My motherly instincts kicked in, and I felt uneasy. “Where exactly are they, Jean” I asked, my voice firm now. Her eyes darted toward the hallway, then back at me.
“In the backyard,” she said finally. “They’ve been helping me with the garden. They’re such little troopers!”
I followed the faint sounds of voices to the sliding glass door. As I stepped outside, the cool air hit me, but it did nothing to stop the wave of dread washing over me. “Lucas?
Sophie?” I called out. Then I saw them. My heart sank.
Lucas and Sophie stood there, their small faces smeared with dirt, their eyes filled with exhaustion and relief as they clung to me. Lucas’ clothes were worn and covered in stains, and Sophie’s shirt had a tear on the shoulder. Neither outfit looked familiar—certainly not what I had packed for them.
“Mom!” Lucas gasped, throwing his arms around me. Sophie followed, her tiny frame trembling as she buried her face into my side. “What is going on here?” I demanded, turning to Jean, my voice shaking with anger.
“Why are they out here like this? They were supposed to be having fun, not working!”
Lucas looked up at me, his voice quivering. “Grandma said we had to help.
She told us if we worked hard, we’d go to the park… but we never went, Mom.”
Sophie added, “She made us dig all day, Mommy. I wanted to stop, but she said we had to finish first.”
“You promised me you’d spoil them this week, not turn them into laborers! What is this?!”Continue reading…
