Part 115

Little Airlia opened her eyes and looked around the strange room. She didn't fall asleep here. Where was she? She looked at the clock. It was only 4 in the morning.

"Where am I?" She asked aloud. "Glenn? Mommy? Daddy?" She looked around the empty room.

"It's okay, Airlia, you are safe," a strange voice got her attention and she looked up to see a white wolf wearing a blue business suit.

She shook her head in disbelief. "Who are you?" She asked. "Where am I?"

"I am your guardian. You can call me Jimmy," he explained sitting beside her. "And you are asleep."

She nodded. "I have a guardian?" She asked.

He chuckled. "Everyone has at least one. I am yours… I am here with a message… from your mom and dad."

The girl froze. "What? Are they okay?"

He nodded. "It's complicated but… they are in a better place. They are happy and well. They'd have come themselves but there are rules, you know," He explained. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

She sat up straighter. "Mommy and Daddy aren't coming back, are they?"

The wolf shook his head. "I'm sorry but don't be afraid. It's going to be alright. Your brother is alright and you like Porsha, right?"

Airlia nodded. "Thank you for telling me. Glenn would find it hard… he sees a little kid. But I'm not a little kid."

"No, you're not. No one who has had the childhood you've had could still be called a little kid. Your big brother is going to be taking care of you now," he said. "And I'll always be a thought away. You won't see me often but I am watching over you." He looked at the window. The sun was coming up. "It's almost time for me to go."

Her lip trembled. "Wait… Can you… can you tell Mommy and Daddy that… we'll be alright? Tell them we'll miss them but we'll do our best?"

The wolf nodded. "I certainly can. And there's one piece of advice I can give you.There's a book I used to read to my daughter. In that book is a quote. 'Always remember that you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.'"

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Upon hearing about Ash and Tyler's eventful evening and about the planned breakfast with her birth parents, everyone wanted to come but Ash managed to convince them to focus on sorting out Glenn's problem. They had plenty of support with Meena, Clay and Company. They promised to come to the theater as soon as they were done.

"Ash, dear, I thought it was just going to be our family," Mrs. Cohen asked.

Ash nodded. "And Clay, Sitara, Meena, Alphonso, Grandma and Grandpa are part of our family. I'm sorry but I agreed to breakfast. But I didn't say it would just be us and the kids." She said shortly.

Mr. Cohen sat down. "Lila, we're here, she's giving us her time. Let's just do this."

"First, let's get some food while the kids work up an appetite," Sitara suggested. She heard a trumpet from her father as he played with the kids.

Clay chuckled and looked at the Cohens while Ash went with Sitara to get their breakfast. "Now, I understand that they have agreed to this morning. And I appreciate what you did last night, but it's going to take more then that to earn my trust, let alone hers."

Delilah nodded. "And what is your interest in our daughter, Mr. Calloway."

"She is legally my daughter, at least as far my legal affairs go. She and Meena are my heiresses," he explained, watching their expressions. "You forfeited your role as her parents, her guides through this rough, unforgiving world. Sisi and I have picked up your slack."

Mr. Cohen groaned. "You think your role is to hold their hands through everything, until they don't know what to do if you're not there!" He said sharply. "My father taught me that this world is a hard world and it doesn't reward mollycoddling. You either pull yourself up by your bootstraps or you're screwed."

Sitara touched her husband's arm while Ash and she put the trays down.

"Raquelle, Lancey, it's time to eat," Ash called to the jungle gym. It was time. Lakshmi and Ishin helped to herd them over. "Mom, Dad… these are my kids." She sighed. "I adopted them after Lance… passed away." She let it sink in.

Delilah gasped. "What? That boy is… What happened?"

Ash shook her head and began to give a very abridged version of events while they sat down to eat.

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When Airlia woke up, she realized she wasn't alone. Nooshy was waiting, watching over her. "Hey, you're awake," the cat said gently. "How did you sleep?"

She rubbed her eyes. "I had a weird dream but… I can't remember much… Did Mr. Green get my family?"

The lynx bit her lip. "Your brother is sleeping with my sister. I'm… I'm so sorry, Lia…" She didn't know what to say but she didn't want to give her false hope.

She nodded. "Mommy and Daddy… they're… gone?" She asked.

Nooshy put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a gentle hug. "I'm so sorry."

The little girl cried only a little but pulled away. "They're okay… it's okay… I'm okay… they're someplace better then here." She said, wiping her eyes. "I'm okay…"

Nooshy patted her shoulders. Big Daddy had been afraid the little girl would be upset but orphans were usually a lot more pragmatic and grounded then other children. "Are you hungry? Big Mama promised to make French toast this morning. It's our favorite."

