The next morning I was up and out of the house early to start my first day on the job. Rosalie greeted me at the door to their house and I could hear the children talking in the background. She led me into the kitchen, introducing me in person to Millie who was 5 and Joseph who was 7. I'd had the chance to Skype with them a few times before moving to the island so hopefully the separation wouldn't be too difficult. Emmett came walking into the room and scooped Millie up, holding her over his shoulder as he pretended to be stealing the pancakes off her plate. Giggles filled the room as Rosalie gave me more details on the day.
Emmett headed into the shop for the day while Rosalie was staying around the house to make sure that I didn't have any questions about the routine. She hoped to get a few extra tasks done around the house while I spent some time adjusting to the kids. Joseph was quite serious in his explanation of what he did and didn't like. He clearly enjoyed reading as much as I did, although Harry Potter was his current interest so I knew I'd have to get reading on that series to carry on conversations with him. Millie on the other hand was a free spirit in the body of a five year old. Her likes included everything purple and anything involving magic and imaginary lands. Rosalie showed me all of the homeschooling information including the logins for their online portion. It appeared that Joseph was somewhat independent in navigating the site while Millie was just starting out in her school experience. It wasn't the classroom I'd always pictured, but I knew these two would keep me on my toes.
The first week passed quickly as I settled into the routine of the job. Aside from Joseph speaking another language in regards to Harry Potter and Millie covering herself head to toe in glitter during the two minutes I wasn't present for her arts and crafts time, it was a success. The days were split between completing schoolwork and having fun around the house and yard. Rosalie and Emmett often left together for work in the morning and returned home around dinnertime in the afternoon.
By Friday evening I was ready to crash at home, finding something mindless on the television to keep me occupied. I picked up a pizza from the local place on my way through town, smiling to myself as I realized that in just a matter of a couple weeks I was already feeling at home in the community. Smiling as I pulled up the long drive, I waved to Esme and Carlisle as I passed their house. I was just entering the front door with my hands full when I heard my ringtone. Shuffling through my purse I noticed it was a number that I didn't recognize, but a local area code.
Answering the phone I heard Alice's chipper voice greeting me and asking about plans for the weekend.
"Hope you didn't mind that I stole your number from my parents but I wanted to see what you were up to this weekend," she apologized.
"Not at all. I was surprised to be getting a call since the only people I've given my number to here are your parents and the McCarty's. As for the weekend, I don't really have any plans other than crashing tonight and your dinner on Sunday," I replied.
"Perfect! Then you can come with me to go shopping tomorrow in the city. I'll pick you up around 9 and we can head into the city. Did you get a chance to check out the area yet?" Alice asked.
"Only what I saw on my drive from the airport which wasn't very much. I was glued to the directions on my phone rather than what I was passing. Tomorrow sounds good, especially if we can sneak in some time for a Starbucks while we're there."
"You've got a deal. That's when it really became a big city, when the Starbucks moved in," she quipped.
We worked out the details of the day. Hanging up I was excited for some time with a new friend and an exploration of the city.