Night Changes

Skye remembered the time she had called Mrs. Brody mom. Mrs. Brody had wanted everything perfect. Skye needed to dress like a girl and have the perfect grades and eat the perfect amount of food. Skye could never actually impress her, as she often failed to be perfect. She had thought that calling her mom would calm her down. That, of course, hadn’t been the case. But Skye remembered it. She remembered not thinking too much about it. She had thought of the plan and executed it. This wasn’t the case with Melinda though. She had spent the entire evening telling herself to just say the word. It shouldn’t be really difficult. If there was someone who deserved the title, it was Melinda.

Skye walked into her room, ready to end the day. She waited for a few minutes, knowing that her foster parents would be here soon to wish her good night. Phil still hadn’t entered her room and Skye had no idea what to think about it. He would not hurt her, she knew that. Maybe she should bring it up with Dr. Morgan but she didn’t know how to.

A knock on the door and Melinda walked in with a small smile. Skye took a deep breath. She would do this today. She hurried forward and hugged her mom. Another deep breath as warm hands wrapped around her. “Mom,” Skye whispered.

The world went still for few seconds. Nothing moved. And then the arms around her tightened. No words were uttered. “Mom,” Skye whispered again.

“I am here baby. I am here,” her mom said softly. Skye burrowed further into the embrace.

She had heard it before. In different forms. Mum. Mom. Mama. But Melinda May would never get tired of her babies calling her mom. Specially that first time. Knowing that she was doing something right. Knowing that even if she had fucked up every other thing, that she had given these kids a safe space was enough for her. And she would never ever get tired of the feeling that filled her heart in situations like these.

She tightened her grip on Skye, pulling the girl to herself. Her daughter. She pulled back a little and pressed her lips on the girl’s forehead. Using her thumbs, she gently wiped the tears. Skye looked relieved as if she had been worried about her reaction. Melinda cupped her cheeks and spoke softly, “Thank you, Skye. Thank you for trusting me.”

“Mom,” she whispered again. Melinda smiled at her, hoping that she was easing the fear in her daughter’s mind. “You really don’t mind?”

“No baby,” Melinda promised. “You can call me whatever feels comfortable to you. I am so proud to be your mom.”

“Really?” Skye asked. How could someone destroy her self-worth like that? How could someone look at this sweet girl, who wore her heart on her sleeve and not love her?

“I am so proud of you. Every day. Every hour. Every minute. Every second. I am so proud.”

“Yup. What she said,” Phil spoke from the door. Melinda turned to look at him. His smile faltered for a second seeing the emotions on her face. Melinda reassured him with her eyes. He caught on as usual. “Come on kiddo. It’s sleep time,” he said. Melinda felt Skye nod. She wished she could tuck her in the bed but Skye needed to lock the door. She turned to her daughter and pressed another kiss on her forehead.

“I love you, baby girl.”
“I love you too, mom. I love you, Phil.”
“I love you too, Angel eyes. Good night.”

Melinda could hear the emotions in her husband’s voice. She squeezed Skye, wishing her a good night and then walked out of the room, shutting the door. She heard the click but no sound of chair dragging. It was a small step but it was one. She slipped her hand into Phil’s. With a final glance to the other doors, ensuring that all her kids were safe, Melinda May walked into her bedroom with her husband.

“She called you mom,” Phil began speaking as soon as they closed the door. “She said she loves us. She called you mom” He pulled her in a tight embrace. Melinda melted in his arms. Words couldn’t describe what she was feeling right now. There were days when she had thought she wasn’t fit to be a mother. There were days when she still mourned those she hadn’t saved. But that was all in the past now. You are not committing a crime by leaving them in the past. She was a mother to four wonderful kids. She had a beautiful family. She had friends. Life was good.

They went through their nightly routine and snuggled together on bed. Melinda rested her hand on Phil’s heart. She had almost lost him. She would have lost him if not for Maria. “I am fine, Lin,” he said. She tightened her hold on him. His heartbeat lulled her to sleep.

The morning came sooner than she would have liked. Leaving her husband to his sleep - after kissing him softly - Melinda freshened up and went to the back yard for tai chi. The weather was getting colder. She would have to move to doing it in the living room soon. Melinda began her daily stretching. Skye had been joining her in the mornings two-three times a week, but it was usually on the weekend when the schedule was pushed a little. Melinda had tried teaching it to all her kids. Leo had been absolutely uninterested while Bobbi and Tasha had enjoyed it. Skye seemed to enjoy it too even if she was a little too hard on herself.

The morning was hectic like all the mornings. What surprised Melinda was that no one was surprised with Skye’s switch from her name to mom. There were soft smiles all around but no real surprise. They knew. Melinda smiled softly at that. She loved how well they had all bonded.

