It’s a Wonderful HOMESCHOOL Life

Chapter 1

This story begins on a grassy hilltop under a cloudless, blue sky in an other-world like place. It smells good and feels tingly. On the crest of the hill, stands a tall man and a woman who comes to his shoulder. If age were measured there, you might think she was middle-aged as her hair was silver.

“You called for me, sir?” the woman asked.

“Yes, Claire. We have a situation with a homeschooling mom…down below. She‘s about to give up. Her name is Georgina.”

Claire nodded her head thoughtfully. “What can you tell me about her?”

“Let me show you,” he said. Slowly, tall, brick buildings rose around them, surrounded by sidewalks winding across a grassy plaza. Young people filled the sidewalks and sat in groups on the grass. Some threw Frisbees, some strummed guitars, and most had packs filled with books strapped to their backs.

Claire knew instantly that the girl she was standing near was Georgina. Her dark hair hung just below her shoulders and there was a sparkle in her eyes. “I just got a call from Wainwright Global and they’ve offered me a position in their marketing department,” she said to the girl beside her who was sipping from a can labeled TAB.

“Wow, that’s the third offer you’ve gotten in the last two weeks!”

“”Fifth…and the problem is …they’re all amazing.”

“Are you leaning toward one of them?”

“I don’t know. I really like the Apparel Company in Modesto…but the big marketing company in DC has a lot to offer. I just don’t know.”

“So what does Matt say? I thought he was planning to work in his dad’s hardware business in Cleveland!”

Georgina sighed. “I know.”

“Is he willing to move to DC or Modesto? I mean he is getting close to asking you, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, and that scares me.”

“I thought you loved him.”

“I do…I just don’t LOVE Cleveland. I suppose I could get a job there, but CLEVELAND?! I mean who lives in Cleveland?”

“Yeah, but don’t you think Cleveland’s a better place to raise a family than DC or California?

“A FAMILY?! Who’s talking about a family?! I’m not planning to have kids…not anytime soon. I want to be something…important. I haven’t gone to all this effort to sit around some house and take care of children while my husband goes off to work.”

Georgina took a long sip from the cup she was holding. “There’s nothing bad about kids…I’ve just seen too many women give up their careers to stay home and have kids…and that‘s just not me.”

Her friend looked at her watch and jumped up, “Oh, I’m going to be late for Chemistry, and I still have to drop this book off at the library.”

The two girls ran off down the sidewalk, their back packs bouncing as they went. The brick buildings, sidewalks and grass faded and were replaced by a tiled covered bathroom in a small apartment. Georgina sat on the edge of a white tub in her bathrobe with her hands folded, and she wept.

“Where are we now?” Claire asked.

“Six years later.”

“I assume Georgina married the boy and moved to Cleveland?” she asked.

“Correct.”

“Is she successful?”

“Yes, she accepted a job in a marketing company in Cleveland and has found great success. She doesn’t know it yet, but next week she will be offered a partnership position.”

“Why is she crying then? Did someone die?” The man paused as he looked at Georgina, unaware that they stood watching.

“Only her dreams,” He said softly. “She just found out that she’s expecting.”

The room faded into a mist as her soft sobs continued.

Chapter 2

Leaving the tiled bathroom and Georgina behind, Claire found herself back on the grassy hill. She asked the tall man, “What did Georgina do after she gave birth?”

“She fell in love,” he answered, “…with her daughter. All her worries and anger of having to put her career on hold vanished when her little girl was born. Georgian couldn’t imagine a happier life. She was able to work from home AND be a mother.”

Claire smiled longingly.

“…and then less than two years later, she had twin boys. Now she was forced to give up her position in the company that she loved, but her love for her children and family far outweighed any grief she might have had in doing so. Now let’s look back in on Georgina a few years later.”

The hilltop dissolved and they were in a coffee shop where Georgina and another friend stood next to a wooden table pulling off their coats. Both women were in different stages of pregnancy.

