Chapter 4 #2
“Anyway, you’ll be responsible for preparing their lunches.
They don’t have any allergies, and they’re both good eaters, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.
Your day is long, and that’s one of the reasons that the compensation for the job is what it is.
The work week is longer than the forty-hour work week you’re probably used to.
Your day needs to start at seven. I leave the house every day no later than seven-thirty.
There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
I’m out of the house by seven-thirty every morning.
I try to make it home by five. I like for the girls to have dinner by six-thirty. ”
“If you’re running late, and you let me know, I’ll make sure they eat at their scheduled time,” she offered.
“Cool. Cool.”
“Um, I’ve put together a weekly schedule of activities for the girls. I’d really like you to look it over and offer input. I’m not aware of anything they might already be doing, so I don’t want to clash with any of their prior commitments?—”
“What do you mean weekly schedule?” I interrupted.
My phone pinged with a text.
“I just shared the schedule with you. Um, while I was still at home, I started doing research. There’s what looks like a really nice, really active community center on this island.
They offer all kinds of activities for children during the day—Music it belonged to everybody. The rich had taken what was supposed to belong to everybody and found a way to keep it for themselves.
I let her decide where we would set up camp.
She stopped walking about mid-way to the shoreline.
I set up four chairs—two large enough for each of us and two smaller ones for the girls.
She draped towels on the firm sand, seemingly understanding that my girls would ignore the chairs, while I urged the large umbrella into place.
It was almost seven o’clock, but the sun was still doing its thing in the sky.
She sat down, leaned back, and closed her eyes behind her sunglasses.
I glanced over at her and watched the sun dance across her exposed thighs. She was sexy without even trying to be.
My oldest daughter distracted me, and I pulled my gaze away from Xarielle’s curves.
“May you give us dessert, Daddy?” Dakota asked, digging her toes into the sand the way she liked to do.
“You want dessert, Des?”
My younger daughter looked up at me, her eyes alight with happiness as she nodded her head.
I reached into the cooler and pulled out the yogurt parfaits. The offering this day was made of Greek yogurt, diced fresh pineapple, and toasted fresh coconut.
“Thank you,” Dakota said, taking the portable container from me.
“Tank you,” Destin repeated.
I smiled at them. “You’re welcome.”
“It’s so beautiful here.” Xarielle gave a content sigh. “I never would’ve thought that something like this existed just nine hours away from Londynville. I mean, all of this beauty is only a nine hour drive away.”
“Six hundred miles,” I added.
“But at the same time, it’s a world away. It’s a world away from anything I imagined for myself. It makes me think of Ephesians 3:20. Now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantlyabove all that we ask or think,according to the power that works in us. ”
“Is that your thing? Randomly reciting biblical scriptures?”
“What? No!” She chuckled.
“Nah, it’s cool if it is. I would be impressed with the idea that you always have a verse at the ready for any situation or circumstance that pops up.”
She sighed, but this time, it wasn’t with contentment. It held something . . . forlorn.
“When you grow up without tangible evidence of people winning, it kind of messes with your ability to see that for yourself. But you know your auntie, Mama Reese. She always preached that we had to keep the faith, that we had to believe that something better was around the corner. I started memorizing scripture around tenth grade. Now, when I need a little self-encouragement, I just quote a verse. It reminds me that my God is bigger than anything I’m facing. ”
I nodded slowly, remembering all of the gems my aunt Reese used to drop on us so freely. “Pour that into my girls, okay? I want them to have that. I want them to have scripture that they can say to themselves. Hell, I want to have scripture that I can say to myself.”
She was quiet for a little while then spoke. “What do you think about a . . . family memory verse or something like that? You could pick a verse on Saturday night or Sunday morning. You guys could repeat it as a family all week.”
“I like that, but somewhere along the way, you changed the pronoun.”
“What?”
“It’s not me picking a verse. It’s you.” I pointed at her.
“You pick the verse. Then we’ll,” I gestured between the two of us, “recite it with the girls throughout the week. Don’t try to make it a bloodline thing.
It’s a household thing. It’s everybody who lives at, sleeps at, gets mail at,” I pointed behind us, back toward my house, “that house.”
She giggled. “Okay. Okay. I’ll have the first verse ready by Sunday.”
“Thank you. We go to ten o’clock service. We can start learning it in the truck.”
“I thought I was off on Sunday.”
“You’re right. You are. Don’t let me stick you for your off day. Sunday is yours to do as you please. But if you decide you want to go to church with us, the front passenger seat of my truck is always open. We leave at nine fifteen.”
“Thanks.”
Both girls handed me their empty parfait containers and transitioned from eating their dessert to playing.
It was still a little too cold to go into the water, but I let them play close to the shore, getting their feet wet and enjoying themselves.
When the sun started to set, Xarielle and I packed up the things we’d brought.
I carried the chairs, the umbrella, and the cooler.
She carried Destin and the towels while also holding Dakota’s hand.
Destin had taken to her immediately, and it seemed that even Dakota was warming up to her at record speed. That made me feel like I could relax a little bit and let go of some of my stress.
After shadowing me while I gave the girls their baths, dressed them in their pajamas, and got them down for the night, Xarielle left their bedroom with me on her heels.
“Yo, Xarielle, thanks for everything today.”
“You’re welcome. It’s my job.”
I nodded. “I guess I’m thanking you for being so seemingly good at it.
The last nanny . . .” I shook my head as my thoughts trailed off.
“Just . . . thank you. And um, I know I said you’re off on Saturdays, but this Saturday I actually need you.
I want to give you a tour of the island, show you where I pick up groceries, where the girls’ doctor’s office is located .
. . stuff like that. And I know you probably want to see the community center, the library, the?—”
“Park.” She cut me off with a grin. “I want to see everything.”
It was my turn to grin because her enthusiasm was contagious. “And the park.”
“What time should I be ready?”
“Seven. Seven-thirty.”
“I’ll be ready. Good night.”
“Good night, Xarielle.”
I walked away from her as she headed to her room on the first level. I made my way to the primary bedroom. As soon as I closed the door behind myself, I shot Yahirah a text.
Me : Yo, I might owe you a finder’s fee.
Yahirah : My bestie is everything, isn’t she? I bet the girls took to her right away, didn’t they? Kids love Xari. And Xari loves the kids.
Me: They do seem comfortable with her, and she’s great with them. She came here in a trap ass hooptie. I can’t even believe the truck made it from Londynville.
Yahirah: LOL. She’s had that truck since college. She bought it with cash. She likes to say that it’s the one thing she owns free and outright. She’s not getting rid of it.
Me: She came here with a schedule. A weekly schedule of things she plans to do with the girls each day. The schedule was detailed as hell.
Yahirah : She’s a teacher, Bro. What do you expect? For her to be disorganized and fumbling through everything? That was your other nanny. That chick was a nightmare.
Me : Say less. I’m the one who caught her naked in their bed. Anyway, thanks. Thanks for the plug. Thanks for looking out.
Yahirah : You’re welcome.