“Are you telling me how to raise my boys?” I snap, realizing that even though the boys have gotten into trouble, they’ve been through a lot. Losing my sister was tough, but I can’t even imagine how they feel without their mother.
“I think someone has to. I realize you have a lot on your plate after taking in your sister’s orphaned children.”
I grip Liam and Lucas closer as she says those words, lucky that they’re too preoccupied with the time out chairs to comprehend what Erica just said. “Be careful what you say in front of them, I've told them, but they don't fully understand.”
“Explain what, aunt Sara?” Lucas rubs his eyes, looking up from playing with the bean bag chair.
“Nothing darling. Here, play with this.” I spot a toy in the corner and hand it to him.
Erica narrows her eyes. “That may be the problem, they haven’t had time to properly process their mother’s death. They’re acting out because of it, and honestly, the other teachers and I aren’t sure they have the best home environment.
My heart drops. “Excuse me?”
She turns away, pulling out a letter addressed to me. “We’ve taken the liberty of calling social services. Expect a visit within the next few days, all of the information is in this letter.”
I’m utterly shocked. I’m speechless, and I take time to stare in disbelief at Erica, the letter, and the boys.
Erica senses my distress, and changes her tactic as she tries to reassure me. “We aren’t trying to disrupt your home or take the boys away. You have to understand, they’ve caused a lot of trouble here and we just want to make sure they’re settling in at your house.”
Despite her efforts to calm me down, I only feel more hopeless and upset. “Lucas, Liam, let’s go we’re leaving.” I can’t bring myself to reply to Erica, so I grab the kids and lead them outside.
“What’s wrong Aunt Sara?” Liam notices the tears as they stream down my face. “We didn’t mean to make you cry we were just having fun.”
Lucas takes the opposite stance, becoming even more rambunctious. Instead of getting into the car calmly like his brother, he stomps his feet and begins to shout. “No, I’m not going home!”
After buckling Liam in, I wipe my tears away angrily and try to get Lucas to calm down. “Honey, you two have already caused enough trouble. Please be good for auntie and get in the car.”
“No!” He sticks his tongue out at me and refuses to comply. I look up to the sky, silently wondering if my sister would be disappointed in me.
“I’m going to count to three.” I’m pulling out all the old tricks, but they don’t seem to be working.
Lucas takes a big breath, his little chest puffing up before he lets out a scream. “I want my mommy! I don’t want her to be dead and I don't want to go home with you!”
I feel as if the wind has been knocked out of me. I never saw myself becoming an instant mom and losing my sister, but this is my life now and I have to make the best of it. “Lucas honey, we've talked about this, please get into the car.”
I think Lucas finally notices the tears on my cheeks, and his little face softens.
“I miss her too, baby. Your mom trusted me to take care of you, you wouldn’t want her to be sad too. We have to work together so we can both be people she would be proud of.”
He takes a bit of time to process my words, and
eventually slides into the car. I take his head into my hands and place a small kiss against his hair as he begins to shed tears as well.
“It’s all going to be alright you two. I promise.” Just as I finish buckling them both in, my phone rings.
“Hi Sara, it’s Rachel. I hope I’m not reaching you at a bad time.” It’s the hiring manager from work.
She couldn’t have called at a worse time, with Lucille’s odd offer and the disaster at the school. Part of me is already concerned that she called since I haven’t heard from her since the day I got hired. “Hi, how can I help you?”
The other line is silent before she takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry to say, but your manager reported a problem with your paychecks. They were two dollars out and he’s concerned you’ve stolen from the diner.”
My hands fly to my forehead as an intense ache starts to form. This cannot be happening. “There must be some mistake, I’ve done everything by the book there’s no way my checks could be wrong.”
Rachel’s voice is sympathetic but serious. “I’m sorry Ms. Hamilton, your manager has shown me the accounting records and there’s no fighting this. Unfortunately we have no choice but to let you go.”
“Wait, I need this job! I have two small children now, I need to work!” The boys are quiet in the back seat, both of them leaning in to hear my conversation.
“Sorry.” Rachel hangs up without another word, and I’m left without any hope. I’ve lost my sister, I’m about to lose the boys, and now I’ve lost my job.