Winter's Tale BY ANN WOOD PART 2
The next day when I woke up I heard Allan crying. I went to see him, he had peed and was crying because he was tearing. I took him to the bathroom, bathed him and put on a new diaper. He smiled happily at me as if to say thank you for drying me and changing me. Amelia had dressed and gone downstairs to have breakfast, my sister Kathy had made fried slices with lingonberry jam and rosehip marmalade, there was bacon and sausages on the grill, as well as black pudding, she had fried mushrooms, potato meatballs and baked beans in the oven. In short, a royal breakfast. The table was set, in one jug there was freshly squeezed orange juice and in the other homemade raspberry lemonade, coffee for us and tea for Amelia and for Allan warm milk and oatmeal. After breakfast we took the children to the park since the weather was nice for the season. We walked around and then went to the shopping centre to buy some groceries and have lunch. The kids were enjoying the nice weather and the walk in the park. Amelia played while I rocked Allan in a rocker for little kids like him. He really liked it and kept calling out, rock me more. We had lunch at the restaurant in the shopping centre, where they prepare homemade lamb liver Samra as a side dish for oven-roasted lamb, green spring salad with radishes, green onions and garlic, cucumber and cherry tomatoes and hard-boiled eggs. Amelia asked for moussaka and our salad, and for Allan I ordered mashed potatoes and to puree some of the lamb with some of the sauce from the roast lamb. I gave Amelia a taste of the lamb and the liver Samra and she said she liked it too. We also ordered some of the same to take home and a slice of biscuit cake for each of us.After lunch we went to the children's corner for Amelia to play a little with the children and today they had a drawing lesson for the children. While she was playing we had a coffee and Allan played in the stroller. Then we went to the shops to get some things for the children and then we went back to the park. The children enjoyed the good weather and the walk in the park. Amelia was playing with the other children in the park and Allan was sleeping. We talked and watched Amelia play and Allan smile at us from the stroller. At one point my phone rang they were calling me from the school to remind me that the next day, we would have a meeting with the teachers and the parents' council. We would discuss the new school fees and the annual budget for the next school year and the prom at the end of the school year. We talked a little more with my secretary and then I hung up. I called Amelia because we had to leave. When we got home it was past two in the afternoon, I took Allan to his room to change his diaper and put on some new clothes because he was sweaty. Kathy helped Amelia change and we put them to sleep for a little while. While they slept I put the washing machine to do the kids' clothes and Kathy put them to make some lasagne for dinner. We'll eat the food from the restaurant tomorrow for lunch or dinner. The kids got up around five and we sat down to play in the living room with them. We had dinner around seven and then put the kids to sleep, and we went back downstairs to watch TV. That night the new season of Hell's Kitchen was starting. We went to bed after the show was over. We said goodnight and we each went to our rooms, I checked on the kids and went in to take a shower before I went to bed.
When I woke up the next morning it was raining outside. I got up, got dressed and went downstairs to light the fire in the living room and make coffee. Kathy and the kids were still sleeping, I made breakfast, had breakfast and went upstairs to see the kids and get ready for work. Today, Kathy would be with the kids while I was at school. I dressed Allan and changed his diaper, Amelia got dressed too and then we all went downstairs for breakfast. Kathy was dressed and drinking coffee, I put Allan in his high chair and fed him. Then I said good morning and went to work. It was a rainy day and the meeting went as planned. After it was over I signed a few documents and then left. When I got home Kathy and the kids were watching a children's movie on TV, I wished them good morning and kissed them. I went to the kitchen to make coffee and sat down next to them to finish watching the movie. When the movie ended, we sat down to eat lunch and then went to bed to rest, since it was still raining outside. Today the kids were playing at home because of the bad weather. When we woke up from our afternoon nap, I made the kids an afternoon snack and coffee for us. While we were drinking coffee, my phone rang, it was the lawyer saying that we had a date for the adoption case. The case was scheduled for Friday morning at ten o'clock. He would come tomorrow to bring the last documents for signature and to make arrangements for the case. I wished him a good evening and hung up. I got up to wash the dishes and tidy up the kitchen, I vacuumed everywhere and dusted. When I was done cleaning, we sat down to eat dinner, and after dinner I washed the dishes and ran another load of laundry, since I had changed the sheets. We went to bed early, because in the morning we had to get up early and get ready for the lawyer's visit.
The next morning I got up early, took a shower and got ready for the meeting with the lawyer. When I got dressed I went downstairs to make breakfast and coffee. Then I went upstairs to wake the children up and bathe and dress them. When I switched on we went downstairs to have breakfast. Kathy had also gotten up early and was drinking coffee and a croissant in the kitchen. After breakfast I loaded the dishwasher and turned it on, and poured new coffee for both of us. The lawyer came around nine thirty, we sat in the living room and I went to make coffee and put some croissants on the tray as well as fresh fruit. The lawyer took his coffee and sat comfortably in one of the armchairs, took out folders of documents and started leafing through them. He took out the necessary documents and started reading them aloud, they were the documents for the adoption of the children. When he finished reading the documents, we signed them and he left to take them to the family court for the judge to sign so that we would officially become parents of Allan and Amelia. When the documents were officially signed by the judge, the lawyer called to congratulate us. I invited him to dinner to celebrate the adoption and he accepted. After we said goodbye, I hung up the phone, grabbed my bag and keys, and we went to the market. We had to do some shopping and take photos for the children's passports. The weather was cool, but at least it wasn't raining. We did some shopping and then stopped at a nearby bistro for lunch and ordered a kangaroo burger, salad and fries, and Allan had them mashed. Amelia ordered baked sweet macarons for dessert. After lunch, we walked through the park for a while, for Amelia to play and for us to take a walk. We got home at three and I started cooking while Kathy took care of the kids. The lawyer came around seven with his wife and their two children. I had prepared a roast leg of lamb and ribs, with roasted root vegetables, green salad, mashed potatoes, chicken nuggets and potatoes for the kids and a rustic French cake with vanilla ice cream. Also chicken soup and bruschetta with several different toppings and spreads. Dinner went well and we had a lot of fun, playing games and singing songs. And the kids liked each other, and they played a lot. We exchanged phone numbers with the lawyer's wife, and we agreed to spend more time with the kids. She is a singer and modern dancer and teaches children and teenagers. I also suggested that she start teaching music and dance classes with us and she accepted. When they left, the kids didn't want to leave, they wanted to play more. We promised them that the next day we could take them to the zoo and the children's center where they could play.
Short story by Ann Wood
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Written on 2025-02-25 at 04:45
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