Stevie was having an ok time at motherhood at best.  Xavier was 3 and she still had to care for him closely.  It was time for him to begin potty training and Brice hadn’t even bothered with that.  He would get scared at times at night and cry for his daddy.  If only she knew how much better off he was she would think.  Xavier’s new surroundings kept him on edge most of the time but as the days turned to weeks he was slowly beginning to get used to his new home, town, and numerous his aunties. Stevie still lacked the skilled and know how that were critical in raising a small child. 

One Wednesday afternoon she walked into the Planet.  Alice, Kit, Bette and Helena all looked on as she walked in holding Xavier upside down by the ankle.  His blond hair was dangling everywhere.  He had inherited a unique set of physical features from his parents.  He got his strawberry blond hair and brown eyes from his father yet he had his mothers Asian features like the eyes.  His skin was an olive tone much like Bette’s.  Looking at him you’d actually think he was hers and not Stevie’s.  He didn’t get his mothers laid back demeanor, his fathers short temper flaring occasionally.  As they came in he was yelling something incoherent and she was looking stressed out at best.

Xavier:  “No! I don’t want to!”

Stevie:  “I told you, you can’t walk around with no shoes.  It’s dangerous!”

Xavier:  “No!”

Kit:  “What’s the problem?”

Stevie:  “I can’t talk to him when he’s like this.  He won’t listen.”

Kit grabbed the boy turning him up right.

Kit:  “You trying to kill him?”

Stevie:  “He likes to be upside down he spends all day like that when he’s playing.  I thought it would shut him up.  Guess I was wrong!”

She raised her voice at the end as she sat down.  Xavier sticking his tongue out at her and she did it back.

Stevie:  “This is hard.”

Helena:  “Did you expect it to be easy?”

Stevie:  ‘No.  It’s just hard trying to raises a child when you’ve missed out on the first 3 years of his life.  I literally just met him.  I don’t now what he like or doesn’t like.  What he eats or is allergic too.  All that’s important right?”