“Oh, this is nice, “Georgina said, taking her seat and clutching a mug of warm coffee between her hands. “Real nice…I can’t remember the last time I ‘escaped’ all by myself.”

“You said Matt is watching the kids?” the other woman asked stuffing her mittens into her coat pockets.

“Yeah, he said he’d watch them while he worked to assemble the new bunk beds for the twins.” Georgina laughed sinisterly. “I can’t wait to hear how that goes.”

“So,” the woman asked, “have you given any more thought to homeschooling?”

Georgina took a long sip from her mug. “I don’t know, Violet…I just don’t think I’m qualified.”

“Qualified?! Georgie, if ANYONE is qualified to teach your kids, you are.”

“I don’t know…maybe in my old life, but being surrounded by kids everyday has turned my brain into…sweet potato baby food.”

They laughed.

“Have you asked Matt about it?”

“Not yet. But honestly I’m afraid he’ll be all for it. He’s not wild about putting Zuzu in school. Says that what he hears on the news scares him to death.”

“He’s got a point.”

“But HE’S not the one who has to stay with them all day. I was even thinking about doing some online marketing from home. We could use the money…and I could use the adult interaction and challenge. But now…here we go again,” she said sitting back and looking down at her large belly.

The coffee shop dissolved and Claire found herself in a small house with darkened windows. Georgina was on the couch trying to get comfortable when her husband Matt walked in and dropped like a boulder on the couch beside her.

“Woa!” she said as the couch shook.

“Sorry, Babe, I didn’t think Sam would ever go to sleep. I read that dumb caterpillar book fifteen times. I mean who cares how hungry he gets?” Matt’s head fell back and his eyes closed.

Georgina smiled knowingly. “So, how did the bunk beds go?”

“Don’t ask. I barely even got started,” he said without opening his eyes. “Between changing diapers, cleaning up their messes, and fishing a toy out of the toilet…it just didn’t leave a lot of time for putting the beds together.”

Matt couldn’t see it, but there was a secret delight in his wife’s face.

“How was your time with Violet?”

“Good! She…asked me if we are going to homeschool,” Georgina let her comment hang in the air.

Matt opened his eyes and turned his head towards his wife. “Yeah, and what did you tell her?”

“I told her I was against it…but you would probably be OK with it.”

It was as if Matt had rehearsed it all in his head and was just waiting for his queue. “You know it’s not a bad idea. I just heard on the radio that a third grader was kicked out of school for bringing a knife to class.”

“Really?”

“And Ernie at work said he and his wife have been homeschooling for the last two years. He said it gives them lots of flexibility in their schedule and they can just take off when they want to.”

Georgina wasn’t liking the speed at which the conversation seemed to be going and looked for a way to slow it down. “But I was thinking about doing some freelance marketing…”

“You could do that…AND homeschool the kids. I mean how HARD can kindergarten be? You let them color, teach them their ABCs and how to count to 10.” Matt was sitting straight up and looked like he was ready to begin that minute.

“Zuzu already knows all that,” she answered flatly.

“There you go…she’s already ahead of the rest.”

“I just can’t do it, Matt,” she said. “I won’t do it,” she said again, with defiance. “I am NOT going to homeschool our children!”

The scene froze and the tall man smiled and said, “Six months later they began homeschooling their children.”  

Chapter 3

“So, Georgina started homeschooling,” Claire said, recapping what had taken place. “Did she hate it? Did she resent her husband?”

“No,” the tall man said, “Quite the opposite. She loved it.”

As it had before, the grassy hilltop on which they stood sprouted a cluttered room. Claire found herself beside a plaid couch where Georgina sat beside her daughter.

“You’re close, but this time, take your time and sound it out.”

The little girl, whose eyes held the same sparkle as her mother’s, sighed as she focused on the words in the book that lay open in front of her. “The rust ruuuug wass onnn the…buuug.”

She looked up at her mother in triumph.

“Perfect!! I think you’ve got it,” Georgina said proudly. “Let’s try the next line.”

