In the Blink of an Eye
1
The first time my heart really ached for my little girl, my sweet Kary, was when I overheard a snippet of girlish conversation. Her friend Allison's mother and I were curled up in the breakfast nook of her cozy kitchen, sharing a cup of coffee and a US Weekly when we both paused, ears tuned towards the front yard, where our girls were stretched out on the grass in the mild midday sun. It had gotten strangely quiet.
"Uh oh," Allison's mother said, arching a perfectly plucked eyebrow. "Sounds like trouble to me."
"Ah, give them a minute," I said, looking down at a photo of the new heart-throb on the block.
We heard a few murmurs, and just as we were turning our attention back to the coffees and magazines, we heard Allison speak up.
"How many times have you moved again?”
I winced. Allison's mother looked at me, smiling sympathetically. She knew that the constant moving in our family was a sore spot. Kary's father had what my mother referred to as "wheels on his ass". It seemed as soon as we got settled into a new place, he got restless and bored and we packed up again, searching for new prospects and faces. While change was good for him, Kary and I were tired of being blown around.
“Let’s see. You count?” I heard Kary say. I couldn't help but smile.
"We need to work on numbers," I said, rolling my eyes. We heard a small affirmative sound from Allison, and then Kary started rattling off the names of our former homes.
“I’ve lived in Ohio, moved to Indiana, then to West Virginia, then to Indiana again, then I moved to here! Rhode Island!”
"At least she's got a good memory," Allison's mother snorted. "Ally can't even remember what she had for breakfast most days."
There was a long pause, and then we heard an astonished "Seven times!" from sweet Ally cat.
I laughed, and her mother cringed.
"Maybe we all need to work on numbers together."
"No, that's not right!" Kary exclaimed. Again, Allison's mother cringed.
"Okay, maybe it's only us who needs to work on numbers."
“I’m only six, I can’t have moved seven times! I lived in each place for about a year or so. Let me count."
We both stayed silent for a moment, waiting to see which girl would speak first. I was terrifically proud of Kary. My big girl, counting like that. I only hated what she was having to count.
“I’ve only moved four times Allison."
I could practically hear Kary glowing with pride. Both Allison's mother and I smiled at each other and turned back to our magazines, until we heard a small, hurt voice from the sunny lawn.
“D-does that mean you’re going to move again soon too?”
Allison's mother closed her eyes, making a small "tsk" sound with her tongue, and my stomach lurched. My poor baby. My poor baby's friend. They shouldn't have to worry about something like that.
"Don't worry, love," Allison's mother reached her hand across the formica table and laid it across mine. "They'll be okay. Even if you do move again, we'll keep them in touch, you hear me?"
I nodded.
"I just hate that her childhood is going to be all torn up. I never moved as a child. I stayed in the same house, on the same street, and had the same friends until I grew up and got married. That's what's normal, isn't it? Are we depriving our daughter of a normal childhood?"
"No!" Allison's mother said quickly. "She just has a different childhood, that's all. Think of all the people she's already met, the places she's already seen. There is no such thing as 'normal'. You are doing a great job with Kary. She's a wonderful little girl. She's been a terrific friend to my Ally. You are doing a fine job."
I smiled a watery smile and thanked her and all was quiet again, in the kitchen and in the front lawn.
“I promise that I will never move away from here and you Allison."
Kary's small voice drifted into the kitchen and for what seemed like the thousandth time that day, my heart jumped.
"Are you sure?" I asked Allison's mother. "Are you sure we're doing the right thing?"
"I'm positive," she said, smiling.
"Pinky promise?" I smiled back.
"Pinky promise."
"Uh oh," Allison's mother said, arching a perfectly plucked eyebrow. "Sounds like trouble to me."
"Ah, give them a minute," I said, looking down at a photo of the new heart-throb on the block.
We heard a few murmurs, and just as we were turning our attention back to the coffees and magazines, we heard Allison speak up.
"How many times have you moved again?”
I winced. Allison's mother looked at me, smiling sympathetically. She knew that the constant moving in our family was a sore spot. Kary's father had what my mother referred to as "wheels on his ass". It seemed as soon as we got settled into a new place, he got restless and bored and we packed up again, searching for new prospects and faces. While change was good for him, Kary and I were tired of being blown around.
“Let’s see. You count?” I heard Kary say. I couldn't help but smile.
"We need to work on numbers," I said, rolling my eyes. We heard a small affirmative sound from Allison, and then Kary started rattling off the names of our former homes.
“I’ve lived in Ohio, moved to Indiana, then to West Virginia, then to Indiana again, then I moved to here! Rhode Island!”
"At least she's got a good memory," Allison's mother snorted. "Ally can't even remember what she had for breakfast most days."
There was a long pause, and then we heard an astonished "Seven times!" from sweet Ally cat.
I laughed, and her mother cringed.
"Maybe we all need to work on numbers together."
"No, that's not right!" Kary exclaimed. Again, Allison's mother cringed.
"Okay, maybe it's only us who needs to work on numbers."
“I’m only six, I can’t have moved seven times! I lived in each place for about a year or so. Let me count."
We both stayed silent for a moment, waiting to see which girl would speak first. I was terrifically proud of Kary. My big girl, counting like that. I only hated what she was having to count.
“I’ve only moved four times Allison."
I could practically hear Kary glowing with pride. Both Allison's mother and I smiled at each other and turned back to our magazines, until we heard a small, hurt voice from the sunny lawn.
“D-does that mean you’re going to move again soon too?”
Allison's mother closed her eyes, making a small "tsk" sound with her tongue, and my stomach lurched. My poor baby. My poor baby's friend. They shouldn't have to worry about something like that.
"Don't worry, love," Allison's mother reached her hand across the formica table and laid it across mine. "They'll be okay. Even if you do move again, we'll keep them in touch, you hear me?"
I nodded.
"I just hate that her childhood is going to be all torn up. I never moved as a child. I stayed in the same house, on the same street, and had the same friends until I grew up and got married. That's what's normal, isn't it? Are we depriving our daughter of a normal childhood?"
"No!" Allison's mother said quickly. "She just has a different childhood, that's all. Think of all the people she's already met, the places she's already seen. There is no such thing as 'normal'. You are doing a great job with Kary. She's a wonderful little girl. She's been a terrific friend to my Ally. You are doing a fine job."
I smiled a watery smile and thanked her and all was quiet again, in the kitchen and in the front lawn.
“I promise that I will never move away from here and you Allison."
Kary's small voice drifted into the kitchen and for what seemed like the thousandth time that day, my heart jumped.
"Are you sure?" I asked Allison's mother. "Are you sure we're doing the right thing?"
"I'm positive," she said, smiling.
"Pinky promise?" I smiled back.
"Pinky promise."