healing-hearts (25 page)

Yasmine stood back and observed the two of them.

“I don’t know how to
seep
by
myshelf
.” Jessica’s voice quivered.

Yasmine noticed her bottom lip beginning to tremble, before she could say anything, Jason replied.

“That’s okay, because I’ll sleep in here with you, whenever you need me to. Would that be okay?”

Jessica nodded her head, but still didn’t go inside.

“There are some pretty little dolls in there and I’d love to introduce them to you. Would you like to meet them?” Jason asked, still not rising from his kneeling position.

“Doll babies?” Jessica asked softly.

“Yes, doll babies.” Jason clarified.

“Are
day
mine?”

“All eight of them.” Jason assured her.

“
Dis
many?” The young girl raised her hands, displaying the number eight with her small fingers.

“Yup, would you like to meet them? I even brushed their hair just like you taught me.”

Yasmine smiled as Jessica bobbed her head excitedly. Then Jason stood up, held out his hand, and escorted her into her new room. Yasmine left them alone as she went down the hall and got Joshua, who was still jumping on his bed.

All she had to say was, “Joshua, lets go see the toy room,” and he was off the bed like a tornado and down the hall. Yasmine walked behind him calling out directions to the small room.

After taking his joyous time and discovering everything that was in the room, he then burst out of it and located Jessica who was still sitting on her bed talking to Jason and the dolls.

“Jessica, come see all the toys.” He shouted, then impatiently tapped his foot as he waited for his sister to slide from the bed, place all her dolls back on her window seat and follow him.

“You go ahead and spend some time with them and I’ll cook dinner.” Jason came up beside her outside of the toy room.

She turned to face him. The urge to kiss him on the lips for everything he had done up to this point was pulling at her.

Deciding not to analyze how he would take it, Yasmine leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips, “Thank you.” She prayed he understood what she meant, then entered the room with the playing children.

~ML~

“You have a lovely home.” Julinda Britt, the home-study social worker, commented when she initially entered the house.

It was Friday at five when Yasmine received a call from La-Tonya, letting her know the time in which the social worker would be by the house.

“Thank you, Mrs. Britt. It was a gift to my wife from her parents.” Jason ushered Julinda further into the living room, where the children and she were sitting on the couch.

“That’s great. Call me, Julinda please—we’ll be seeing so much of each other by the time this entire process is done.” The social worker flashed them all a bold and vibrant smile.

Yasmine couldn’t help but assess the woman who would play a major role on whether or not she would be allowed to adopt Joshua and Jessica.

Julinda Britt was not your traditional, stereotyped social worker. The first thing noticeable about her was her height. She was very tall for a woman, standing about five-nine, in her cream-colored, flat slip-on type shoes. Yasmine could tell that unlike herself, this person knew fashion and she liked to dress herself in it, with style. Julinda like to dress comfortable; which was not only evident in her shoes, but she wore a full, claret-colored skirt that dropped to her ankles, and a sheer, long sleeved button down shirt in the same shade with a cream colored shell underneath it. A four-piece set of jewelry with garnet stones accompanied her outfit. Julinda’s apparel complemented her short, neatly layered haircut and skin tone the color of liquid gold.

“Can we get you anything to drink?” Yasmine offered.

The other woman took a seat on the smaller couch. “No, thank you I’m fine. My husband’s taking me out to dinner tonight and I don’t want to spoil it.” An even brighter smile punctuated her words. “Let me guess, you’re Joshua.” Julinda pointed to the male twin on Yasmine’s right.

“Yes.” Joshua laughed, bobbing his head up and down.

“Well, then that must make you Jessica.” Julinda winked, indicating the female twin on Yasmine’s left.

Jessica responded by smiling one of her sweet little smiles.

Julinda looked back and forth between Yasmine and Jason, seated in the single lazy boy. “I usually like to start by getting a tour of the house by the children, that way I can get a feel or impression of how they view their living arrangements. I’d like you all to follow us, that way if there are any clarification questions, you all are right there.”

“We have no problem with that.” Jason admitted.

“Good.” Julinda gazed at the twins, speaking directly to them. “Okay, sweeties, how about you give me a tour of your new home and rooms.”

“Okay.” Eager, Joshua jumped up from the couch.

“Would you like to walk with me also, Jessica?” Julinda asked her when she had not responded like her bother and had remained silent.

Jessica voice was soft when she spoke. “Yes.”

Yasmine couldn’t help directing a look toward Jason, at the knowledge that Jessica was shy around strangers, and something Yasmine had never before seen. Jason lifted his shoulders in response, an indication he didn’t know either.

Julinda, placed the briefcase down she had come in with, and stood up and held both of her hands out for the children. “Okay, lead the way.” Julinda urged, her words sweet and gentle.

It was evident to Yasmine that this woman loved her job and loved children.

Yasmine wondered if she had any of her own or if she was like Charmagne and just had a big heart for kids.

Yasmine could feel Jason’s hand on the center of her back as they slowly strolled behind the touring group. She assumed it was for the benefit of Mrs. Britt; a ‘husbandly’ gesture, not because he necessarily wanted to touch her.

Over the past, few days since he had moved in, Jason had done an excellent job of staying away from her. He usually came to bed after she did and was up and dressed before she had a chance to realize she had ever lain beside him. They usually dressed and fed the kids together and she would drop them off on her way to work. She’d watch him kiss both of the kids on the cheek before he left her with a wave. She wasn’t handling their physical distance as well as she thought she would—the more she was around him the more she wanted to be touched intimately by him. But this was what she had wanted and asked for, and she would stick with it, she knew it was the right thing and for the best.