“Someone’s bursting with joy,” Akela commented as Melinda walked into the training institute. She was indeed in a happy mood, though she didn’t clarify the reason. No. She was going to examine it and savour it. She was going to enjoy the trust her daughter had put in her.

Skye was nervous. Not stop-the-car-because-I-can’t-breath nervous, but I-don’t-know-how-the-day-would-go nervous. Her mom - she had a mom - was driving her to Piper’s house for a visit. It was Saturday and as promised things had been worked out with Piper’s mom. Skye was excited about visiting a friend but also a little nervous.

“We are here, baby girl.”

Skye looked around and noticed that they had arrived at the apartment building. She got out of the car and walked alongside Melinda into the elevator. “Now remember. If you want to leave, all you need to do is call me or Phil. Okay?” Skye nodded. The lesson had been drilled into her brain by everyone. She had her phone and anytime she wanted to leave, all she had to do was call them. She didn’t need permission from Piper’s family.

The door was opened by Piper’s mom. Skye greeted her politely as she welcomed them inside. Melinda talked to her, ensuring that both of them were aware the day’s schedule. “I am gonna go now, Skye. Text or call me, okay?” Melinda hugged her. “Bye tián xīn.”

“Bye mom,” Skye answered back. Melinda walked out of the house and Skye felt a brief moment of panic. She wasn’t with the people who kept her safe. Next second, Piper was giving her a tour of the house. It was a three-bedroom apartment with a large kitchen. Piper took Skye to her room. It was spacious. There was a bunk bed was in a corner, near the window. There was a desk near it and alongside the desk was a bookshelves. Piper was obviously fond of reading. There were books in different languages too. Spanish. French. “You like languages?” Skye asked.

“Yeah,” Piper said. She sat on the bed and gestured Skye to join her. “I learned Spanish as a kid. And now French. I want to learn Russian next.”

“Cool. My mom - she speaks all of these. She speaks Chinese, Russian, Spanish, French, Italian, German and some Japanese. Bobbi and Leo speak Spanish. Bobbi is learning Russian. Tasha speaks Russian and French. Mom’s teaching her Chinese. Tasha can also talk in ASL. Me too. We team up during games sometimes to beat mom. She doesn’t understand that one.”

“That is so cool. I didn’t know you knew ASL.”
“I had a friend. She couldn’t speak or listen. I learned from her.”
“Oh nice!”

They chatted a bit more. Piper told about learning martial arts at the training institute. Skye knew she learned there but had never actually seen her there. Piper seemed a bit disappointed that Melinda didn’t teach her class anymore. Mrs. Kane gave them some snacks to eat and told them that she would soon order a pizza for lunch. They decided to play something and Piper pulled out the monopoly cards.

Piper distributed the cards and they began playing. “What are your plans for the holidays?” Skye asked, as she played her turn.

“My aunt Elaine - she is dad’s sister - lives nearby. She’ll be here with her family for the dinner. And Uncle James drives from Jersey City. He is mom’s brother. We have a houseful. What about you?” Piper played her own turn.

Skye focused on the game for a second, taking away Piper’s property. She gave it with a scowl. “Mom’s parents are arriving on Thursday. They’ll be staying till new year.”

“Woah! That’s a long time.”
“Yeah. They have rented a place nearby.”
“That’s nice, I guess.”

Skye nodded. Tasha had told her that Melinda’s parents visited every year around this time and that they always rented a place. Skye was still a little nervous about the visit. And then there was Christmas.

“By the way, is Fitz in some sort of club?” Piper asked.
“No. Why?”
“You leave the school early on Wednesdays and Thursdays. But he doesn’t leave with you on Wednesday.”

Oh! Of course, she had noticed. Piper walked with her to the school gates on those days. She obviously noticed Leo’s absence. Skye had never talked to anyone about the therapy sessions. Phil and Melinda had promised her that she was in control of who found out. Could she tell Piper?

“I have an appointment every Wednesday. So, Leo - uh Fitz - he waits for Phil to pick him up.”
“Appointment? Like with a doctor? Are you sick or something?”
“No. I mean,” Skye spluttered. Truth would really be easier. “Yes, the appointment is with a doctor. A shrink.”
“Shit! Skye, I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked so many questions.”
“No. It’s alright.”
“My dad’s a therapist. He keeps telling me that these sessions are personal and I should never question people.”
“You didn’t. You asked me about the appointment, not the sessions.” Skye wasn’t going to tell her about the sessions.

They continued playing the game and talked about Christmas. Piper’s family usually took a vacation during the holidays. Skye told Piper about her problem with the presents. She wanted to find something special for her new family.

“You could draw them something. You are really good at it,” Piper suggested.

Skye thought about the suggestion all day, even while they ate and watched a movie. She did not just sketch sceneries and animals. No. Skye had discovered that she was also very good at portrait sketching. She would often ask her friends - Matt and Maya - to sit in front of her as she drew their faces. She could do that for her family. Five sketches. She would have to start soon as it was a long and time taking process. But she would need help. She couldn’t draw them directly from her memory. Bobbi had promised to help her, she remembered.

