A Family For Briana (Chapters)

The wind was blustering against the house, driving needles of frozen snow and ice into the windows. Everyone in the house was busy getting cozy. Melody was glad that Rosa had agreed to snuggle up in their bedroom. Getting a surprise grandma the night before had been amazing but confusing. Briana was in full hyper-baby mode, playing with or being played with by grandma. Melody needed time to think about all that.

Rosa had her arms around Melody. They were propped up in a corner between the headboard and the wall, surrounded by blankets and pillows. Neither of them had a book or a handheld game. Melody didn’t even have their phone out. The quiet comfiness was enough.

“Are you okay to talk more about the ageplay? How did yesterday feel?” Rosa asked.

“I liked it a lot. Being a baby feels good, but it’s really intense. If we do it often, for long periods of time, it feels better to be a kid instead of a baby.”

“You picked six as an age guide, does that still feel right?”

“I think so. Is it okay for you? Do you like it?”

“I like it even better than you as a baby. I think baby-Melody is a fun treat, but I’m fascinated by little kid Melody.”

Melody squirmed, seeking a position for maximum Rosa-contact.

“Of course, there are a few differences from a regular six year old.” Rosa said.

“I’m not an expert on kids that age. Plus it’s a game and stuff.”

“I know that, I was talking more about how you’re not potty trained, Niñe.” Rosa slipped her hand down to pluck at Melody’s pullup.

“Mama!” Melody protested.

“You’re not as much of a potty pants as your sister. You did very well yesterday. Only one real accident, and a couple of little ones. You were soaked this morning though. It’s nighttime diapers for my Niñe for sure.”

Melody whined and hid their face against Rosa’s neck. Technically they were only a bedwetter when they slept with Rosa, or Veronica. But since Rosa was moving in, they’d be sleeping with her every night. Unless something changed, they really were a bedwetter now.

“Uh oh, my niñe’s feeling frisky.”

“I didn’t even…”

“I heard your breathing change.”

Melody squirmed, this time to rub against their girlfriend. “No fair.”

“Extra no fair, because we’re not done talking yet.”

“Mama!” It was a whine worthy of Briana, if Melody did say so themself.

“Niñes that wear pullups can still get a pacifier put in their mouth.” Rosa warned.

“Nu uh. We couldn’t talk if I had one in.”

“Yes we could. I’d get interrupted a lot less if I was controlling when you could talk.”

Melody bit their lip. A much quieter whine of frustration escaped their teeth. They had no idea how Rosa expected to mommy them without Melody getting super horny.

“We’re still working out how much we do it. This morning, we slipped right into it. That felt good for me. Was it okay for you?”

“I really liked it.” Melody said, nuzzling Rosa’s collarbone.

“What do you think – about trying full time?” Rosa asked. “Over the rest of the break, to see what it’s like?”

“You mean, you’d be Mama all day, every day?”

“That’s right. I’d start by getting you up and ready in the morning. Make sure you have your meals and do your chores. Correct your behavior if you’re naughty. Put you in your bedtime diaper and tuck you into bed.”

Melody’s heart was racing. It sounded wonderful. They wanted it so much that it scared them. If they tried it and it didn’t work, it would be like making a viral post and being instantly forgotten when it was done. How were you supposed to go back to regular life after something so huge?

“If – if it did work out, what would that be like with school?”

“About the same.” Rosa said, wrapping her arms tightly around Melody. It was less of a hug and more of a restraining hold. Melody surrendered to the feeling of safety it sent washing through them.

“I’d still get you up. Give you your lunch money. Take you to school and pick you up. I’m in charge of your homework and school projects already.”

“I wouldn’t drive?”

“Kids don’t drive themselves to school.”

“What about – other people?”

“You could have friends over of course. Or I’d take my niñe to see friends for playdates.”

Melody shivered. “Our schedules won’t always match. There’d be times when you couldn’t be around.”

