windthread

her music teacher says     She sings with all her heart.

there is DELUGE outSide.   Great….horizontal strikes of lightning and then the THUNDER.   Minnow is afraid.  She lies at my feet,  her eyes glued to my face,  sometimes getting up to press herself into the cabinet door.   We don't have electrical storns.  Just incessant Deluge.  

They are on the way to the airport.  Fly with stop at Las Vegas then on to Houston.   they will be met by the Tia's Yesi and Beatrice,  the half brother Aiden and the Grandmother.   Four hours later Alyssia is returned to the airport in order to fly back and in 2 hours drive again to the airport to set Julian off to New Jersey and his father.    Christmas vacation it used to be called.

this has been long prepared for.  All family in Houston, there are many aunts and uncles,  chipping in for the airfare.   Aunty Beatrice,  a kindergarden teacher,   will fly back with her in

2 weeks.     TWO WEEKS.

They went last when she was going on 3.  She remembers.  then Covid.    She used to talk on phone video things with her Dad pretty frequently.  As time has gone on,  not so much.   But her Dad is  BIG in her mind.   in her Heart.  in her imagination.  Her Dad.   She will stay with the Aunties.   The  Dad thing is still to be worked out.   He is a cop,   an undercover cop.   Works lots of hours,   but that's just part of it.   He has a

fiance

So.   What all is in her head…there's no way to know.   She can't begin to verbalize it all.   But she is BEYOND ready for this Visit,  is so so excited for all of it,  there are many cousins,   they are a large El Salvadoran family…she loves 

family

has claimed them for all time she can remember.     

my Friend Raina in Ann Arbor sent her a dress.   She loves to cruize  Target for Emrie things…i think things she wishes were for her,  but  can   be for Emrie.   This one is well,  an extravagance…all a bold floral print with an emerald green velvet bolero jacket.  They brought it when they came the other day to bring ice  to show me.   I said    Ooooo,   you can wear that to church with your Grandma there,   her eyes widened……I went on to say how much her Grandma loves her church.   After a while she said…..  What IS church?   We were feeding Goats so it was a distracted moment and i just said well…it's a very BIG BeautyFULL building and people go there,  many at the same time and they sing and they talk about God,  they love to talk about God.    and then after a long pause she said    and that's where you get married.   

this morning Alyssia got a text from

Luz

the fiance.   Saying she  knew  it was past  time….and what size is Emrie and what is her favorite color.   Alyssia sent a

thank you for reaching out response     and told Emrie that her dad's fiance's name was Luz.   Emrie thought and then said

can i just call her    StepMother?

there is ROOM.   AMPLE ROOM  in Emrie for Everyone.   She will hug them.  Like she does.   We will see how that goes.  Can Luz survive her distance after being hugged by Emrie?   

the Grandma,  the Aunties are so so HAPPY for this,   the church is a Big  spanish language Catholic Church of the large El Salvadoran community there,   they will make pupusas and hopefully she will bring some home for me in her backpack.  Her Grandma's dream is to take her back home to El Salvador some day.   Show her.   Emrie will see her self in these people,  these people who are  Family.