Disclaimers: I do not own CM or the characters. I do own all OCs.
Spoilers: none
Rating: K+
Notes: So, this is the start of a Jemily road trip chapter. Emilia, Jenny, and Lucas are going with Billy and Kathryn to visit family Braddyville, Iowa. The first part has some Jemily interaction one-on-one interaction since the story has been lacking it.
Notes 2: I have decided that in Emilia's pov, I will have Jenny or Lucas speak with actual words. Now, obviously, at 6 months old, neither are going to speak actual, verbal, understandable words. However, in Emilia's mind, she is having conversations with her best friends, and therefore, she will be making up their "dialogue".
These sentences will be in italics.
Reminders: Emilia uses Portuguese to communicate verbally with Jenny. However, whenever she uses Sign Language, Emilia will be doing it in ASL.
Hey all. I am with my grandparents, and they do not have WiFi, so I am unable to update right now. Here is a chapter to hold you guys over until I'm back home and can update on a regular schedule – updates will resume once a week once I am back home. Happy Summer, everyone!
Enjoy! :)
10 days later – March 27th, 1979
*Prentiss Residence – Emilia's point of view*
Today is March 27, 1979. It has been 10 days since I told Uncle Michael and Auntie Sandy that Lexie looks like 'Andria. I do not what they are going to do about it.
Today I am going on a big trip to see some of my family.
We are going to drive allll the way to Iowa! We will see my Auntie Susan and Uncle Warren. They are my Mamí's auntie and uncle which makes them my great auntie and uncle. I can't wait to see them.
We are going to stay for a whole week. But not a week from today. No, the week will start from when we finally get to Auntie Susan and Uncle Warren's house.
Uncle Warren and Auntie Susan are so much fun. They bake us cookies, and make homemade Play-Doh, and gives us boxes and paints to play with. One time, Uncle Warren helped me make a spaceship out of a big cardboard box! And Auntie Susan made the big cake ever.
I am going with my Auntie Kathryn and Uncle Billy. Jenny and Lukey are coming too. We are going to have so much fun.
They have kids, too. All boys. Some are mean, but most are nice. I hope none of them are mean this time, though. Especially to Jenny, or Lukey, 'cause he cannot see with his eyes.
I just hope Jenny does not get sad. Sometimes she starts crying for no reason. Mostly when her mean sister Emma, or my bubba Jake, bother her. But sometimes just out of the blue!
See, Jenny loves to line things up. Her toys, her blocks, her stamps, her stuffed animals, my Legos, Bubba Kai's toys cars and trucks, even stuff in the larder (pantry) like the food cans and boxes.
I help her A LOT. She's only 6 months old, you know! Papí says she does not have the finger skills to do it. So I line the things up for her. But she smiles and claps when I do it so it's the same thing, right?!
And she likes when we count things and put them in groups of colors.
But sometimes her sister Emma or my bubba Jake like to mess with her. They move something or put two things in the wrong order. They make the line wavy not straight, and it makes Jenny cry. Or they put orange toys with the blue toys, or purple ones with the red ones.
Bubba Jake puts my toy blocks with the toy cars. I have them separate in my toybox. It is so much easier to find the ones I want to play with when they are organized! Bubba Jake's bedroom is sooo messy. It looks like the Tasmanian Devil ran through there!
Bubba Jake and Emma get in trouble for it, though. And they have to apologize. I help her fix the line, and then give her a big bear-hug. She does not like being touched by people, only me. I give her a bear-hug, and it makes her feel better.
But no one is going to do that to her this time. Uncle Billy says so.
:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/
After I put all of Lukey toys in a bag, I have to let Jenny choose hers. But sometimes it takes her a while.
I need to bring a lot of toys for Jenny. Sometimes she likes to play with her blocks, over and over and over. Other times, she stacks up her beanbags. But also sometimes, she plays with her blocks and beanbags.
