Nadia stroked her daughter's hair gently. Aftertheir talkNadia had broken her own rule and brought Yasmin to bed with her. The child was finally asleep, but Nadia knew she wouldn't be sleeping any time soon.
When she went next door to get Yasmin, Laurel apologized right away for the girls still being awake.
"They were excited about being together I guess."
Nadia didn't really mind. She was glad to have the chance to talk to Yasmin now, rather than later. She thanked Laurel and took Yasmin by the hand. Nadia could tell Laurel was curious, but she didn't want to have that conversation before talking to her daughter.
Once they were home she told Yasmin about Sayid's visit, "So, he wants to meet you. How do you feel about that?"
Yasmin shrugged her shoulders.
This wasn't in any of the "How-to-be-a-Parent" books Nadia had read. She wasn't sure what to do next. She helped Yasmin into her pajamas.
"Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"
"O.K."
Once they were in bed, Nadia pulled her daughter close, "You can ask me anything, you know. If I don't know the answer, we'll figure it out together, all right?"
"Grace's daddy comes on Saturdays," Yasmin said.
"Yes, I know."
"Grace says her mommy and daddy don't like each other and that's why he doesn't live with them. Do you like my daddy?"
"I do. But it isn't as simple as that."
"Why?"
"That's one of those questions I can't answer."
Yasmin was quiet for so long, Nadia thought she had fallen asleep. Then she said, "When will I see him?"
"Well, I was thinking we might not do school tomorrow. It's pretty late, and you're tired. You need to sleep. We can talk more in the morning. If you decide you want to see him tomorrow, I'll call him. If not, we can wait. But not too long. He really wants to meet you."
"No school?" Yasmin said with a tired smile.
"No school. Go to sleep." Nadia kissed her. "I love you."
"I love you, too Mama."