“Those could be breaks.” Rosa said. “Or – if we were really lifestyle with it – I could arrange for babysitting or daycare.”

Melody bit back a confused moan. “You wouldn’t get tired of it? Of taking care of me all the time?”

“I can’t say for sure that I wouldn’t. That’s why I think we should try it for the rest of the break, when there’s less complications.”

Rosa kissed Melody’s neck. There was no holding back the moan that time.

“I don’t think I’ll get tired of taking care of you. I’m hungry for it. I have to stop myself from restarting the game whenever we take a break.”

“You won’t – stop liking me? I mean, stop being attracted? I don’t want to be only your kid.”

Rosa whispered in Melody’s ear. “Remember when I put my nipple in your mouth, and we had sex with you sucking on my breast? You were in a soaking diaper, totally babied out. It was the hottest sex I’ve had in my life.”

“Oh god, Mama.” Melody moaned. “But that was one big morning. If we do it every day…”

“You can say no, my love. If what you’re scared of is that I’ll get bored, I’m not worried that that’ll happen. Talking about being your caregiver all the time has me craving it. Craving you.”

“I am scared, Mama.”

“Let me show you something.”

Rosa took Melody’s hand, guiding it behind their back. Melody’s fingers pressed up against Rosa’s crotch and found dampness, all the way through her cotton shorts.

“Mama, now you’re the one who’s wet!” Melody giggled.

“It’s a different kind of wet, Niñe.”

“No fair. If I was wet that way – augh!”

Melody tumbled forward, pushed and turned by Rosa. They let it happen, squirming against their girlfriend when she pinned them.

“That’s because you’re the Niñe. You’re my gorgeous, sexy, adorable little school kid. You have a family, but the romantic part of your heart belongs to me.”

Melody gripped Rosa’s hips with desperate strength. “It does. I know there was – so much that happened. It does now. Totally. I’m all yours.”

Rosa smiled. “I know sweetie…”

“Please listen. Mama, it’s important. Please listen to me.”

Rosa took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m listening, love.”

Melody stared into Rosa’s eyes intensely. They brought every barrier down that they could think of. All the awkwardness, self doubt, self consciousness, all the things that normally made walls between their eyes and their heart. They wanted – needed Rosa to be able to look all the way in.

“There’s no Beatrix anymore. There’s just you. It’s all you. I love you so much that I don’t know what to do sometimes.”

Rosa’s face was filled with so many emotions. Love, excitement, she looked almost dizzy. Her head came down, kissing Melody and biting their neck.

“Ah! What was that for?”

“Too many feels. I got overwhelmed and bitey.”

“Please make love to me.”

“I’ve wanted you all morning.”

Their lips met with desperate longing. Melody surrendered to the kiss. The clothing between them felt wrong, annoying. Melody worked their shorts down off their waist.

There was a knock at the door.

“Melody? Rosa? I’m really sorry to bother you, especially if you’re napping but…”

Rosa sat up suddenly. Melody looked over in shock to see the door opening – and just as quickly closing.

“Oh dear, I’m SO sorry! I got used to just opening Melody’s door. I will not do that again.”

“It’s okay Veronica. You can come in, we’re decent.”

Rosa gave a laughing sigh, sitting up and adjusting her shirt. Melody was only willing to roll over so they could lay their head in Rosa’s lap, still snuggled under the covers.

Veronica peeked in, entering shamefacedly once she’d had time to verify Rosa’s statement.

“I am really sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s okay. I has to be pretty important for you to get that distracted. What’s going on?” Rosa idly petted Melody’s hair.

Melody gritted their teeth. Mommy should have told Mom to get out of the room. Or not come in at all. They could smell Rosa’s desire, they were vibrating with their own. Whatever dumb thing about holiday plans or chores or dinner that Veronica wanted to talk about wasn’t worth…

“I finally got in touch with Beatrix. She’s agreed to meet.”