Then there are stamps. And her number tiles. And her colored counting bears. I help her group the bears together. We do blue and red, then purple and green.
"Queres contar os teus ursos ou brincar com os teus azulejos, Jenny?" Do you want to count your bears or play with your number tiles, Jenny?
I put a bear and a number tile in front of her. Some people say she is too little to choose. I should just do it for her! But I say no way, Jose! Jenny knows what she does or does not like!
She picks and chooses all the time.
Jenny laughs and claps, just like anytime I ask her a question. She reaches for the bear and picks it up. Jenny tries to eat it, how silly of her! But I let her anyway. No harm in it.
Well, that is what Mamí says. Besides, babies explore by chewing on different things! Just as long as she cannot choke on it. But Jenny won't do that; she can't fit the bear in her mouth anyway!
"Let's do dis one!" Jenny says, holding up the bear.
"Okay! Vamos contá-los. Está pronto? Vamos fazer roxo primeiro." We will count them. Ready? Let's do purple first.
I get all the purple bears.
"Yep! Yep! Yep!" Jenny says, clapping her hands. She likes the color purple; it is her favoritest.
"1 purple, 2 purple, 3 purple."
"Vou contá-los. Um após o outro. Este vai aqui, e este vai lá.…" I'm going to count them. One after the other. This one goes here, and this one goes there.
We keep going with all the colors.
1 green, 2 green, 3 green, 4 green!"
"1, 2, 3! 1, 2, 3!"
I know my colors and numbers in English because of Sesame Street.
I am actually very smart. I know how to count to one hundred in Spanish and French, and two hundred in Portuguese and Italian. And I can read in French, Portuguese, and Italian. I am learning how to read in Spanish next.
I can add and subtract, and even multiply some numbers. And I can do so many other things.
It's just… sometimes, I may seem less smart because of how I talk when I use English. I can barely count or even add and subtract! And I can't read at all. I mess up a lot of words whenever I speak.
But I am learning!
I learn every single day!
And I love watching Sesame Street. The Puppets are so nice. And they speak Spanish and English. I learn so much from them; words, letters, numbers, shapes, even colors. I learned how to count in English too.
So now, I can count Jenny's counting bears in English.
She has three whole buckets of them. That is so many. But Jenny loves them. She loves to hold them and throw them. Jenny's laugh is pretty, and she does it every time she throws a bear, and someone says, "Oh, no! Not again!"
After we count purple and green, red is next.
"Red! Red! Red! Do red, Emmy!"
"1 red, 2 red, 3 red, 4 red, 5 red, 6 red…"
"Red!" Jenny uses sign language too, even though she is too young. She knows colors, numbers, and some words. No one believes me when I say she can do it. Mamí and Papí say that it is my imagination – Jenny is too young and won't be able to do sign language until she is one years old.
Right now Jenny is six months old;
But I know they are wrong. Jenny does sign language every day with me.
:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/
After we get done counting, I decide it is time to pack Jenny's toys. Auntie Kathryn and Uncle Billy will be here soon. I have a backpack for her toys, and her number tiles and beanbags fit in it. But I cannot put her counting bears or blocks into it.
Suddenly, there is a knock on my door. I say, Come in! It is Mamí.
"Emmy, sweetheart," Mamí says. "Are you almost ready?"
"No, Mamí. ¡No tengo suficiente espacio! Necesito traer mucho para que Jenny pueda elegir. ¿Qué pasa si quiere jugar con sus bloques pero luego se aburre y quiere jugar con sus bolsas de frijoles? ¿Y luego quiere usar sus sellos pero no puede porque no los traje?"
No, Mamí. I don't have enough room! I need to bring a lot so Jenny can choose. What if she wants to play with her blocks but then gets bored, and wants to play with her beanbags? And then she wants to use her stamps but can't because I didn't bring them?
