Jill Weatherholt - A Mother For His Twins

When no hands went up, Nick looked at Bella. “I think you’d be perfect in the role.”

Her cheeks flushed. “Are you sure?” Bella asked in a less-than-confident tone.

“I’m positive. What about you, Miss Kelliher? Don’t you agree?”

Joy smiled. “I think she’d be perfect.”

Bella kicked her tennis shoe against the wooden stage. “What if I can’t learn all my lines?”

“I can help you.” Tyler stepped forward.

Nick smiled at his son. He always liked to help others. “I think that’s a good idea, Tyler.” He glanced at Bella. “You’ll do great, so don’t worry.”

“Can I play the wolf, Daddy?” Tyler tugged on Nick’s arm.

“We have to give everyone an opportunity, son. If there are others interested we’ll have to conduct some tryouts. Do you agree, Mrs. Kelliher?”

Joy nodded. “It only seems fair,” she answered before turning her attention back to the clipboard.

Nick couldn’t help wondering why Joy seemed so disengaged. He knew she loved the children, but something told him she wasn’t into this play. He pointed to the far side of the stage. “Anyone who’d like the role of the wolf, please step over there.”

Tyler skipped across the floor, making it clear he was interested, but he was the only one.

Nick glanced over the group of children, all of whom stared at the ground, unresponsive. “Okay, then. Tyler, by default, it looks like you’ve got the part.”

“Yippee!” His son ran toward Joy. “Did you hear, Miss Kelliher? I get to be the wolf.”

“Yes, I heard... Congratulations.” She quickly turned her attention to her clipboard again.

An hour and a half later the children had been picked up by their parents. While the twins and Bella acted out various routines on the stage, Nick was alone with Joy for the second time this afternoon. Sitting in the middle of the auditorium, they mapped out their rehearsal calendar for the next week.

“With the play scheduled in a few weeks, Mr. Jacobson isn’t giving us much time to practice, is he?” Nick glanced at Joy, who only nodded. She’d said very little to him since the children had gone home. He’d noticed she’d been less than enthusiastic about Tyler’s part in the play.

“So, I take it you’re not really an admirer of the Big Bad Wolf.” He turned in her direction. “I don’t really remember you being afraid when we were kids,” he joked.

Her shoulders stiffened. “What makes you say that?” She fingered her gold chain.

“I don’t know. It seems like you got a little tense earlier whenever he was mentioned.”

“I just wish Mr. Jacobson would have picked another fairy tale, that’s all.” She stared toward the stage.

Nick thought best to change the subject. For some reason she wasn’t a fan of “Little Red Riding Hood,” but hey, he never cared for “Rapunzel.”

“I wanted to apologize if Jordan put you in an uncomfortable position yesterday by asking about the piano lessons.”

“Of course he didn’t. I had offered, remember?” Joy removed her reading glasses and placed them on top of her head. “Are you okay with it?”

Nick worked his jaw back and forth. “I want Jordan to be happy.”

“You seemed somewhat agitated the other morning when he brought up his mother and the lessons. Do you ever talk to the boys about her?”

He knew he hadn’t been a good husband, but now he was a bad father. Was that what she was implying?

Nick squirmed in his seat. “I don’t want to talk about this now.”

Joy blew out a breath. “That could be a big part of your problem.”

What? Did he have a problem when it came to his boys? He didn’t think so. “I’m not understanding, Joy.”

“Your son needs to express his feelings. You need to open the door for conversations with Jordan and Tyler. It’s important they’re allowed to talk about their mother.”

Nick felt cornered. She did think he was a bad father. “The last time I looked, you weren’t a parent, Joy. So please, don’t lecture me on how to talk with my sons.”

The murmurs of the children on stage seeped into Nick’s ears as Joy remained silent. As soon as he’d spoken the words, regret washed over him. “I’m sorry... That was a low blow.”

Joy folded her arms tight around her body. “No, you’re right. I don’t have children of my own, but I do have experience with those who have had tragedy in their life. Any professional will tell you that brushing it under the rug and ignoring the incident won’t make it go away. It’s not too late, Nick—trust me.”

“But what if it is?” It was certainly too late for him and his wife. How would Joy react if she found out the truth...that his own children had known their mother was sick, but he hadn’t? Or had he chosen to ignore it? How pathetic.

Nick flinched when he felt the tender touch of her hand on his own.

“Please, don’t do this to yourself, Nick. You can’t change the past, but moving forward, you can do things differently.”

He fought back the tears attempting to release. “I don’t even know where to begin. Sometimes when I see the boys watching their friends with their mothers, the pain in their eyes makes me feel like the worst father in the world.” This was exactly the reason why he had to get the job of principal—all of his time invested back in Chicago, studying and pushing himself at the expense of his family, would have been for nothing if he couldn’t advance his career.

“You can begin by just talking to them and reminiscing about your wife. When I was their age, I loved when my grandmother and grandfather would tell me and Faith stories about our parents. It made the pain of losing them more bearable. Plus, since we’d been so young when they died, hearing about them made my mother and father more real...if that makes sense.”

The two sat in silence for a few minutes as they watched Bella and the boys dancing around on the stage.

“Yes, it does.” Nick cleared his throat and turned toward Joy. “I apologize for dumping all of that on you, but I think I’m beginning to see your point.”

“And what’s that?”

“Well, I feel a little better talking with you, so maybe if I try it with Jordan and Tyler, they’ll start to feel good, too.”

Joy laughed. “I promise you, it will help, but as for an apology, it’s not necessary. You’ve suffered a tremendous loss and raising children on your own can’t be easy.”

It was the hardest thing he’d ever done apart from burying his wife. “Well, I won’t lie—it’s not, but having good friends helps. Jordan and I would really like for you to go ahead with the lessons.”

A smile parted her lips. “I’d like that, too. It’s nice to see a child interested in music at such a young age.”

“His interest is all Michelle’s doing. She loved the piano and encouraged both boys to play. Tyler just didn’t have any interest. He prefers any sport that involves a ball over music.” Nick smiled.

“When I become principal, I’d really like to expand the music department,” Joy said. “I think it supports all learning. I’ve read studies that indicate musical training can physically develop the left portion of the brain. That’s the side involved with processing language.” She removed her glasses from her head and slid them on when her phone pinged.

Nick wasn’t sure if he’d heard her clearly or not. “What? You’re interviewing for the position?”

Joy forced a laughed. “Of course I am. I had assumed you already knew. In fact, according to Mr. Jacobson, I’m your only competition. It’s been my dream to fill my father’s shoes by becoming principal. I’ve been preparing for this job for years. Plus, it won’t be long before I have my master’s degree.”