The little girl stammered on, but the tall man spoke over her. “Georgina and her children loved the time spent at home. She loved the routine of sitting on the couch every morning reading to her children. She liked cozy winter days at home and spring days in the sunshine. She even liked the challenge of teaching math and doing art projects. Of course, it was never easy to juggle four children. The lessons got more involved and the messes were bigger.

Georgina’s husband, Matt, wasn’t as involved as he wanted to be, or needed to be, but he was still committed to homeschooling and loved what he saw in his children. But as the years passed, Georgina began to sink under the weight of responsibility and the pressures she felt from others.

Every innocent comment her homeschooling friends said or posted online felt like a dagger to her heart. Each day was hard to begin, and joy seemed to have vanished from her life.

Let’s look at a recent day…just a few weeks ago.
In the same schoolroom, the children were older, the room more cluttered, the plaid couch was worn around the edges, and a wisp of gray cut through Georgina’s dark hair.

“Zuzu!” Georgina yelled to an unpresent daughter, “Come and do school!”

Down the hallway, a teenager screamed back in a very teenager-ish voice, “I’m still doing my hair!”

Georgina was about to yell back when one of the twins caught her eye. “Sam, what are you doing?”

Her son looked up from the tablet he held in his hands. “Nothing.”

“Why are you on the iPad? You know you’re not allowed to be on the iPad before we do school.”

“I was just checking…something,” he said roughly. “It’s no big deal.”

“Yeah, he checks it EVERY morning,” his twin brother, Tommy said, trying to cause trouble, “…and every NIGHT, too.”

“You’d better not be on that iPad every morning,” Georgina threatened. “I’d like to throw that thing away.”

Just then, the phone rang and she snatched it off the desk. “Hello?” It was obviously Matt.

 “No, I don’t have time to do that for you. I haven’t started school yet, and I have to take Tommy to the dentist right after lunch, and my mom called and wants me to work up the family Christmas card again…”

They talked for a few minutes before she hung up and tossed the phone back on the desk. As she leaned back against the couch, she felt a spring prick her spine and wondered if they’d ever have the money to get a new couch.

“Mom, Zuzu is talking to Martin on her phone.”

“Zuzu…off the phone right NOW!!”

Georgina turned to her son who sat beside her, glanced at what he had just written, and exploded, “Tommy, you don’t spell ‘they’ with an ‘A!’ That’s about the easiest word there is. Can’t you spell at all? Your friends will think you’re dumb if they ever see you spell something…and why…”

Claire knew she was watching someone unravel and wished she could step in and help, but she knew the rules.

The room froze. The silence was shocking compared to the noise that filled it a second earlier.

“That leads us to today,” the tall man said,” and why you’ve been called.”

Claire studied Georgina’s face. The twinkle was gone, and she wondered what had happened to the young girl with the backpack.

“Moments ago, Georgina got off the phone with Matt and told him she was done homeschooling…that she couldn’t take it any longer…and that something had to change. Then, she got up and told Zuzu to take care of feeding everyone lunch because she just needed to get out and be alone.” They both looked at the mom whose face was tired and sad.

“You’ll find her in a little coffee shop, one town over, at the booth in the back corner.”

And then, in the time it took you to finish reading this sentence, Claire was standing in the snow outside the coffee shop. This time, she could be seen by others, which felt odd and somewhat thrilling; it happened only on rare occasions.

Through the falling snow, she spied Georgina through the dark window and uttered a short prayer before pushing the door open and walking in.

Chapter 4

The bell on the door rang as Claire entered and made her way to Georgina’s table. The space smelled of coffee, and Claire understood why Georgina would come here. It felt like a place to clear one’s mind and think.

The floors were old and the sound of Claire’s footsteps were loud in her ears. She made no effort to pretend this was an accident and made a path directly toward Georgina and said, “Hello.”

The greeting startled Georgina and when she looked into the face of the smiling stranger standing before her, she looked around to see if she was referring to someone else.
When she realized the woman was talking to her she sniffed and said, “Hello.”