Soon, it was time to go. Melinda was there and Skye was bidding bye to Piper, promising to see her on Monday. She followed her mom to the car and got into the backseat. “Did you have fun?” Melinda asked, starting the car.

“Yes,” Skye answered. “We played monopoly cards and  watched Zootopia. And we ate pizza for lunch. And I got an idea for Piper’s Christmas present.”

“That’s great.” Skye could hear the amusement in her voice and grinned. “We will go for an early shopping next weekend. You can get the present or at least find out how much money you need for it.”

“Cool.” Skye paused and then went on. “Mom. I told Piper about therapy.”
“I am proud of you, Skye. That takes a lot of courage. And remember, it’s okay if you don’t want to explain more to her. And it’s okay if you do. You are in control here.”
“Yeah. Her dad’s a therapist so, she didn’t ask any more questions. He had told her the stuff about confidentiality.”
“That’s great. And it’s good that you have a friend you can trust.”
“I kinda wanna tell Jemma and Trip too.”
“Okay, baby girl.”

Skye smiled. She loved when Melinda called her these nicknames. Or when Phil called her angel eyes. Or when Tasha called her something in Russian.

“Mom,” Skye spoke again. Melinda hummed. “Do you think your parents will like me?”
“Oh baby! They already love you.”
“Really?”
“Yup. They can’t wait to meet you.”
“What should I call them?”
“You can call them Lao Lao and Lao Ye like Leo and Bobbi do. Or Lian and William like Tasha does.”
“They wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all.”
Skye hummed.
“I should also tell you that while I haven’t told them about your therapy sessions, they will be able to guess it. There will be no questions but they will know.”
“Coz your mom was a spy.”
Melinda chuckled.

Skye was bombarded by at least a thousand questions. Everyone wanted to know if she had enjoyed herself, if she had any trouble, what she had done. Skye answered all of them. It was such a drastic change from her previous foster homes where no one wanted to listen to her. Skye loved this attention. She loved when Phil and Melinda treated her the same way, they treated their adopted kids. She was their kid and this was home. Home and not just a stop in the journey.

The attention also meant that it took a while before Skye could ask to talk to Bobbi privately. Bobbi entered her room and Skye shut the door. “What’s going on?” Bobbi asked but Skye shushed her as she dug into the dresser and pulled out the bundle of papers. She handed them to Bobbi. Skye felt nervous as she watched her older sister unroll the bundle. Only two people knew about this - Matt and Maya.

“Woah! You sketched these?” Bobbi asked. Skye nodded mutely.  “Skye, these are awesome. Why didn’t I already know about this? Oh my God! These are so good. Wait till mom and dad see this.”

“No,” Skye said hurriedly. Bobbi stopped and looked at her weirdly. Skye quickly started explaining. “I didn’t tell anyone because mostly people think this is a waste of time. I know no one here thinks like that. But I was nervous. I was thinking of drawing sketches for everyone. Mom, Phil, you, Tasha and Leo. Christmas presents.”

“First of all, this is not a waste of time,” Bobbi said seriously. Skye nodded. “Second, this is an awesome idea. Everyone will loves these.”

“I need help,” Skye said and began explaining the problem. Bobbi listened attentively and then told her she could get her print outs for whatever pictures they needed. They began to select pictures from Bobbi’s phone.

“This one for mom and dad,” Bobbi suggested, showing a picture of them standing on a beach with their back to the camera, with her head on his shoulder. Skye immediately loved it. “And maybe a picture of all four of us. They would love that.” Bobbi swiped on her phone and found a selfie they had clicked when they had gone to the movies. Bobbi also found her individual shots of everyone else. “We will get you some paper next week and then you can start.”

“Won’t this work?” Skye asked, pointing at the pages she had sketched on. They were simple A4 sheets.
“They will but I know that everyone would want to get theirs framed. These aren’t durable or acid-free. They will fade overtime.”

Skye accepted that answer. She had ideas for everyone at home, Piper and Jemma. That left her with the grandparents, Maria, Izzy and Vic, and Trip. Before she could ask Bobbi for ideas, there was a knock at the door and Phil’s head poked in. “Hey you two. What secret meeting are you two having here?” he asked, still standing in the doorway.

“Christmas presents,” Skye answered.
“You decide what you want?” he asked, leaning against the door frame. He still didn’t enter.
“Uh no!”

Bobbi facepalmed. “You have ideas for everyone else and not yourself?” she asked.
“I don’t have ideas for everyone. Just some,” Skye answered with a grin. Bobbi mock glared at her.

“Alright. Alright. Who wants to watch Empire Strikes Back?” Phil asked. Skye looked at Bobbi and they raced downstairs, leaving Phil behind.

But he never entered her room.