She nodded before blowing her nose. "I love French toast. Mommy used to soak it overnight."

Nooshy nodded. "Our friend, Alphonso, gave her a recipe for stuffed French toast that she made for Porsha's birthday and it was so good." She led Airlia out and down the stairs. She took a deep breath.

The puppy mimicked her new friend. "Wow, it does smell good." She followed her down into the dining room.

Glenn was sitting with Porsha. "I just don't know what I'm going to say. How do I tell her that our parents… are… dead?"

"You just did," she said flatly. Her brother's eyes met hers and she could see the pain. "It's okay, I already know." She went to him and hugged him. "But… they're okay… and we'll be okay." She wept softly but smiled for her brother's benefit. "We have each other."

Porsha watched them while Suki brought breakfast over to the table. "Oh, Big Mama, let me help." She offered, taking the platter of French toast. Nooshy was carrying a platter of turkey sausage.

The door from that led to the garage opened and Marcus came in. "I canceled all of our appointments for the day. How are you both feeling?" He asked Glenn and Airlia.

The German shepherd nodded. "We're okay. She knows and… we're okay…" He massaged his temples. "I just don't know what we're going to do. They'll take Airlia away. I don't have a job or a home and I'm only 18."

Suki shook her head. "Except you do have a job. Gunter and Eddie are hiring you to help write the music for the theater. And if that's not enough for social services, I bet Alphonso would offer you a job on his truck. The home situation can be sorted out easily enough." She reassured him.

Porsha hugged him. "She's right. It's going to be okay, Glenn. You'll see." She rubbed his back. "Eating will help. Big Mama made the special French toast this morning. Try it." She remembered how Marcus made them all eat.

The dog looked at the saluki and sighed. He didn't want to be rude. He saw Airlia was eating just fine. He cut a piece off his French toast and tried it. "Yeah, this is really good, Mrs. Green. Thank you."

Suki smiled at them. "I'm glad you like it. I want you both to know that no matter what, you have our support. If nothing else, you will have a home here." She promised.

Marcus nodded in agreement. "And if push comes to shove, we'll adopt your sister so that you're not separated at the very least."

He sighed with a little relief. "Thank you… I appreciate it, Mr. Green."

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Ash spent the next hour summing the last several years. "And that's what happened. They're my kids now."

Samson nodded. "Have you told his parents?" He asked.

"I tried. Called and left a voicemail asking them to call me back and they never called back," Ash explained. She was glad that Mr. Gupta and Mrs. Patel were entertaining the kids during this part of the conversation. "Now that you're caught up though… why were you so desperate to talk to me? It's been six years."

Delilah smiled. "We thought that since you were now fully independent then you wouldn't need us to do anymore parenting. We could be friends like adults. And we can be grandparents but that's different then being parents."

Ishin heard her and turned his head. "It might be different but it's not that different. Lakshmi and I helped Sitara raise Meena." He challenged her.

Delilah rolled her eyes. "Your experiences are not our experiences. If we made a mistake, fine. It's just not how we were raised. And you don't have the right to judge when you don't know. Different cultures have different customs."

The elderly elephant nodded. "Fair enough. But it doesn't seem like Ash appreciates those customs." He looked at the porcupine who smiled at him.

"Well, it's going to take time," Ash said. "If I even decide I want a relationship with you, and I'm not sure I do. So, ground rules. You may not contact me. You may not visit. I will initiate all contact, I have your number. Right now, I have to decide whether or not I can forgive you especially since you have no remorse whatsoever."

Samson met her eyes. "So, all saving your lives gets us is one breakfast?"

"It gets you a foot in the door. I decide when to open the door," she corrected. "A chance to earn your way back into my life but doing the right thing one time isn't enough." She shot Meena a look.

Meena nodded. "Hey, it's getting late. It's almost ten. We need to get to the theater." She winked at Ash.

Ash looked at her watch. "Oh dear. I'll take our tray, Tyler. Kids, it's time to go."

Delilah's mouth flapped while they all got ready to go. "Wait, that's it? Ash, dear?"

"Leave her alone," Clay said sharply. "She'll decide when to take the next step. But forcing it won't help you."

"Pappy, can I have a ride on your shoulders?" Raquelle asked.

Clay looked and saw Lancey on Ishin's shoulders. He chuckled. "Of course, Raquelle." He picked her up and put her on his shoulders.

The two porcupines watched in shock as the mish-mashed family left.

AN: So sorry this took so long and is so short. I tested positive for Covid. So I am very sick right now. The next chapter will include the cast meeting.