“Would you mind if I join you?” Claire said pointing to the empty chair.

There was a pause as she started to gather her things, “Umm no, go ahead…I was just about…to leave.”

“I’d forgotten how cold it can be here,” Claire said brushing the snow from her coat and hair.

“Yeah, I could do with a little sunshine and warmth myself.”

Claire sat down and looked Georgina in the eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Georgina said, “…I know this is embarrassing, but I’m having a trouble placing how I know you.”

“Oh, I’m afraid you don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“You don’t know me…but I know you.”

“And how is that?” she asked like a sales pitch were coming any moment.

“I saw you. I saw you in college when you were trying to find a career. I know your friends call you Georgie, and I saw you cry when you found out you were expecting Zuzu. I saw the day you told your husband about homeschooling, and the day Zuzu learned to read, although I wasn’t sure she’d get there myself. I even saw your terrible day just the other day when Zuzu wouldn’t do school and one of the twins was playing the iPad…although I can’t for the life of me remember which one it was. Georgina, I know you told Matt that you were ready to give up and quit homeschooling. That’s why I was sent…to help you find your way.”

Georgina was trying hard to process what the lady across from her was talking about…while simultaneously trying to think of an escape plan.

“You seem to know a lot about me…but I don’t seem to know you at all.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t know me. I don’t come here very often.” Claire screwed up her mouth and tipped back her head as though trying to remember the details. I haven’t been here for…a couple hundred years.”

It was the last part that brought Georgina into focus. “A couple hundred years?” she said skeptically.

“Yes. They certainly didn’t have to worry about iPads then,” she laughed.

“No, I don’t suppose they would have,” she said looking around for a big strong man to hide behind.

“But I’m here now and want to help you remember why you started homeschooling in the first place.”

“In the first place?! I didn’t want to homeschool in the first place!” she said loudly unaware that others were listening. “It was Matt’s idea. He would have done a great job. I’ve done a lousy job, and my kids would be better off if anyone were teaching them instead of me.”

“Oh, you don’t mean that Georgie…may I call you Georgie?”

“I mean that with all my heart!”

“Georgie, you’ve done a wonderful job. I’ve seen how your children interact with others, their kindness, and how much they love you.”

“You said you knew me. How can you say that? Haven’t you seen them fight and…the way they talk to me…plus they’re behind in school…and I just don’t know what I’m doing…” The tears were welling up in her eyes, but Claire stared calmly into her face.

“No matter what you think right now, you’re children are better off because you’ve homeschooled them…and so are you.”

Georgina wasn’t listening…her thoughts were swirling like the snow outside. She closed her eyes and wished she could just fall asleep and melt away.

“Maybe it would be better for everyone if I had never started homeschooling in the first place,” she whispered softly.

“What did you say?”

“I said maybe it would have been better for everyone if I had never started homeschooling.” This time she said it more forcibly.

Claire sat looking at Georgina and then, as if she had asked someone for permission, and then received her answer, she added, “That’s not a bad idea; in fact, it’s a very good idea.” And at that very moment a loud crash echoed in the kitchen as though a tray of dishes had slid onto the floor.

Georgina jumped, but Claire sat stone-still. And then she smiled and said, “There, it’s done.”

“Georgina looked around expecting someone to come running. “What’s done?”

“Georgie, you got your wish.” Claire looked delighted with herself.  “You‘ve NEVER homeschooled.”

Chapter 5

“What do you mean I’ve never homeschooled?” Georgina laughed. “I feel like that’s all I’ve ever done.”

“Well, you haven’t now,” Claire said, rather pleased with herself.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go,” she said stuffing things back into her purse. “The kids will be wondering what happened to me. It was nice to meet you…Claire.”

“No, they won’t,” Claire said. “They’re not home yet.”

“They better be home…or they’re in big trouble.” Georgina stood and pulled on her coat as she looked out the window. “Boy, it’s really coming down now,” she said turning back to Claire. “Be safe out on the road…,” but Claire was gone.

