Chapter Four: Rachel, Saturday

When Lauren showed up with Naomi, Rachel was just finishing cleaning up after breakfast. Al cooked, and she cleaned, that was the deal; it kept their marriage as equal as possible, especially now that two kids were in the house. 

House was a bit of a stretch, but it was a larger residence than the one bedroom, one bathroom apartment Rachel and Al had lived in before this. That one had been in downtown Vancouver, where square footage was at a premium. 

This two bedroom, two bathroom unit had an interesting layout. It was a two-floor unit situated in a complex that featured these units at ground level and smaller apartments in a tower above them. What made it seem like a house, or at least a townhouse, was that their front door actually opened to the outside, something Rachel hadn't experienced for a while and had been nervous about for months after moving in, until she realized that the trolls who'd made her life a living hell a few years ago were no longer interested in her and weren't coming around to stalk her anymore. When Logan and Emma entered her life, she'd discovered the advantage of the front door opening to the outside; parking on the street, it was just a few steps to the door, making the carrying of heavy backpacks easier. Not having to depend on a slow elevator was also a plus when bringing groceries into the house.

The layout offered another advantage to the foster kids. They took the bedroom and bathroom on the main floor, keeping a small emotional boundary to preserve their dignity, while Al and Rachel retained their privacy in their bedroom and en suite bathroom up a flight of stairs. When Logan sauntered in at a late hour, he wouldn't disturb them when getting ready for bed. Not that they slept any easier on those nights. They just couldn't help worrying about where he was, and about getting the dreaded phone call from the police that he'd gotten in trouble or, worse, that he was never coming home again.

At least that hadn't happened last night. Logan had been exhausted after a full day at the construction site and, wonder of wonders, all he'd wanted to do was eat at the dinner table and turn in early. Emma had been overjoyed to have her brother in the house the whole evening. She'd snuggled into him as he'd watched TV with her on the couch, and Samson had curled on her lap because the cat had now claimed Emma as his fur sister. Rachel had watched them from the armchair and known that this had been the reason they'd taken them both in, this unconscious affection they had for each other, and that to separate them would have been unjust.

Joe had been impressed with the boy's performance, which had surprised them all. Maybe Logan just needed something to get excited about before he got his ass in gear. Logan had even told them a bit about his day, and not just grunted or given a one word response whenever they'd asked. He'd liked the work, it had been easy enough to learn, but what he'd liked best was the camaraderie he'd had with Tilly, Johnny's younger son. 

Rachel was familiar with both Vic and Tilly from their friendship with Joe and Lauren; they came around with Johnny and his wife to all the family functions, and they both reminded her of the Johnny who'd first sparked her interest in boys when she was twelve. She knew they would get girls' hearts pounding, but they seemed like they weren't in a hurry to go out there and get them. They still lived at home, which wasn't uncommon nowadays, but their ambition didn't match their father's or their uncle's, as Joe and Johnny had already had their own business going at that age. It was nice, though, that Logan was making friends on the job. It spoke well of his ability to get along with others in the workplace and would be a good skill to have in the future.

This morning, though, poor Logan was stiff and sore from using muscles he wasn't even aware he had, so he was laid up in bed, with cold packs, a heating pad and ibuprofen while Emma doted on him, bringing him breakfast and juice, and Rachel's heart swelled at the girl's solicitude. Despite her problems, she felt compelled to care for others, and she seemed to appreciate that Logan was working for both of them.

"Don't worry, buddy," Al said in a painful attempt to connect with the boy, sitting on Emma's bed. "The first day is always the hardest. It's a good thing you have the weekend to recover, because it's a full week next week; Monday won't be too bad, but Tuesday might be hard because you won't have the same amount of recovery time, but you'll get used to using those muscles, and eventually they won't even hurt anymore."

Logan stared at him with panicked eyes. "I don't know if I can do this anymore."

"It will get better, believe me. I did a few heavy jobs in my time, but you grow into it. And I bet there are all sorts of jobs you can do on the site, lots of variety so you don't do the same thing all the time. Maybe instead of digging dirt you can hammer a nail or two. I'm sure if you talk to Joe he'll figure something out; he's a good guy."

"Tilly told me Joe and you and Rachel grew up together," Logan said, in an astounding effort on his part to show interest in other people.

"Yup. Joe's wife, Lauren, also grew up with us. And Sunny; I think you met Sunny once, at least."

"Is he the one with the turban and the really beautiful wife?"

"You mean Tej? Yeah, she is lovely."

"I heard that!" Rachel called from outside Logan and Emma's room. 

"Busted," Al said, winking conspiratorially at him. That was when the doorbell rang.

"Naomi! Naomi!" Emma shrieked, running to the door and throwing it open. Naomi stood on the other side of it, in front of her mother, bouncing on her feet, she was so excited. Rachel was always blown away by how beautiful the girl was becoming. With her auburn hair and Lauren's skin tone, she seemed to shine like a copper penny. She would be breaking hearts in a few years.

The two friends hugged tightly. "I missed you!" Emma said, even though they'd just seen each other last weekend at Rachel's birthday party.

