Everyone was really great yesterday. I went to the bathroom and washed my face so I didn't look like I was crying my head off. By the time I came out everyone had already eaten and the movie of the night had just started. They all said how nice I looked and then Emily let me eat on the couch with a tray and plenty of napkins so I didn't miss more of the movie. At least when I promised to be really careful, which I did. I didn't want to make a mess on their nice furniture at all, or my pretty new clothes.

I haven't been to a lot of malls but this one seemed big. Because it was friday there were a lot of people here too. For a bit I was almost looking forward to this even in the dress. The twins kept talking about how fun it was going to be. This was their world. Some of their excitement was rubbing off on me maybe. No less than two nurses said how cute I looked at the doctors. It was a different cute though, the cute of a little girl looking like her mommy made her all pretty.

Stepping out of his room he felt alive sort of, like reborn. What ever happened now he was just going to do what he liked. He finally didn't care what other people thought. Before he just pretended he didn't care, he knew that now. Now it was real, he was really free to just be “self” whatever prefix the world wanted to add to it was fine.

Mostly I just stared out the window as we drove to the new house. Kelly sat in back next to me which seemed to annoy John who was our driver again. He had to take out one of the car seats, likely had to put it back in later too. If I had my way he would have taken both of them out but I was use to them by this point.

Sunday morning Kelly was a couple levels above normal perky. Honestly I don't know how she does it all the time. I was getting use to it though. Seeing her happy all the time did make me feel a little better. There are many ways to wake up in the mornings and a chipper all too happy Kelly calling me honey, sweetie or the dreaded sweetheart was far from the worst.

I haven’t been in a shelter for a really long time. I think I was five back then. I forgot how crowded they were. People everywhere. Last time I had to stay in the nursery with the really young kids and toddlers. Probably the only place where I was one of the biggest. This time they gave me a small room. There was a small window on the top of the ceiling which was on the ground outside as we were in the basement. It had a bar in front of said window on the back wall to hang clothes on even though I couldn’t reach it. A small garbage can, a dresser and a bed.

“What?” Stella says into the phone. It’s her cousin from the clinic. “Hold on, start over and let me put you on speaker phone. Pedro, you need to hear this.” Getting his attention as he was coming in from mowing the lawn. Both sat at the kitchen table, phone in the center on speaker. “Okay Michelle, Pedro is here. Tell us what happened.