“She moves fast for an old lady,” she said shaking her head. The drive home took about 40 minutes and traffic was slow on the slick roads. She was glad when she pulled in the driveway as she felt the strain in her shoulders from concentrating. She pulled the minivan right to the garage door and pressed the door opener on her visor…nothing.

“You have got to be kidding me?” she said out loud after pressing it a half dozen times. Georgina pulled her hat down tight over her ears and dashed to the front door knowing it would be locked to “keep out strangers.”

She pushed the doorbell and muttered threats under her breath if the kids didn’t come to the door quickly because they were watching something on TV.

She was about to start pounding, when she heard movement near the door and the door swung open. Georgina pushed her way in but heard a woman’s voice say in surprise, “What are you doing?!”

Georgina looked up into the face of a startled woman whom she had never seen. “You can’t come in here, “ the woman said and pushed Georgina back to the door.

“What do you mean I can’t come in here…I live here! Where are my kids?” Panic rose in Georgina’s heart like a mother bear and she thought she was gong to have to fight this intruder…who didn’t really look like an intruder. It was then that Georgina noticed that the room was a different color and her furniture wasn’t where it should be….it wasn‘t her house.

“Oh, no…I’ve come to the wrong house,” she said, thinking out loud. “I must have gotten confused with all the snow. I am SO sorry.”

The woman held her stance but softened her voice. “I understand, but you need to leave.”

Gerogina wanted to melt into the snow…and backed out clumsily, apologizing profusely. Outside, she stood facing the door that looked so much like her door. “Matt is never going to believe this,” she thought.

Georgina turned to walk back to her car and found herself face to face with Claire. “I told you Georgie, you don’t live here anymore.”

“What are you talking about?” she said in the howling wind. “I know I don’t live here…I just came to the wrong house…I couldn’t tell because of all the snow…”

The snow swirled as Claire walked Georgina back to her car. Georgina got inside and was startled to find Claire sitting in the passenger seat covered in snow.

“Georgie, that was your house when you homeschooled…but since you don’t homeschool now, you’re able to work and afford something…a little bigger.“

“What are you talking about?” Georgina asked.

“Just pull out, and I’ll get you home,” Claire said pleasantly.

She did so obediently, looking back at the house that certainly looked like the home she had left a few hours earlier, though the swing set that sat out back was missing and the tire swing that hung from a branch was also missing.

Traffic was snarled and Claire directed Georgina across town to a part that Georgina knew well…or at least knew about. It was the rich side, where all the professionals and affluent people lived. She pulled her van into the driveway of one of the larger homes and Claire said, “Hit your garage opener now.”

Georgina did, and to her shocked surprise, the door opened revealing a spotless garage.

“Pull in, Georgie,“ Claire said with a smile, “you’re home.”  

Chapter 6

Georgina looked at Claire and then back at the gleaming garage. “You want me to pull in?”

“It’s your garage…so you might as well.”

“This is insane,” she said tightening the grip on the steering wheel and easing down on the gas. With a small bump, the minivan pulled into the brightly lit garage and Georgina put it in park.

“Shall we go in?” Claire said happily as she stepped out of the car.

“This is insane,” she said again as she followed Claire to the door. As Claire reached for the doorknob, Georgina stopped her and said, “Shouldn’t we knock or something?”

“I’m telling you, Georgie, this is YOUR house.” And with that, she opened the door and walked in.

Feeling a little like a burglar, Georgina walked in as quietly as possible, but Claire flipped on lights and made a bee line through the massive kitchen into the family room with a large stone fireplace and immaculately decorated interior.

“So this is my house?” Georgina asked skeptically.

“Of course it is,” Claire said, pointing to a space just beyond the large leather couch and unbuttoning her coat. “Look at the photos on the walls.”