"I have good news!" Naomi gushed. "Mom and Dad are letting me go to Burnaby North in the Fall."

"That's my school!" Emma squealed, hugging her again. "We can carpool together!"

Rachel looked up at Lauren, astonished. "Is this true?" she asked. "No Catholic school?"

Lauren rolled her eyes. "We're done. Naomi went through Grade Seven and got confirmed, so we're done. We'd have to go all the way into East Van to go to Notre Dame, and it's crazy expensive, so we just decided to put our foot down. Nonno and Nonna won't be happy, but..." And this part she mouthed, above Naomi's head so she didn't see, Fuck 'em.

"What's confirmed mean?" Emma asked.

Naomi screwed up her mouth in concentration. "It's like... a bar-mitzvah."

"What's that?"

"Well, for Jewish boys, it's a rite of passage into adulthood. Confirmation is the Catholic equivalent, although I don't feel like an adult yet."

Emma blinked at her through her glasses. She had flaxen, baby-doll hair and a chubby face with small ears. "You're not a boy, though," she said.

"You're right, I'm not," Naomi said, shrugging off Emma's confusion. "I can still get confirmed, though."

"Okay." Emma stepped aside to let them in. 

"So, where's our employee of the month?" Lauren called out. 

"In here," Al called from the bedroom. 

Lauren strolled in with no apprehension and said, "Hi, Logan."

"Uh, hi," Logan said, reddening, aware that he was in his bed and in the t-shirt he'd slept in. 

"Logan's my brother," Emma said, taking a seat with Naomi on her bed.

"He certainly is," Lauren said, even though they'd all been introduced before. She turned to Logan. "Joe says you did well yesterday. Good stuff!"

Logan smiled awkwardly and said, "Thanks. Monday might be hard, though."

"It will, but you'll get used to the work. If Vic and Tilly have your ethic they'll be there on Monday, too."

"Tilly's nice. I didn't get to talk much with Vic, though, he was framing with his dad. I think he has a crush on you, though."

Lauren burst out laughing, and Rachel and Al couldn't help chuckling awkwardly at the statement that seemed to have come out of left field.

"Poor Vic," Lauren said. "He needs to set his sights on women his own age."

"Jesus, Lauren, is every man in your life smitten with you?" Rachel asked, looking at Al as she said it. Al looked anywhere but at her.

"I can't help what people feel," Lauren protested. 

Suddenly Logan paled. "You won't tell him I said that, will you?"

"Relax," Lauren said. "I'd never dignify his crush by letting him know I know about it. I'm his aunt, it's a little inappropriate."

"Okay. But just to let you know, Joe knows, and he reminded them that you changed their diapers?"

Lauren laughed again, and this time Al and Rachel joined in in genuine mirth, because that really was funny, and what was funnier was that Logan didn't seem to realize it was funny.

Lauren wiped a tear from her eye and said, "You're funny. I like you."

Logan blushed, and Rachel feared that Lauren was about to notch another male crush on her belt.

"Vic's kind of weird, isn't he," Naomi said, and they all laughed again.

"Oh, kiddo," Rachel said, "soon you're going to start having crushes on people both appropriate and inappropriate, and you won't be able to explain why. It's just puberty. Vic's almost on the other side of it, but not quite yet."

"Still, that is kind of weird," Al said. "I don't ever recall having crushes on my relatives."

"I'm not a blood relative, but I agree, it is a little weird," Lauren said. "Those two boys need to move out and get into the real world, they've been coddled all their lives." Suddenly she realized before the rest of them that they were all in the room of the foster kids. "How about we leave poor Logan alone and go out in the living room."

They all stood up, and it was then Rachel noticed a red spot underneath where Emma was sitting. "Speaking of puberty," she said, "I think congratulations are in order."

They all looked at her in question.

"Emma," Rachel said, her chest swelling with emotion, "sweetie, I think you're having your first period."

Emma blinked at her behind her thick glasses. "What's a period?"

Naomi wrapped an arm around Emma and said, "Don't worry, Emma, I've had a few already, I'll tell you all about it."

Logan looked at the red spot in horror. "Are you okay, Emma?"

"She's just fine," Rachel said. "It's completely natural. You know, Naomi, when you were talking before about confirmation and rites of adulthood? I think we should have one, for you and for Emma. You're both women now, and I think we should celebrate that."

"Yay!" Emma said.

"What should we do, Auntie Rachel?" Naomi asked.

Rachel grabbed clean underwear and pants from Emma's drawers before she answered. "Let me have a think while I clean Emma up and get her set up with a pad. Emma, sweetie, are you sore in your tummy at all?"

Emma shook her head in confusion. "No, I'm okay. Aren't I?"

"Yes, you're perfect, you're a shining human being. Come on, let's go to the bathroom, we'll get you changed." 

"I'll change the sheets," Al said.

As they all left the room, Lauren stopped her and said, "Look, I know this is Naomi's special time with you and with her best friend, but I don't want to miss this." To Rachel's surprise, Lauren began tearing up. 