"Y tengo que traerla–" And I have to bring her–
"Está bien." Mamí comes up to me. "Tómate un descanso, cariño. Todo estará bien. Sé que quieres llevarle muchos juguetes a Jenny. Tienes razón, a veces es muy exigente." It'll be ok. I know that you want to bring Jenny a lot of toys. You are right; she is sometimes very picky.
Mamí is right; Jenny is very picky. And she will be very upset if I don't bring many toys!
"Eso es muy inteligente de tu parte pensar en traer múltiples juguetes para que ella pueda elegir." That is very smart of you to think about bringing multiple toys so she can choose.
Mamí leaves my bedroom and comes back a few minutes later. She has a giant backpack and suitcase. She helps me put all of Jenny's toys in them; her blocks, stamps, number tiles, counting bears, and a lot of others.
We make sure Jenny and Lukey have nice clean diapers, and that their diaper bags are all packed up. Then we go downstairs and wait for Auntie Kathryn and Uncle Billy.
Mamí makes funny faces at Lukey, and I act like a monkey to make Jenny laugh.
"Oohh-oohh, ah-ah! I'm a monkey!"
Soon, Uncle Billy and Auntie Kathryn pull into the driveway.
"¡Woah! ¡Mirar! ¡Trajo el RV!" Woah! Look! He brought the RV!
*2 hours later – Normal point of view*
Kathryn and Billy are quite excited to make this trip with their nieces and nephews. It will be Luke and Jennifer's very first time out of state, and their first official vacation.
Their own children, 14-year-old Harvey, 12-year-old Benson, and 8-year-old Calvin are going to stay home. Benson is the only one who was given the choice of coming along.
However, he declined due to feeling uncomfortable around Lucas. As he explained, it feels awkward to try and play with the young baby. He is unsure of how to play with Lucas along with how much help does he actually need?
Benson is unsure whether he should constantly explain what Lucas is touching, feeling, playing with, or if letting him explore would be best. And if he does need to explain, how much does he explain? Where is the line between helpful and overbearing?
Due to all of this, Benson is going to spend the week with his aunt and uncle and a few of his cousins because he needs more supervision than Harvey or Calvin.
Emilia happily entertains the babies during the first couple of hours. She passes the time reading a book. And in between that, details what she is doing while coloring.
Kathryn and Billy talk softly to one another, discussing things that are not for little ones' ears.
They anxiously go over their list of needed things for this trip because even now, two hours after leaving, they are checking and re-checking and double-checking once more.
"This Cookie Monster," Emilia's voice drifts to the front. Kathryn smiles at the little slip-up and mispronunciations on the 's'-sound, as the eight-year-old uses the English language.
Since she began a special type of Speech Therapy with Emilia, the little girl is learning more English each day. Once it becomes summer and warmer again, Kathryn will take her on daily trips around town.
"He is-is… blue."
There are some muted thuds from the couch, and Emilia mutters under her breath. She resumes reading, and Kathryn shares a smile with her husband.
"I am impressed by how quickly she is picking up the language," Billy comments. "I think we do not give her enough credit – she is learning just from hearing us how to speak English, and by watching TV. She knows so much, babe. You and she are both doing such an excellent job."
Kathryn smiles her thanks.
He is right; Sesame Street is teaching her letters, numbers, and many other things. Emilia is doing so well that by summer, she may not even need more Speech Therapy!
*26 hours later – the next afternoon*
They hit traffic but put the radio on to sing and dance while in a bumper-to-bumper hold-up. Lucas, in particular, enjoyed this. Billy helped him stand and dance, while Emilia had Jenny in the chest-carrier, swinging and moving and dipping and swaying.
The RV was filled with little kids' giggles and squeals of laughter. A new thing they discover: Jenny likes when Billy is holding her.
Normally, she would scream like she was being scalded when anyone other than Emilia, Elizabeth, Gabriel, Elijah, or Caleb has a hold of her. However, Billy dips her in the air, and pretends to "drop" her as he stands up, and instead of scared tears, it is screeches of baby-laughter.