Georgina inhaled deeply. It smelled clean. Careful not to leave footprints in the plush carpet, Georgina walked around the long leather couch, dragging her hand along its back. “Now this…is what a couch should feel like,” she said to herself. Past the couch, Georgina looked at the picture-dotted wall and was startled to find Matt, herself, and her children in each of the photos. She couldn’t put her finger on it right away, but after a few seconds she noticed that they weren’t like the pictures on HER walls.

Her ’old’ photos were taken at pumpkin patches, their backyard, and homeschool co-op field trips…these pictures were of exotic destinations and hotel lobbies…luaus and cruise ships. She scanned each picture slowly and then started at the beginning and quickly moved across them all as though looking for something. “Where’s Peter?” she asked searching for her youngest son.

The smile on Claire’s face slipped away. “I’m afraid you won’t find him in any of those pictures,” she said thoughtfully. “He was never born. Once you had the twins you took…‘measures‘, to assure there wouldn‘t be any surprises.”

Georgina was stunned and a numbness crept over her. “Never born?” How could that be. He was so alive just a few hours ago. He was her little man…and his giggles filled each day with life and happiness. Staring at their smiling faces on the beach of some tropical island, all Georgie saw was an empty spot where Peter should have been. He would have been smiling the “loudest.” Her throat tightened and tears blurred her vision…

But the flow of emotions were interrupted just then when the phone in her pocket rang, startling her in this quiet house.

The screen read, OFFICE.

“Hello,” she said, tentatively, “This is Georgie.”

“Georgie,” a frantic voice said, “I’m sorry to bother you…I know you said you were taking a longer lunch hour…but Mr. Potter wants to know how we’re going to proceed with the ad campaign…he doesn’t sound happy that it’s taken this long and he even had the nerve to mention switching firms if he doesn’t start seeing results…”

Georgina felt like she was having an out of body experience, like she was eavesdropping on someone else’s life as the man on the phone droned on.

“Hello? Can you hear me? Georgie…are you there?”

“Yeah, I can hear you,” she said. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

“What? You always know what to do. Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m not sure…” Georgina said. She was a problem solver and said something that she had heard on a movie sometime, “Can he give us 24 hours to come back with a proposal?”

“That might work…I assume you’re coming back to the office right away…oh, I forgot, this is your day to pick up the kids from school…Well, we’ll get moving on some ideas and see you when you get back to the office. It looks like it might be a late night tonight. Ooo…maybe we can carry-out from Martini‘s.”

The person hung up and Georgina looked vacantly at her phone.

“That was Nick,” Claire offered. ”He works for you…and is really a nice man…although he tends to spend much of his time watching fishing videos on something called You Tube when he should be working.”

The phone in Georgina’s hand buzzed and Georgie looked down at the text that was from Zuzu. I NEED YOU TO PICK ME UP AT THE GYM DOOR TODAY.

She looked at Claire blankly to interpret.
“Oh, we need to hurry and pick up the kids…and just when I was hoping to get a tour of your house.”

Georgina moved slowly like she was coming out of a coma as Claire buttoned up her coat and placed red mittens on her hands.

“Where are we going?” Georgina asked numbly.

“We’re going to SCHOOL!”

Chapter 7

“We’re going to school?” Georgina asked, her head still trying to take it all in.

“Yes, school,” Claire said happily.

Five minutes later, they were driving down the snowy street on their way to…school.

To a normal person with kids in school, this would have been no big deal, but for Georgina, it was like traveling to the moon.

“Where do I go?” she said looking at an unbelievably long line of cars jockeying for position. More than one parent flashed angry scowls at Georgina as she squeezed into the line between two cars.

“This is madness,“ she said to herself.

“I’m afraid I won’t be of much help to you, Georgie,” Claire said. “The last time I visited a school, it was a one-room building out in the middle of a prairie.”

As the fleet of yellow school buses pulled away, the line inched itself forward. Georgina scanned the crowd of kids, shocked by what she saw. One girl walked toward them wearing a skirt that barely covered…anything and several of the boys whipped out cigarettes and said something to the girl with the short skirt who tried to ignore them.