"You don't have to," Rachel said, touched by her sentiment. "You can come with us."

Lauren nodded and threw her arms around her. "It's just that the confirmation party was so bloody formal," she whispered in her ear. "It was too religious. I just... I never got the chance to celebrate my daughter becoming a woman, just a woman, not a level-up Catholic. Just me and her, without the rest of the family."

"I get it, I really do. As long as you don't mind celebrating alongside Emma and me, I'd love for you to join us."

"Now we just have to convince Naomi."

"She'll go along, as long as she still sleeps here tonight."

"Deal."

"You don't have anything planned with Joe?"

"It can wait. We still have Tosh at home anyway. He's going to my dad's later for an aikido lesson."

They unlocked, and Rachel said, "Good news, kids, it'll be a foursome!"

Naomi eyed her mom shrewdly, but to her credit she didn't protest, and Rachel led Emma to the bathroom.

She didn't know anyone had knocked on the door until after she had Emma clean and changed and they emerged from the bathroom. All she knew was that suddenly there was another person in the living room, and Al and Lauren stood there looking tense. Samson was curling around the woman's legs, untroubled by the tension and pleased at the new visitor.

"Hello?" Rachel asked.

"Mom!" Emma said, running to her mother, apparently, and throwing her arms around her.

"Hi, baby." Jenna Davenport, mother of Emma and Logan Davenport, squeezed her daughter tight, and looked up apologetically at Rachel. "I'm sorry for coming unannounced, I just had to see them for a minute."

"You're supposed to arrange visits through your caseworker," Rachel said. 

"I know, I'm sorry, I just..." The woman was pretty in a hazy way. Emma got her nearly pale blonde hair from her, and she had ice blue eyes that were haunting, but the drink had done a number on her complexion. "I'm really trying to stick with it this time, but I'm struggling, and I think if I can just see them and know they're doing okay, then that will give me the strength to keep going, finish my treatment, get myself together."

"Mom?" Logan asked as he emerged from their bedroom, walking stiffly.

"Hi, baby!" Jenna said, looking him over. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt? What happened?"

"Relax, Mom, I just started a summer job."

"Oh!" Jenna reached for him. "My big man! Working already? Don't they take care of you here?"

Rachel bristled at that, but she fought the urge to retort.

"I just want to earn my own money, Mom, for when I live on my own."

"You don't need to live on your own, you'll live with me when I'm out, okay?"

Logan sighed and rolled his eyes. They'd had this conversation before.

"I'm a woman now, Mom!" Emma announced proudly.

"What?!" Jenna looked at her, took Emma's face in both hands. "What are you talking about?"

Rachel cleared her throat and said, "Your timing is perfect. Emma just started her first period. We were just about to go out and celebrate."

"Oh," Jenna's face crumpled, and she knelt and took Emma in her arms. "To think I almost missed this day! Oh, baby, are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah! Even better now that you're here! You can come with us!"

"Go with you?" Jenna looked up at Rachel.

Rachel grimaced and looked at Lauren, whose lips pursed as if she'd bitten into a lemon. "Well, um, you are her mother, and you should be part of it, I suppose, if that's what you want, Emma."

Emma nodded enthusiastically.

"Now, honey," Jenna said, "you know that if I go with you that doesn't mean I'm taking you home with me, not today, okay? I'm working real hard but I can't today."

This was so wrong, Rachel thought. Parents were never supposed to tell their kids in care that they couldn't take them back yet; they were supposed to frame it differently, in a way that offered hope for the future. Rachel could tell Emma wasn't taking it well either, but the poor girl wiped her eyes furiously and nodded. "Rachel gave me pads," she said, back to the subject of her new womanhood.

"That's very good, sweetie. You'll need them for a week or so, then you can stop for another few weeks, and then you'll need them again. Do you think you can remember that?"

Emma thought about it and nodded. "And if I don't, Rachel will remember for me."

Rachel felt a swell of love and pride for the brave girl, and she cleared her throat and said, "Let's all go together, shall we? Emma, Naomi, since this is your day, what would you like to do?"

"Uh," Lauren said, "actually, Rachel, if it's all right, Naomi and I can--"

"I want to go too!" Naomi protested, turning furiously on her mother. "We can take Emma's mom. The more the merrier!"

Rachel never thought Naomi had it in her to school her own mother on decency and inclusion. She was going to grow up a strong woman. "Okay, then, it's settled," she said. "Let's keep it close to home this time, just in case Emma's tummy starts hurting and we have to come home early." That was as much a concession to Lauren, in case she wanted to leave the awkwardness early, as it was to Emma. Rachel had no escape plan, and she quietly resented Lauren for her ability to leave.

"Logan, Samson and I will hold down the fort," Al said, and Rachel threw him a withering look too. He shrank under her gaze and said, "Just call if you need anything."

"Thanks, Al," she said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. "How about nails and facials, kids?"

"Yay!" Emma and Naomi shouted.

"Um, I'm a little short for that kind of thing," Jenna said in embarrassment. "Can I owe you?"

"Please," Rachel said, "my treat." And then you go, she thought.


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