the seatbelt sign clicked off, Fulton got up out of his seat and came over to see Lil. Exhausted from the trip to the airport, all Lil wanted to do was sleep. Connie got up out of her seat beside Lil and went over to see Guy, leaving the spot wide open for Fulton to sit down. He sat and Lil closed her eyes, praying that he would notice her exhaustion and leave her alone.
"Hi," he said, sitting down beside her. "How's it going?"
Lil shrugged. "We're alive."
Fulton reached over his girlfriend and started tickling Jenna's sides. She squealed with laughter and hit at his hand. He grinned and turned his attention back to Lil, who was still sitting still with her eyes closed. Fulton must have gotten the hint after a few minutes, because he got up, quietly, and left her alone. When Lil opened her eyes, she noticed Julie staring at her, but nothing was spoken between the two girls.
Three days later, Lil was regretting her decision to come along for the trip. Fulton had practically ignored her from the moment the plane landed, only looking at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Even then, he only gave her little glances as if to let her know that he was ignoring her for a purpose.
It was the day of Team U.S.A.'s first game and Lil was running late for it. She was carrying Jenna in one arm and trying to grab her diaper bag with the other hand. Jenna kept pulling on Lil's hair, and Lil was getting frustrated. Suddenly there was a knock on the dorm door. Lil sighed in frustration and threw the bag down, running to answer it.
"Robert!" The tall man stepped into the room and grinned at Lil. Robert Nelson was a close family friend and lawyer. Since Lil had her hopes set on being a lawyer later on in life, she looked up to this man. He often told her if he was in town on a case, he would take her with him to show her how it was done.
"Hey, Lil. Hey, cutie." He chucked Jenna under her chin and she giggled, putting her hands up to her face. "Your mom told me I would find you out here."
"What are you doing here?" Lil was almost speechless. She hadn't seen Robert in ages, ever since they moved to Minnesota. Robert smiled.
"I'm here on a case. I'm fulfilling my promise. Court starts on Monday morning. Would you be interesting in joining me?"
"Would I!" Lil was thrilled. But then she remembered.
"Oh no! Fulton has a early morning practice Monday that will take him until about eleven!
Robert shrugged. "Can't you tell him to take her early?"
Lil was silent for a moment. Maybe she could.
Named after Lil's grandmother, Jenna Melanie Thompson-Reed was a beautiful baby. She looked more like herself than Fulton, Lil thought, but would never say it. She was born at the end of spring, on May 16. It was now May 31, and Lil still hadn't gotten used to motherhood. She knew it would take awhile, but she figured things would be easier. It was agreed that Jenna would stay at Lil's house with her until Lil and Fulton could get a place of their own, when they were older. Lil figured that her mom would do everything for her: change Jenna's diapers, get up with her in the middle of the night, feed her, watch her when Lil went out with her friends. So far, her mother had left the responsibility up to her. Oh, she did show Lil how to put the diaper on and helped her until Lil had enough practice, and she helped her feed her, too. But other than that, she told Lil if she wanted her to watch her, she had to give her notice, like she would a regular babysitter. And she would only watch Jenna two times a week, if Lil wanted to go out with her friends. All things considering, Lil had it pretty good.
She got involved with an Unwed Teen Mothers group at the local recreation centre. They met three times a week, and took their babies, and discussed how parenting was. Their instructor, or colleague, was Lindsay Hopper. She was twenty and had a three-year old son, named Jacob. She talked to the girls about their financial support, and the emotion strain that a child could put on them, their families, and their relationships with their boyfriends. There were fourteen girls in total: nine were already mothers and five were pregnant. This group helped Lil vent her feelings about motherhood and all that was on her mind.
Her only concern, aside from her mother, was the team. The only friends she had known here in Minnesota. What did they think of her? She knew that it was obvious that they were in shock; Lil was the same age as them. If it could happen to her and Fulton, it could happen to any of them, right?
Months dragged on. Lil was still being home schooled, and Jenna was getting bigger by the day. Every day, after school, Fulton would rush over to see them, stay for a while, playing with Jenna and talking to Lil. They talked about everything, from school to gossip, but they managed to avoid one subject: their relationship. Lil found herself thinking that it was changing, and she wasn't sure if it was for better or for worse.
However, she put up with it for the following months, not letting it get in the way. She finished her schooling in October, taking longer because home schooling went through the summer months. It was that year that Fulton and the rest of the Ducks went on to the Junior Goodwill Games as Team U.S.A. Fulton desperately wanted Lil to join them, as a friend of the team. He sensed the distance growing between them, and wanted to correct it before it got any further.
Lil felt torn. How could she leave her mother alone for so many weeks? She would take Jenna with her, of course, but could she leave her mom? She cared for Fulton a lot, a lot more than before Jenna was born. He showed a genuine interest in his daughter and even got a part-time job at the local sports store to help earn money for her. Could she really deprive him of his fatherly rights by staying with her mother? Oh, decisions, decisions!