The girl looked right at her and Georgina’s jaw dropped open because the girl walking towards them was Zuzu. She was on her phone and seemed to be in no hurry to get to the car or acknowledge that her mom was driving.

As though her daughter was lost at sea, Georgina put down the window and yelled, “Zuzu, I’m here!”

If looks could kill, the scathing look on Zuzu’s face would have done so immediately. She opened the car door and plopped into the passenger’s seat, in which seconds before Claire had been sitting. “I saw you, Mom! Geez!”

For the next ten minutes, they rode in silence, Zuzu on her phone and Georgina in shock as she kept glancing at her daughter who looked like a “bimbo” sitting next to her.

“So how was school today?” she finally asked, hoping to get a clue as to what was going on.

“Fine,” was all she said, texting as fast as her thumbs could possibly move.

“Is that all? Anything exciting happen?”

“What is this?!” She shot back. “If you’re asking if I talked to Ernie…I didn’t, OK?! I told you that he’s a jerk and after that last thing he pulled I wouldn’t go out with him ever again…even if he was the father of my baby!…I’m joking Mom, geez!!”

Georgina, felt like she was in a bad movie…and an alien had taken over her life and left her among complete strangers. Hoping to change subjects she asked, “Where are your brothers?”

“Geez, Mom…don’t you remember anything?! They got a ride with Bert and his sister. They’re going to the game and then coming home. They told you this morning not to wait up.”

Georgina was about to ask another question when she spotted a large black tattoo of something resembling a hedgehog on a skateboard on her daughter’s wrist. “Well…I hope they don’t have problems in all this snow.”

Zuzu sighed in disgust at her over-reacting mother.

When they pulled in the garage, Zuzu jumped out of the car and was inside in a flash.

“Seems like a delightful daughter,” Claire said now sitting in the seat that Zuzu had occupied seconds before.

Georgian jumped at the appearance of Claire. “I barely even recognizer her…and did you see that tattoo on her wrist? What was that all about?”

“Oh, you should see the one on her back,” she added cheerfully.

Georgina groaned. “She was always my bedside-child. She’d come into our bedroom and sit on the bed and talk for hours if I let her.”

“Well, you might not have that same time for bedside talks now, I’m afraid. Her friends keep her pretty busy and she seems to be quite popular with the boys.”

Georgina groaned again.

“But you’re missing the whole point,“ she said. ”You have your own marketing company, you have a big house, plenty of time for yourself, you go on amazing vacations, have time to work out, and…you have a very comfortable couch.”

Georgina looked at her. “Like those things matter,” she said.

“You’ll feel differently once you see your big office. Nick might have an aneurysm if you don’t show up soon,” Claire said looking at her watch.

The snow was falling harder than ever and traffic barely moved. Claire seemed to keep a running dialogue the entire way but Georgina wasn’t listening. She replayed the distant conversation with her daughter over in her head.

They had always been so close. Like all mothers and daughters, they had their blow-ups and had said things that hurt…but they always came back and hugged…and talked. It seemed so different now. She hardly knew her. Georgina wondered if the boys felt the same. “Why wouldn’t they?” she thought. “I’m gone…they’re gone. They have friends…I have friends. It couldn’t be like sitting every day in the same little room, nose to nose and in each other’s space 24/7.”

Sliding to a stop at a busy intersection, it was as though her head had cleared for the first time all day, and she said out loud interrupting a chattering Claire, “I had it all….I really had a wonderful homeschool life.”

Claire stopped and looked right at Georgina and smiled, “You certainly DO.”

And then a loud CRASH and a bone-jarring jolt shook the car.

Chapter 8

As the car settled, Georgina looked over to Claire who was no longer beside her and then into her rearview mirror expecting to see the vehicle that had just slid into her. The car behind her looked to be the normal distance behind her, but she quickly unbuckled and opened the door to inspect the damage. All the while she was thinking, “I sure hope we have good coverage in my new life.”