Pure, innocent, baby-laughter.
They end up in traffic once more, have to stop at a hotel to reload on groceries for the RV kitchen, and drive for what seems like days before they finally arrive at their destination.
"And lookie there!" Billy announces as he points out the windshield.
Welcome to Missouri! is proudly stated on a big billboard sign, and Emilia whoops in happiness, "We're here!"
"Babadadaaahh!" Lucas throws in while Jenny just watches them all with a deadpan expression.
Billy pulls into Susan and Warren's driveway. It is just after lunch on Wednesday. Even though it feels like they have been on the road longer, it was only 36 hours in total.
No fucking way, Kathryn thinks to herself as she is helping Emilia out.
"Hey! There you guys are! Welcome! Come on in!"
Susan immediately comes over to greet everyone. She does not work, instead, taking care of the chores around the house while her husband, Warren, has a job, and their six boys are at school.
"We need to change the babies, feed them, and then I would like to take a very, very long nap," Kathryn mutters, and Susan just nods in sympathy.
"Of course, I will show you the bedrooms you will be staying in." She gestures for them to come inside. Kathryn has Lucas, and Emilia has Jenny in the chest-carrier.
"We sanitized everything — doorknobs, furniture, the cribs, counters, toys, everything we could think of — just as you asked. We also moved some furniture around. Emilia will be staying with the babies, while you and Billy take Jimmie's room. He has the biggest bed of all the kids."
The bedrooms are right beside each other. It is so, so kind and thoughtful how Susan and Warren basically rearranged their house to accommodate them. They moved beds and dressers, rearranged the children's bedrooms, cleaned to the point of being able to eat off the floors…
Susan made sure to take out any overwhelming visuals in the bedrooms and around the house; she will not light any scented candles or use the vacuum cleaner, and she has talked to her boys about how there can be no roughhousing this week.
Things need to be calm so as to not upset Jenny, as loud noises like yelling, or similar things frighten her. Also, Emilia will be allowed to eat earlier so that she can play with Jennifer, as the many different smells of foods cause her upset.
Warren had the oldest boys move some of the clutter of furniture down to the basement so that Lucas can have room to explore, but not be in danger of harming himself.
Jimmie, the oldest, helped his mom babyproof the house, and put-up baby gates to the upstairs and downstairs.
Overall, Warren and Susan, and their children, have completed uprooted their lives, rearranged their house, and turned their daily schedules upside down… and all to accommodate Kathryn, Billy, Emilia, Lucas, and Jennifer.
"Thank you so much for doing all of this, Susie," Kathryn stresses later that night once dinner has been cooked, the boys have played with Lucas, — gently, calmly, lovingly — and Jimmie managed to cheer Jenny up when she got scared after Marc — the youngest boy — accidently frightened her.
Even the middle boys, who usually roughhouse and generally have more disobedience, are calm and thoughtful around the babies.
"You have done so much for us, and we will forever be thankful. You more than accommodated us for this trip. We are looking forward to spending time with you and your family."
But Susan just waves her off.
"Don't mention it, honestly. Look at them, Kat. They love Jenny and Luke already. You needed a few extra accommodations, and if this is what makes the trip and visit easier, then we would gladly do anything."
She then gestures to her husband, where he is acting silly, and ripping up pieces of paper because, for whatever reason, both Luke and Jenny think it is the funniest thing they have every heard or seen.
They are laughing so hard that Luke, even though he can sit up, had to be put in a baby-seat, to keep from falling backwards.
"This isn't a problem, Kat," She promises. "This is family visiting family and we would not change it for the world."
And there we go. The next chapter will have lots of Jemily moments, and a science experiment for the girls.
Please review and let me know what you thought! :) Would you like a reappearance with any characters? More with Kathryn and Billy, or more with Emilia interacting with Luke and Jenny… Let me know, and I will do it. If you have any questions about anything, leave them in your review.