“Jason and Yasmine sleep
dair...vait
‘til you see
da
toy room, Mrs.
Jawinda
.”

Joshua’s excited little voice pulled her out of her musing. For a moment there she had to mentally give Jason a point. He had called it right when he’d said the kids would tell where he slept. The only reason the children knew it as a reality was because Jessica had come by the room in the middle of the night and awakened Jason asking him if he would come sleep in her room with her. Jason had made a pallet on her floor and slept there all night. He was almost late to work that morning, because he didn’t get up until Jessica had awaken and seen he had stayed all night.

Joshua had come in last night and patted her on the cheek and told her he had to go to the bathroom, but the light wasn’t on. So, she had gotten up for him and turned on the light.

“Wow, are all of these toys for you guys?” Julinda ask the twins.

Even the sight of the playroom didn’t seem to be enough to pull Jessica out of her quietness.

Until she answered by saying, “Yes, and I like the slide best.” Jessica graced Julinda with a shy smile.

Giving Jessica attention for her trust, Julinda spoke to her in a stage whisper, “You know it’s still my favorite to this day.”

Then Yasmine watched the other woman add a secret wink to her statement before they continued.

After the tour, they were all sitting back on the couch when Julinda began asking a few questions of her and Jason.

“So, from the two of your perspectives, how have the twins been adjusting?” She asked as she pulled a file and notepad out of her bag and began to jot down notes.

“Very well. Jessica was a little nervous about sleeping by herself the first night, but everything was handled and she slept in there fine last night.” Yasmine told her.

Julinda nodded. “That’s to be expected, a lot of children have problems sleeping in new surroundings. Particularly in situations like adoption.”

“Joshua hasn’t seemed to have any problems, is that normal?” Jason asked.

“In the twins’ situation, it is, just like if you had adopted any other set of siblings. One of the children usually adjusts quickly and rapidly; later on they may have problems, but not as often as ‘statistics’ say. Single children can have difficulty adjusting at times, because they are alone in a new environment. Multiples aren’t.”

“So, how often will we be meeting?” Jason questioned.

“I’ll come in two weeks, just because the children have just arrived in the home. Then monthly appointments, for the next four months; and within that time I will make a few unexpected visits.” Julinda flipped through their folder. “I see you all have a part-time child attendant, I’ll also come by at times to meet with her.”

“That’s fine, I’ll let Charmagne know and I’m sure she’ll have no problem with it.”

“I
wike
Mrs. Main, she’s funny,” Joshua told her.

“That’s great.” Turning to Jessica to keep her engaged, she asked, “Do you like her also, Jessica?”

“Yes. She
bwaids
my dolls hair, but I
wik
the way Jason combs it
beder
.” Jessica throwing a smile in Jason direction and he wink in return.

Once again, Yasmine was touched by the relationship Jessica and Jason had. At times she wondered if her father had been as affectionate to her as Jason was to Jessica, if she wouldn’t have ended up wasting so much time with Blake. Briefly, she wondered if she would be able to give Jessica the total security that she needed so she would be successful in her relationships. Pushing that thought aside she refocused on the situation at hand.

“Well, I’m going to be on my way.” Julinda was saying as she stood up with her briefcase in hand. “At the end of the four months I will write up my report and your package will go to the judge.”

“It was nice to meet you, Julinda and we’ll see you in two weeks.” Yasmine escorted the social worker to the door.

“How about we go out for some ice cream?” Jason asked the kids and her.

“Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” Jessica and Joshua leaped up off the couch, chanting.

“How about you?” He walked over to her and stopping directly in front of her over by the door.

“I normally try not to indulge.” Yasmine’s speech was hesitant. She didn’t know how to act, doing the family thing with Jason. She expected that he would have been trying to head back to the office after the social worker left.

He must have sensed the hesitation in her voice, because he implored her. “Come on, we were all on pins and needles about the social worker’s arrival. It went well and we all deserve a treat.” Jason slid his hands into his back pockets.

Man, I love that stance
. Yasmine fought to keep her gaze from resting on the snug fit his pants. She began to feel hot and flushed. “I think ice cream would be nice.” she rushed on.

“Come on kids, let’s go get something fattening.” Jason ushered them all out the door. “Then Yasmine will make tofu for dinner.”

Yasmine laughed as the kids chimed in simultaneously with, “Yuck!”

“My sentiments exactly,” he agreed with the twins as they all loaded up into the car.

~ML~

“Wow, Jason Richardson becomes the family man.” Raquel entered his office one late night while he was working.

It had been almost a month since they had brought the children home and their life had begun to settle into a routine. They had made it through two scheduled appointments with Julinda Britt.

Jason looked up at the woman who had been his lover for a long time as she walked around his desk and propped herself on a corner close to him and crossed her legs.

He leaned back in his chair. “I never would have thought it could happen, either.”

“It’s not good when the groom is as shocked as the rest of us.” She idly picked up his pen he had set down and began twirling it between her fingers.

Jason laughed at her comment. “My life sure has changed.”

“Is that a good thing?” Raquel questioned.

“I think so. Why, you looking to settle down?”

She hopped up from the desk. “Oh, no. It’s not for me.” Then stretched out and briefly picked up the picture of him and Yasmine. “I wouldn’t have thought it was for you either.”

Jason caught the look in her eyes, but he wasn’t sure if it was curiosity or disbelief.

Disbelief was the last thing that they needed. He and Yasmine had worked too hard to make sure everything looked just right, an ideal picture of a happy couple and a perfect family.