SIX MONTHS LATER
I opened the front door and stepped into the house. I smiled when I saw my husband playing on the floor with our nine-month-old son. Kaden was laughing and clapping his hands while Carter made silly faces at him. Kaden looked up and me waved. I waved back. "Hey, cutie," I said.
Carter stood up and walked over to me. "Hey," he said, kissing my check. "How was your day?"
I smiled slightly. "Not too bad. I'm glad to be home."
"Mommy!" Annie called from her room. She'd taken to calling me mommy ever since the school shooting. I liked it. Annie came running down the stairs two at a time. "Mommy, guess what?"
"What?" I asked, picking up my daughter.
"My teacher wants to put my painting in a contest!" Annie grinned.
"Really?" I asked. Over the past few months I had noticed some improvement in Annie's art but, since I didn't really know about those things, I didn't give it much thought.
"Really," Annie said.
I turned to Carter who had stood up and put Kaden in his swing. "Yeah, Judy asked if it was OK for Annie to be entered in the school wide Reflections contest. She said Annie's art has to reflect the theme, which, this year is hope. She suggested that we also enrol Annie in an art class."
I kissed Annie. "You wanna do that? You wanna enter the contest?"
Annie nodded. "But I need help. I dunno what to draw."
I put Annie on the floor. "Tell you what," I said. "Go get your crayons and we'll start coming up with some ideas, OK?"
"OK, Mommy."
****************************
"The judges are looking at the paintings now," Judy informed us. Seven other children in Annie's age group had entered the contest. If Annie won at this level she'd be going on to the state competition. I thought her painting was beautiful. She decided to paint a flower opening up, with a white dove flying out of it. Her talent and her determination astounded me. I hadn't expected her to put so much effort into her art. But Carter and I were both thrilled that she'd found something she loved.
We waited anxiously in our seats until a voice came over the loud speaker. "The judges have made their decisions. You may find your paintings."
Carter, Annie, and I went nervously into the hall and over to Annie's painting. Pinned to it was a large blue ribbon with gold letting, which declared, "First Place."
I squealed. "Oh Annie!" I cried. "You won, sweetie!"
Carter picked Annie up and spun her around. "Congratulations!" he said. "I am so proud of you."
I grinned at Annie. "Good job, baby," I said.
"Excuse me, Dr. Carter," a woman with long grey hair said. John and I both turned around. "My name is Joan Archer and I'm a representative for the Weinburg School for the Arts. We're a magnet school for children talented in the areas of art, music, and drama. I wonder, have you enrolled Annie in kindergarten yet?"
I shook my head. "We're looking into private schools," I said.
Joan smiled. "Well, perhaps you will consider Weinburg, then," she said, handing me a brochure. I took at it and opened it up. "We offer fine academic programs as well as the arts, of course. We try to keep class sizes small and we only except children whom we believe to have extraordinary potential. Ms. Gale has shown me many of Annie's paintings and, if you're interested, we would like to set up an interview."
I looked at Carter. "Wow," he said, stunned. "Thank you. Um, Abby and I will have to discuss it first but it sounds wonderful."
Joan nodded. "Here's my card," she said. "Call me if you have an questions."
Response to reviews –
LoopyLu1 – Annie is great, thank you.
Carbyfan – Happiness is here!
Hyperpiper91 – I'm done picking on her. : )
Carbylobsterandavrilfan – Yay Annie!
Amanda – I'm glad you like it so much. However, I must warn you . . .it's ending soon.
Kayla – Annie is OK now and will be OK for the rest of her life.
Duckygirl – I love writing this fic as much as you love reading it. But I think I've pretty much run out of ideas.
Higherbeingfriendsfan – Annie is smart. She got that from Carter, obviously. Not Jessica.
Carbybubbles – I would keep it going but I don't know what else to do! And yes, Abby is officially known as "mommy" now.
I opened the front door and stepped into the house. I smiled when I saw my husband playing on the floor with our nine-month-old son. Kaden was laughing and clapping his hands while Carter made silly faces at him. Kaden looked up and me waved. I waved back. "Hey, cutie," I said.
Carter stood up and walked over to me. "Hey," he said, kissing my check. "How was your day?"
I smiled slightly. "Not too bad. I'm glad to be home."
"Mommy!" Annie called from her room. She'd taken to calling me mommy ever since the school shooting. I liked it. Annie came running down the stairs two at a time. "Mommy, guess what?"
"What?" I asked, picking up my daughter.
"My teacher wants to put my painting in a contest!" Annie grinned.
"Really?" I asked. Over the past few months I had noticed some improvement in Annie's art but, since I didn't really know about those things, I didn't give it much thought.
"Really," Annie said.
I turned to Carter who had stood up and put Kaden in his swing. "Yeah, Judy asked if it was OK for Annie to be entered in the school wide Reflections contest. She said Annie's art has to reflect the theme, which, this year is hope. She suggested that we also enrol Annie in an art class."
I kissed Annie. "You wanna do that? You wanna enter the contest?"
Annie nodded. "But I need help. I dunno what to draw."
I put Annie on the floor. "Tell you what," I said. "Go get your crayons and we'll start coming up with some ideas, OK?"
"OK, Mommy."
****************************
"The judges are looking at the paintings now," Judy informed us. Seven other children in Annie's age group had entered the contest. If Annie won at this level she'd be going on to the state competition. I thought her painting was beautiful. She decided to paint a flower opening up, with a white dove flying out of it. Her talent and her determination astounded me. I hadn't expected her to put so much effort into her art. But Carter and I were both thrilled that she'd found something she loved.
We waited anxiously in our seats until a voice came over the loud speaker. "The judges have made their decisions. You may find your paintings."
Carter, Annie, and I went nervously into the hall and over to Annie's painting. Pinned to it was a large blue ribbon with gold letting, which declared, "First Place."
I squealed. "Oh Annie!" I cried. "You won, sweetie!"
Carter picked Annie up and spun her around. "Congratulations!" he said. "I am so proud of you."
I grinned at Annie. "Good job, baby," I said.
"Excuse me, Dr. Carter," a woman with long grey hair said. John and I both turned around. "My name is Joan Archer and I'm a representative for the Weinburg School for the Arts. We're a magnet school for children talented in the areas of art, music, and drama. I wonder, have you enrolled Annie in kindergarten yet?"
I shook my head. "We're looking into private schools," I said.
Joan smiled. "Well, perhaps you will consider Weinburg, then," she said, handing me a brochure. I took at it and opened it up. "We offer fine academic programs as well as the arts, of course. We try to keep class sizes small and we only except children whom we believe to have extraordinary potential. Ms. Gale has shown me many of Annie's paintings and, if you're interested, we would like to set up an interview."
I looked at Carter. "Wow," he said, stunned. "Thank you. Um, Abby and I will have to discuss it first but it sounds wonderful."
Joan nodded. "Here's my card," she said. "Call me if you have an questions."
Response to reviews –
LoopyLu1 – Annie is great, thank you.
Carbyfan – Happiness is here!
Hyperpiper91 – I'm done picking on her. : )
Carbylobsterandavrilfan – Yay Annie!
Amanda – I'm glad you like it so much. However, I must warn you . . .it's ending soon.
Kayla – Annie is OK now and will be OK for the rest of her life.
Duckygirl – I love writing this fic as much as you love reading it. But I think I've pretty much run out of ideas.
Higherbeingfriendsfan – Annie is smart. She got that from Carter, obviously. Not Jessica.
Carbybubbles – I would keep it going but I don't know what else to do! And yes, Abby is officially known as "mommy" now.
