February 20th 2022
Chapter 51
Our Return to Ideas
As unfortunate as it might have felt that they didn't start rolling out the Sullivan Stables camps when they'd hoped to, over the last few months, Lucas was not disappointed. The fact that things had not lined up as early as he would have liked was not nearly as important as the fact that things were finally happening, finally moving forward. Just today, for instance, while Maya would be at school, back with her students after being on leave since the end of the previous school year, he would get to see the start of the after school program. Some would be making their way out here by themselves, others would be dropped off, and they would be here until dinner time. Depending how things lined up, they might see about serving dinner, for those of the kids who might benefit from it. This was only day one. They'd all be learning together.
Before any of the kids would start to arrive, Lucas would briefly leave the ranch and go pick up Marianne from preschool before bringing her back with him. Aside from the fact that he'd promised to be there and that it was always a highlight of his days, this whole program had sort of been inspired by her, by wanting to nurture this love she had in her and layer knowledge along with it. The program was open to kids aged four to twelve, so she'd get to participate, along with a few of her schoolmates.
That was this afternoon. Now, it was a bright and early morning, and he was able to come to the ranch right from home without stopping to drop off Marianne now that Maya had taken over that task. Or it might have been that he'd arrive earlier than usual if he'd actually gone straight there. It took several minutes for him to realize that he'd inadvertently taken the turn he usually took and continued on his way toward the preschool. He realized his mistake only as he stopped at an intersection and noticed the sign outside his window. Whenever they'd pass it, Marianne would laugh and point it out, because she thought the woman depicted on the sign looked like her teacher, Miss Alma. He saw it… and then he remembered Maya had taken Marianne to school already. Oh, she would laugh at him for that one later…
Taking this detour in stride, he stopped at a coffee shop on the way and grabbed a few things for himself, Juliet, and Donna, ahead of their meeting. It wasn't as though they didn't have anything at the ready down in the kitchens, but the fact that he went to the trouble (no trouble at all) of bringing something from beyond the arch… It would be warmly appreciated, especially by Donna, who had a way of receiving such offerings as though he'd just brought her a priceless gift. She and his mother were the queens of courtesy, always.
Possibly, it was equal parts due to his routine being disrupted, and the 'return to (the new) normal' of Maya going to work while the babies were seen to by their grandparents, and the start of the after school program that had him distracted that morning, but it was probably the meeting, too. Today was really camp day in more ways than one. The meeting with Juliet and Donna would be to discuss the entire state of their various camps in all their incarnations.
They'd had the holiday camp, just barely. With how they'd ended up pushing back on the rest, they hadn't been sure whether they should have this one or not, but then if they didn't do it, they'd have had to wait a whole year. So, they'd gone through with it. If anything, it would give them some idea of how the local kids would do. Several of them were actually now part of their after-school lineup and very excited for it, and they were all thrilled to get them back around the ranch.
They'd had twenty kids part of the holiday camp, all locals. They didn't all come every single day. Whatever holiday they did or didn't celebrate with their families, or if they just couldn't come in on some of the days, they came when they could. Most days they had the full compliment, and even when only six of them would be there on Christmas Day, they'd come in, and they'd had a great time. Lucas had made sure to stop in and see them even for a brief time. Otherwise, the other days, he would split his time between his own work and their activities, the two things occasionally crossed, especially when he'd make his rounds. Maya would affectionately refer to it as 'the Dockleberry Hour,' as he would lead the kids through the stables, and they would help him as he'd answer their questions. Same as with the summer camp, his biggest takeaway was a profound feeling that his grandparents would have been so proud of what Sullivan Stables was becoming.
Once the holiday camp had come and gone, showing itself to be a resounding success, it had made them that much more determined to finally take these next steps. The coincidence of Maya's return and the start of the after-school program had actually been pure coincidence, but now it just felt right. They hadn't been sure how it would all pan out, or how many kids would sign up and how many they'd actually be able to take on. It wasn't just about the kids after all. How ever many they'd have, in the age span they aimed for, they'd need people to be responsible for them and keep an eye on them.
Maybe inspired by their connection to parts of his project, to the school, and to him, Lucas had finally found his solution in his friends. He recruited Dylan and Zay, along with teachers out of three other participating schools who were both able and willing. The program ran three afternoons a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for now. Depending on how things went, they would explore the possibility of expanding to a full Monday to Friday. Either way, it was like the holiday camp. If there were some afternoons where they couldn't come, say if they had a sport practice or something to that effect, that was no problem.
