Manhattan

I pressed my back against the wall, my palms laying flat as my skin began to tug the opposite way in which I went along the wall. Some may say it is crazy and that it is all made up in my head but I felt the need to tip toe around the house because of the situation that occurred in the guest room just minutes ago. I felt as if Sidney would creep up on me again and give me another heart attack that was caused by him oozing sarcasm and awkward, miss-placed sex appeal that got my blood racing. I felt the need to be alert and awake just incase.

However my tip-toeing was halted, frozen at the top of the stairs my nose immediately began to sniff like a hungry dog on a mission. The light smell of cinnamon and waffles floated lazily through the house. I placed my palm against my rumbling stomach as I slipped down the stairs by twos. I came to a skidding stop with a frown upon my face once I realized that Crosby was bent over the stove top, Kody on his hip and spatula in his hand.

“Sid-knee, I think that one is done. It’s all crusty around the edges.” Kody pointed with his index finger towards the black skillet on the stove.

“I think you’re right bud.. It’s time to flip it.” Sidney nodded with an easy smile. A sweet innocent smile. Not a smile that said that his velvet finger tips traced over the out-line of my lace underwear without any second thoughts type of smile. Nope, not that type of smile at all.

“Bonjour Jenner!” Maeva beamed from her spot at the wide kitchen table. The light that shown through the big bay windows at the Dupuis house was dim and dark and I found myself traveling over to the window, taking a seat right by Maeva and looking out with a curious stare.

“Morning Mae. What time is it? Shouldn’t the sun be out?” I questioned as I ruffled her dark hair. Maeva laughed as she patted her ruffled hair back down.

“A big snow storm came through! Daddy said he’ll take us sledding later on if we’re good!” She explained as she glanced anxiously out of the window. I let out a low groan as I took the hair tie that I always carried around my wrist and tied my long hair up in a big bun on top of my head.

“How am I supposed to get my books now?” I mumbled to myself as I sucked in my bottom lip.

“They’re in the foyer. Pascal ventured out at some god awful hour this morning to get them from your apartment.” Sidney said without turning around. I felt my heart swell like a balloon full of helium. The man was just so sweet.

“Lola?” I asked to no one in particular. I rubbed my hands on my yoga pants and began to rise from my seat when Sidney turned around with Kody on his hip and eyed me curiously.

“I feed her an hour ago and then laid her down for a nap. She’s been out like a lamp since. Not a peep.” He motioned with his chin towards the baby monitor on the counter. The red light flashed which indicated that the monitors where hooked up and working.

“Well goodness, what do you need me for?” I asked with a pout toward Maeva. She just giggled and threw her arms open for me. I reached over and pulled her into my lap and hugged her hard for a good ten seconds before she gasped that she needed air.

“Manhattan! Help me build a fort! S'il vous plaît! S'il vous plaît!” Kody begged as he bounced up and down on Sidney’s hip. Sidney mumbled something to him before he stepped away from the hot stove a placed Kody careful down onto his feet. Kody shot over to me like a bullet and tugged roughly on my hand. The boy had some grip on him.

“Woah there Captain America! Someone has been eating their whaeties!” I commented before I swooped him into my arms and pulled him as high as I could over my head. Kody began to squeal like a pig as I shook him softly in the air. He couldn’t contain the burst of giggles that attacked him as I swayed him back and forth with ease.

“You are so cute! We’ll go build that fort now? Yeah?” I questioned him once I lowered him down onto his feet. Hand and hand we walked into the living room, shooting off ideas about the fort that we where about to build.



With mounds of blankets and towers of pillows surrounding of us me, the kids and Sidney indulged ourselves in nutella, strawberries and waffles. The kids enjoyed making smiley faces while I hand feed Lola small pieces of strawberry with nutella on the very tip of them.

The kids where over-flowing with energy by the time their brunch was complete and Sidney and I came to the mutual conclusion that it was time for a movie and a nap.

So, deep within our fort, swaddled with warmth and comforted with full bellies we began to watch Where The Wild Things Are. One by one, everyone began to drop like flies. First it was Kody, then Lola and surprisingly Sidney dropped before Zoe did.

It was only Maeva and I left to watch the second half of the movie.