The scene of an accident is always filled with adrenaline, loud sounds, and chaos. Georgina had been in a few minor accidents and was prepared…but what she was NOT prepared for was the total lack of evidence that there had been an accident at all.

There were no cars near hers, no dents, no broken taillights, & no pieces of plastic on the ground. She even looked around to see if it might have been a hit and run. Everything looked normal…and even the snow had stopped falling.

Still in shock on several levels, Georgina stood there beside her car as other cars began to go around her. She was startled when someone pulled beside her and a familiar voice asked, “Are you OK, Georgie?” It was her homeschooling mom friend, Mary.

It pulled Georgina back to the present and she looked at the concern on her friend’s face who had to be wondering what her friend was doing in the middle of the road standing beside her car.

“I’m fine…Mary. I thought a car had hit mine.”

“Do you need a ride home?” her friend asked. “Is someone watching your kids?”

“What? No, I’m fine…I already picked up Zuzu from school…and the boys…”

“From school?! You’re not homeschooling anymore? When did that happen?”

It was as though Georgina had awoken from a bad dream and she felt a glimmer of hope.

“So you knew I homeschooled?” she asked afraid to say too much.
“Homeschooled? Duh…we’ve been in the same co-op for three years…you’re the reason we homeschool. Are you sure you’re alright? Why don’t you let me take you home?”

A wave of relief and warmth washed over her and suddenly she knew exactly where she was headed.

“Thanks, Mary, but I have to get home,” she smiled and jumped in her car.

Once in her minivan, Georgina made the turn, and as fast as she could drive on the snowy streets, made a dash home. She was almost afraid to push the garage door opener as she pulled into her driveway and stopped just outside the garage…afraid that it wouldn’t open…afraid that she didn’t live there…afraid that she was stuck in her non-homeschooling life.

But when she pushed the button, the door slowly rose and she pulled into her bike and junk-cluttered garage. She jumped out and ran to the door.

With a burst, she rushed into the house and called to a seemingly empty house, “I’m home…Zuzu…Sam…Tommy…PETER.” There was a full three seconds of silence and then Georgina heard footsteps running to meet her.

Sam and Tommy were the first to meet her. “What’s wrong, Mom? What happened?” they said in unison. Georgina didn’t answer but flung her arms around her boys as they wondered if their father had died or their mother had flipped.

“Nothing,” she said, “I’m just so glad to see you.”

The twins pried themselves away as their mother walked to the inner part of the house. As she saw their homeschool room, relief poured over her when she saw all the books, charts, and years of accumulated projects and drawings taped to the walls.  

Peter was sitting on the couch playing on the iPad he wasn’t supposed to be on. He looked up with guilt etched on his face. “Umm, sorry, Mom. I wasn’t…”

But he never finished because his mother jumped down beside him and wrapped her arms tightly around her little man. Tears filled her eyes, “I don’t know what I would ever do without you,” she whispered to him.

“I love you, Mom,” he said as he had a hundred times each week.

“Oh, I love you so much more, Peter.”

As she released her son and sat up straight, she felt the poke of a spring from the old plaid couch in her back and said out loud, “I love our couch.”

The kids looked at her skeptically just as Zuzu walked in. “So…how was your time away?” she asked.

Georgina knew she had her daughter back. She stood up holding her mittens in one hand and walked over to her daughter and wrapped her arms around her. “I am so sorry Zu for yelling and forgetting how much I love you. Will you forgive me?”

Holding her daughter, waves of tears flowed when Zuzu hugged back tightly and answered, “It’s OK Mom, I’m sorry too. I love you.”

“And I love you,” Georgina said, glad to be home…and glad to be homeschooling.

“Thank you,” she prayed silently. And as she did a bell chimed somewhere in the house. She pulled back from Zuzu and said, “You know what it means when a bell rings?”

“Yep,” Zuzu said, “The cookies are done!”

“That’s exactly what I was hoping you were going to say…let’s eat them while they’re warm.”

And that’s exactly what they did.

THE END