They were expecting a total of sixty-two children this afternoon, sixty-five when they included Marianne, Mia, and Nicky, who would be here with their fathers as much as with the other kids.
Lastly, there was the 'exchange' camp, which was the object of the morning's meeting. The trickiest of their endeavors, which they'd hoped to kickstart with the return to school that followed the holiday break was finally about to get its maiden voyage. In just a couple of weeks, they would receive two students, one eighth grader and one eleventh grader. They would be staying with them for the remainder of the school year. Another eighth grader's family had volunteered to host the boy, while for the girl, who would be attending Maya's school from March through June, Rosemary Adewumi and her family had done the same. If all went well, they would be able to head into the following school year with a better idea of how they wished to break things down in the future.
"Now, are you sure…" Donna asked as she was offered the box still holding two leftover pastries.
"Please, I insist," Lucas told her, and the old woman gave a smile that said 'well, I won't ask twice,' and he bit back on a smirk as he watched her go off toward her studio. Even when she walked, she looked like she was dancing to some tune only she could hear.
"She's going to be in a particularly good mood for the rest of the day," Juliet commented. "Maybe now would be the time to discuss the really business-heavy topics. You know how she likes those."
"Maybe we should just let her have this day," Lucas shrugged. "Otherwise, she might get suspicious the next time we offer her something."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right," she sighed as they left her home office and went out on to the porch. Juliet took a seat on the swinging seat while Lucas leaned on one of the pillars. "Speaking of business… I know you've already been shadowing me on a lot of things, and your dad being your dad, I'm sure you've picked up a thing or two from him, but I'd like for us to spend more time together, so I can show you some other things, things you'll need for when you take over outright." Lucas looked at her, unsure what to say. Was she being serious? The way she held his gaze, he'd have to assume so, but still…
"There's time for that," he insisted, and she slowly nodded.
"That's true. The thing is, Lucas, I've been thinking about this for a while. I'm not planning to stay up here for the rest of my life, and retirement… It's starting to sound like a good idea. I'm not as young as I used to be, and this place needs someone with the energy to keep all the pieces afloat, someone like you. I'm not going yet, alright? Not for a few more years, but the way I'm thinking… three, five years tops, and then I'm out," she stated, and he didn't need to ask her whether she was sure or not. She'd made up her mind, all while leaving herself just enough of a margin to really decide.
"Three to five…" Lucas repeated, coming to sit next to her. All he could think about when he considered that time seemed to balance on how old his daughters would be. Ella would be in college… or she'd be done, Marianne… seven to nine… and his baby girls… three to five. When he shared this with her, Juliet chuckled.
"Oh, you'll have to keep me posted on them or I will come looking for you, Lucas Friar."
"Fine, then no pictures for you," he challenged, making her laugh harder before reaching over to tap his shoulder. "Either way, this place won't ever be the same without you." She had that look that said he would get her crying if he kept going, but he couldn't help himself. The idea of her being gone… "None of this would have still been here for me to even get to step up if it wasn't for you, not the way they'd set out to run this place." Well, now, a shoulder tap wouldn't do. She moved over and pulled him into a hug which he gladly returned.
"Oh…" she breathed when she sat back again, feeling at the corners of her eyes for errant tears. "What about this place?" she asked, indicating her house, his grandmother's old house. Lucas looked back around the porch, the front door…
"Well, there'll still be the summer campers," he stated, and Juliet nodded. "Other than that… Maya and I used to joke around and say it could make a nice bed and breakfast." Now Juliet burst out laughing again. She loved the idea, so much so that she joked about leaving sooner rather than later. But no: three to five years, that was her aim, and she would stick to it.
With the meeting behind him, Lucas finally got on to his regular daily activities. Today was so many things at the same time. It was Maya back at school, it was the start of 'Triplet Daycare,' it was the after-school kickoff and the meeting… Sometimes it felt like the day couldn't end fast enough and other times he was sure that he'd blink… and it'd be over. He wasn't sure how Maya was doing so far at school. She hadn't texted and he wouldn't call her until he knew she was on her lunch break, but he knew she'd be wondering about how the girls were doing. He'd gone through all that when he'd started coming to work again, sure, but it wouldn't be the same with her. One thing was for sure: she'd be as happy to see them at the end of the day as he was, every time.
TO BE CONTINUED
See you tomorrow! - mooners
