Yesterday's Feelings

Truth be told, I was surprised to see Rachel standing there. We all were. I know John was as shocked as I was. John and I, we didn't know what to say, I don't think anyone else did for a while. We just watched in this weird symbiotic curiousity, like we were observing some strange social experiment on how high the tensions can run in one house before things explode. Tension lasted for weeks.

Everyone was on eggshells, well, that is until the boys took off to do work. John had summer promotional work with Burton and Eric was chasing the winter down south to Chile, as I understood it Chile had become a favorite vacation spot of his of sorts. Which meant that it was just, us girls and Eli in the house, with the dogs. It wasn't a bad thing but I had kept my distance, Not saying much but pleasantries.

Eli was laughing as he ran through the hallway, water, and Rachel trailing after him, "Eli, you come back here and finish your bath." She chided.

The toddler yelled an enthusiastic, "NO!"

I laughed, reaching down in time to scoop up the toddler as he entered the kitchen, tickling him and making him laugh. "Now just where do you think you're going?"

Eli squirmed in my arms, laughing, "Running away from mommy." He said, as Rachel finaly caught up to us.

"Thanks." She said, a look of relief crossed her faced as she scooped Eli out of my arms and wrapped him in the towel. "He gets all riled up at bath time."

I nodded a little, she seemed... reserved, nicer than normal. "Yeah, they can be at that age. Dani was a terror." I said, rubbing Eli's head as he continued to squirm in Rachel's arms.

"She was that young when.." Rachel's voice trailed off as she looked at me.
I didn't want her sympathy. I didn't need it, besides, it was long past the accident by now.

"Yeah, she was that young. She was lucky, doctors said her car seat saved her life." I said, watching the once squirming toddler, now fast asleep. "I'll go drain the tub."

"Thanks." She looked relieved as she carried Eli upstairs. I couldn't imagine that Eli seemed to give her so much trouble. Then again, look at who was helping to raise him. The Jackson boys had a devious smile and gleam in their eye that only meant one thing; trouble.

I drained the tub and cleaned it up. It was a surreal feeling to know I'd been in her shoes. Bath-time, bedtime stories, and everything in the interim. Maybe she had changed since being here, seeing that I wasn't interested in Eric anymore. Maybe that had her singing a different tune. Whatever it was, she wasn't the cold allused bitch she had been before.