“This was my mother’s favorite movie, She’d read us the book all of the time.” Maeva commented softly as she snuggled deeper into my side. I struggled with her confession. Not knowing what to say or what to do, so I just held her closer to my chest.

“What was your mother’s name?” I finally managed to say.

“Carole-Lyne. She’s the best mommy ever.” She gushed quietly.

“Is that so? What did she look like?” I wanted to keep the conversation light. I knew it was wrong to pick a young child’s brain for information but I was just so damn curious about this mysterious woman.

“Yes, very nice, always nice. She is short, just like you. She has brown hair that used to be long but she cut it off before she left us. She smiled a lot too.” My heart was heavy as Maeva described her mother.

“Her hair was just like mine, too. Brown and soft and everything.” Maeva murmured. I felt her reach her small hand up to pat the side of her head.

“She cut it all off though. Then she left us.”

“I’m sure she had to leave for a good reason and that she’ll be back soon to smile and hug you again. Yeah?” I asked, my voice just a soft murmur as well.

“I don’t know. Papa is happy now.” Mae said.

“He wasn’t back then?”

“He always frowned but he smiled sometimes when Mommy smiled.” She explained as she played with her fingers. A loud yawn fell from her lips as she turned to face me on her side.

“You know, I’m glad you’re here Jenner. You wanna know why?” Maeve’s words began to slur together as her eyes grew heavy.

“And why is that sweetheart?” I breathed out.

“Because you smile a lot, just like Mommy used to.” And with those words I heard one last heavy sigh leave her body before she was completely asleep.

I sat stock still in the newly formed silence. I had no idea how to wrap my mind around the situation that just unfolded in front of me.

“I don’t know if I should be mad about you picking apart a six year-old brain and being nosy or happy because she finally opened up to someone.” Sidney’s voice rang out.

My breathe caught in the back of my throat as I felt his eyes upon the side of my face. I had no reply for him as I turned over and wishing that sleep would take over me too.

“I hate that she knows so much sometimes. Her mind just soaks up and analyzes everything and she is so wise beyond her years. Most of time I want to shake her and tell her to be like Kody, innocent and unknowing. It’s hard to hear the simple, cold, hard truth come from her mouth.” Sidney spoke after a brief silence.

“And what truth it that?” I timidly asked back.

“That she left them, she left them all.” I could fell the hurt in his words. I pushed myself up on my elbow and peered over at Sidney. He was on his back, his hands placed behind his head as he gazed up at the make-shift ceiling in the fort.

“It kills him with every day she doesn’t come back. Sometimes I catch him peering through the windows when I’m over here in the mornings. The kids miss her but Pascal misses her so much more.” He shifted a little and cleared his throat.

“Carole was like my back up mother here in Pittsburgh, right after Natalie. She was the French, speaking loud mouth mother that swaddled me in blankets when I was to afraid to come home after a wild night with boys. Her and Pascal haven’t been here that long, not as long as Nat and Mario but even then she’s made such a great impact on her life and now…this…she leaves and…”

“And you’re hurting just as much as everyone else is hurting.” I had no idea what made it him open up like this. Maybe it was just stress or maybe it was Maeva talking fondly of her mother that just lit a match in Sidney.

“I just have to push through it for Pascal. If anyone should be curled up in a ball, locked away right now, it should be Pascal.”

“And yet he seems to be the strongest one here.” I had yet to see Pascal frown or show an emotion that may indicate that he is sad or struggling with the leaving of his wife. He’d always been bubbly and light around me. He kept the conversation flowing and moved from one topic to the other. The man was held together by the tightest of strings.

“I hate how he holds himself together and I’m over her breaking down and falling apart.” Sidney confessed softly.

“You are hardly falling apart Sidney. A few words of sorrow shared between two strangers in a children’s make-shift fort is hardly breaking down. Trust me.” I soothed him with even meaning too.

“Strangers, eh?”

“Yes strangers. Do you even know my last name Crosby?” I asked with a light laugh.

“Nope, but at least you know mine. That’s a start isn’t it? I’ll put on some coffee and we can get friendly in no time.” Insert awkward, miss-placed sex appeal here.