The bottom dropped out of Melody’s stomach. All the sexy feelings vanished in a shiver that left all their muscles tense.

“She’ll give back Melody’s bag and computer today. I have everything from yesterday ready for her. I’m sorry to spring this on you, especially considering what I interrupted, but we can finally be done with this. It will be over, today.”

“What time?” Rosa asked, with awe-inspiring calm.

“Right before lunch. Less than two hours.”

“I’ll get Melody ready.”

“I need to have a talk with them before we leave too. It can be brief. Just five minutes.”

“We’ll be ready in plenty of time before we have to go. Who’s coming with us?”

“Everyone.”

A tiny bit of tension gave way as Melody imagined Gary Oldman screaming EVERYONE! From Veronica’s tone it sounded like that scene actually fit their situation.

“Veronica. Thank you.”

“You’re family.” Veronica said, simply. “What’s mine is yours.”

“Woah, you don’t have to go that far.”

“We can talk about it later. On my end, the decision is already made.” Veronica said.

“You better believe we’ll talk about it.”

“I’ll let you two get ready.” Veronica said, smiling slyly.

When the door closed, Melody looked up at Rosa. She was still flushed. Hesitantly, Melody rubbed their girlfriend’s hip, trying to recapture some of the earlier feeling.

“Rosa, I can still – do stuff.”

“Niñe, don’t be silly, of course we aren’t going to.” Rosa hauled Melody up, hugging them tightly.

Melody relaxed with a heavy sigh.

“You better brace yourself for tonight, though.” Rosa said, teasingly.

Melody giggled. The giggles trailed off too fast. Heavy feelings settled into their chest. “I have to be brave again, don’t I?”

“You ARE brave.” Rosa said. “You did a hard thing yesterday. There’s one more to do today. I’ll be with you every second, just like yesterday.”

“I’m so scared, Mama. I don’t want to see her again.”

“This is the last time. We need to close that book forever, or it’ll haunt you.”

Melody sighed. They nuzzled Rosa’s chest. “I trust you. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They snuggled together for a while. Not long enough. Melody was surprised and a little worried to find out they needed a change. They hadn’t even noticed wetting. If it was out of fear, or stress, they didn’t know. Rosa cleaned them up and bundled them into warm clothes. Melody thought they’d get a diaper after wetting like that, but Rosa put them in a pullup when she dressed them.

Melody only had one demand during the process. They made Rosa help them dig through their clothes until they found their “There are 10 kinds of people, those who understand Binary, and those who don’t.” shirt.

“What’s special about that shirt?” Rosa asked, while she tied Melody’s shoes.

“It’s the shirt I was wearing when I agreed to move in here. The day I met Briana.”

Rosa grinned. “Good choice then. Both times.”

The living room was filling up with people. It was almost the entire Thanksgiving crowd, minus Suzie’s friends. Suzie was there though, as was Erin. They were both talking to Grandma. Casey, Maryam, and Gary were a trio of giants, passing a very giggly Briana back and forth. Mom and Dad were standing together, looking tough.

“Melody’s ready.” Rosa said.

“Thank you Rosa. Melody, I need you for five minutes.”

Melody followed Mom to the drawing room, leaving Mama and Dad to talk. Veronica sat them on the couch and took a seat next to them, stroking their hair.

“I’m so proud of you, Little One. I want you to know that everyone in the living room loves you. We’re all here for you today.”

“Thanks Mom.” Melody said, leaning into the touch. “I’m still scared.”

“I know. No one will let Beatrix touch you. She will not get within five feet of you. That is a hard promise. We have some big people with us that are very upset with Beatrix. They will be watching her like hawks.”

Melody nodded.

“I’m going to do most of the talking. If there’s anything you want to say to Beatrix, you can, but you don’t have to do much.”

“I don’t want to talk to her at all.”

“I know. My Melody, I wish I could spare you this entirely.” Veronica kissed Melody’s forehead. “It’s important that you be there. I have one thing I need you to do today. The rest of it your family can handle.”