Lil never expected her answers to come with one simple telephone call. But they did. "You'll never guess who phoned today while you were out!" her mother crowed, as soon as Lil walked in the door from the Unwed Mothers group. Lil went about, setting down Jenna's bag and getting the little girl ready for her nap.
"Who?" she asked, rather absentmindedly.
"Auntie Gloria! She's coming to visit for three or four months while Uncle Glen is in Europe!"
This caught Lil's attention. "Three or four months? When is she coming?"
"The day after tomorrow," her mother replied. "This means you don't have to worry about leaving me alone because Gloria will be here, so you can go with Fulton to the Goodwill Games! Of course, we'll miss little Jenna around here." Lil's mom picked up the baby, who was gurgling away happily in her baby seat. Lil sighed. That was an easy decision.
Fulton was thrilled that she and Jenna would be able to go to the Junior Goodwill Games with him and the rest of the team. "Awesome!" he cried when Lil told him the good news. "Jenna will get to see me play!"
Lil was happy that everything fell into place so easily. But the feelings of dread that had been building up inside of her for weeks were finally pushing to be released. She couldn't decide if she herself wanted to go, for she didn't know if she loved Fulton like she did before.
Jenna was six months old when the team left for the Goodwill Games. Packing for her turned out to be a great chore. It took all three of them—Lil, her mom and her Aunt Gloria—to pack for one baby. Finally, they managed to get it done, and Lil kissed her mother and Aunt goodbye.
"You make sure to call us everyday!" her mother said, as she watched Fulton's mother pull up to the curb outside the house. Fulton got out of the car and ran to help a struggling Lil with Jenna's bags and things. He grabbed the baby, who was in her car seat, and hurried back down to the car. Lil stared after him, and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. It's OK; I'll get it, she thought to herself as she bent down to pick up another bag. Her mother leaned down to help her. As she did, she smiled. Lil smiled back.
The airport was a madhouse. Fulton marched along up ahead with his new found friend, Dean Portman. A few other players were added to the roster, and Portman was one of them. He was a rough and tough type, and he and Fulton apparently didn't like each other very much at first. But those friendships take time and Lil was glad they decided to be friends instead of enemies.
Lil struggled along behind them, Connie and Julie, another new player, the new backup goalie, helped her. "Men!" Lil huffed as she tried to carry Jenna and her diaper bag at the same time. "They think they can walk all over you!" Of course, she was referring to Fulton, but Connie and Julie just smiled, not sure of what to say.
Once they were seated on the plane, Lil felt exhausted and worn out. She could see that this was going to be a real working trip. Fulton sat by Portman, three rows up from her and Jenna. Connie and Julie sat on either side of them, playing with Jenna. As soon as the seatbelt sign clicked off, Fulton got up out of his seat and came over to see Lil. Exhausted from the trip to the airport, all Lil wanted to do was sleep. Connie got up out of her seat beside Lil and went over to see Guy, leaving the spot wide open for Fulton to sit down. He sat and Lil closed her eyes, praying that he would notice her exhaustion and leave her alone.
"Hi," he said, sitting down beside her. "How's it going?"
Lil shrugged. "We're alive."
Fulton reached over his girlfriend and started tickling Jenna's sides. She squealed with laughter and hit at his hand. He grinned and turned his attention back to Lil, who was still sitting still with her eyes closed. Fulton must have gotten the hint after a few minutes, because he got up, quietly, and left her alone. When Lil opened her eyes, she noticed Julie staring at her, but nothing was spoken between the two girls.
Three days later, Lil was regretting her decision to come along for the trip. Fulton had practically ignored her from the moment the plane landed, only looking at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Even then, he only gave her little glances as if to let her know that he was ignoring her for a purpose.
It was the day of Team U.S.A.'s first game and Lil was running late for it. She was carrying Jenna in one arm and trying to grab her diaper bag with the other hand. Jenna kept pulling on Lil's hair, and Lil was getting frustrated. Suddenly there was a knock on the dorm door. Lil sighed in frustration and threw the bag down, running to answer it.
"Robert!" The tall man stepped into the room and grinned at Lil. Robert Nelson was a close family friend and lawyer. Since Lil had her hopes set on being a lawyer later on in life, she looked up to this man. He often told her if he was in town on a case, he would take her with him to show her how it was done.
"Hey, Lil. Hey, cutie." He chucked Jenna under her chin and she giggled, putting her hands up to her face. "Your mom told me I would find you out here."
"What are you doing here?" Lil was almost speechless. She hadn't seen Robert in ages, ever since they moved to Minnesota. Robert smiled.
"I'm here on a case. I'm fulfilling my promise. Court starts on Monday morning. Would you be interesting in joining me?"
"Would I!" Lil was thrilled. But then she remembered.
"Oh no! Fulton has a early morning practice Monday that will take him until about eleven!
Robert shrugged. "Can't you tell him to take her early?"
Lil was silent for a moment. Maybe she could.
