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like
me.”
    “ Whatever,” Jill said. “Just
because there’s some statistic that people who were abused can
become abusers, doesn’t mean it has to be that way, Sandy. I mean
really, who have you ever hurt?”
    “ There are a few people on my list
I’d like to hurt.” Sandy’s face went dark. “Like my sperm donor
father.”
    “ He’s an asshole.”
    “ I wanted to hurt Trevor, but I
guess your Dad got to him first.” Sandy laughed.
    “ Do you think he’s my father? You
mean like my real father?” Jill asked.
    “ Your mother calls him ‘your
Papa’,” Sandy said.
    “ I need to spend more time with
her, but I haven’t had a Mom since I was ten years old. I don’t
really know how to… do it.”
    “ She’s coming over for dinner
tonight right?”
    Jill nodded.
    “ Enjoy it,” Sandy said. “I bet she
feels uncomfortable too. It’s a lot of pressure after all those
years in quiet Costa Rica.”
    Jill nodded. Running back to Jill, Katy threw
herself into Jill’s arms and cried.
    “ What’s the matter, Katy-baby?”
Jill asked.
    “ Apes don’t like snow,” Katy said
in Jill’s ear.
    While Jill held Katy tight, Sandy watched a
group of boys approach Nash. The boys seemed to argue and one of
the boys pushed Nash. Then the boy pushed Nash again!
    As Sandy ran to him, Nash fell onto the
ground. Sandy helped Nash up.
    “ You stupid jerk,” Noelle yelled
at the boy. “Who do you think you are? You can’t push my brother
around.”
    The boys laughed at Noelle. With one arm
around Nash, Sandy grabbed Noelle’s arm. She dragged them away from
the jeering boys.
    “ I was thinking about getting some
cocoa,” Jill said.
    “ Cocoa sounds perfect,” Sandy
replied. Turning to Nash, she asked, “What was that?”
    Angry, Nash shook his head and looked at the
ground. When he slumped into himself, Noelle shrugged.
    “ I didn’t hear them,” Noelle said.
“There’s a new boy in Nash’s class that’s a real bully. He’s mean
and he gets all the boys to gang up on other kids. Girls, too. I
don’t like him at all. Like not even one little bit.”
    “ We’ll get some cocoa and non-Dad
approved snacks then see the other side of the zoo,” Sandy
said.
    Nash brightened at the idea of snacks. Jill
put Katy down so she could run off with Noelle to the snack
area.
    “ Nash?” Jill asked. “My brother
Mike knows exactly how to handle boys like that. Would you like me
to ask him to teach you?”
    Nash’s head jerked up to look at Jill. Hope
flashed across his face and he nodded.
    “ I bet we could track him down
today,” Jill said. “He could meet us here at the zoo, even. Would
you like that?”
    Nash nodded.
    “ Great,” Jill said. She held the
door for Nash. As they walked through it, she said, “I was bullied
for a lot of years. I know how awful it feels. But there is nothing
wrong with you. I would tell you if there was. There’s something
wrong with them.”
    Nash threw himself into her arms. Jill held
him.
    “ Nash! They have brownies!” Noelle
yelled.
    With a smile of gratitude to Jill, Nash ran
off to meet his sister. Sandy and Jill shared a look of
understanding. Sandy followed the kids to pay while Jill called
Mike. Hopefully they wouldn’t see the little bullies
again.
    At least until Mike arrived.
    ~~~~~~~~
    Sunday afternoon – 3:30
P.M.
     
    Standing in the wheelchair accessible stall,
MJ began the chant.
    “ Two lines, two lines, two
lines.”
    He peered into the beige plastic apparatus.
Honey was sitting on the toilet.
    “ You’re sure we have to do this
right this moment?” she asked.
    “ Why wait? Plus you said those
financial people had already been here,” MJ said. Gesturing with
the pee stick, he continued, “You’re over the hard part of your
day. I have to leave for a trip on Tuesday. I figure if this test
is positive, we’ll go to the doctor tomorrow and see what’s what.
We don’t really know if we can keep the baby, if there is one
because of all the