“What do I have to do?”

Cold fear gripped Melody’s gut as Veronica explained. For a moment, they felt like they couldn’t get air. Veronica had to explain it three times, increasingly gently, before the terror receded to the back of Melody’s mind.

“What if I do it wrong?” Melody wrung their hands.

“You can’t do it wrong. All you’re doing is making a choice. It’s your choice to make, so whichever on you make, that will be the right one.”

“Mom, can’t you decide?”

“No sweetie. Some things are for you to decide. This is one of them.”

“Mom…”

“Yes Melody?”

Melody whispered, “Don’t let me fall.”

“Never.” Veronica said, fiercely, pulling Melody into a tight hug. “I’ll never let that happen to you.”

“Okay.” Melody said, gripping Mom just as tightly. “I think I can do it.”

“I know you can. Come on. Let’s get this person out of our life.”

Dad drove, with Mom in the front and Mama cuddled up against Melody in the back. Briana was on the other side, clinging to Melody with her signature total abandon. She hadn’t held anything back, from the moment she’d met Melody. They didn’t know how their sister did it, but they knew they’d be grateful to her for the rest of their life.

The meeting was to be on campus, apparently. Melody hadn’t thought to ask. Maryam’s SUV pulled up on their left, Gary’s truck on the right. Grandma stayed in the truck, but everyone else gathered on the little plaza next to the parking lot. There was a statue of a bird dissolving into wind.

Campus art. Melody shook their head. They reached out to Rosa and Veronica, taking their hands. Her Mom and Mommy gave their hands a reassuring squeeze. Dad was right behind them.

They didn’t have to wait long for Beatrix. She’d parked at a different lot. Bea was wearing her armor for sure. She’d gone all out, looking like a damn supermodel in her unzipped coat with her hair and makeup perfectly done. Though she was alone, her confidence and beauty gave her an aura of importance, like a celebrity.

Power-hot. That’s what I used to call it.

Bea stopped a good twenty feet away, surveying the group. She even posed a little with a hand on her hip. Fearlessly, she walked up to the group, her face composed in an annoyed mask.

“This is a lot of people for little-old me.” Beatrix said. “Am I about to get jumped?”

“Not unless you try to touch Melody.” Veronica said. “Getting in arm’s length of them would be very unwise.”

“Am I talking to you or Melody right now? Are you her mommy? Can I get a fucking permission slip to talk to my goddamn girlfriend?”

“Hey, Beatrix.” Suzie said. “Hi, I’m Suzie. Stop misgendering Melody. You don’t know me. But, I will happily do a weekend in jail to pop you in the mouth.”

Beatrix blinked, giving Suzie a skeptical glance. Suzie looked back at Beatrix with a sort of Harley Quinn smile on her face. She and Bea had the same kind of energy sometimes, Melody realized. Thankfully, there was way less of it in Suzie.

“Fine. Break out the fucking drum circle. Let’s get this over with. Who am I talking to? Do we need to go round robin? Is there a number system?”

“You’re talking to me.” Veronica said. “Do you know who I am, Beatrix?”

“Yeah, you’re Veronica, mistress of the night. You’re Melody’s landlord and mommy, which is super fucked up, and you put girls in diapers. Is there like, something in the lease about that? Do you get to pick out your diapers when you choose a room?”

“Did you ever think to wonder why I own a house, as a graduate student?”

“I’m sure your parents hooked you up. Did you have to wear the diapers for a while to get it?”

“It is a family house. There’s a reason that I’m the owner, rather than my mother, or my sister. You see, the first woman in my family to come to this country bought that house. Tess Rasmussen lived there when she first came to Ardenthill, while she was making her fortune in fishing and mining.”

“Okay, I don’t know how much longer I can deal with the family history thing. Melly’s important to me, but there’s a limit, even for them.”

“I promise it’s relevant. One of the things Tess did with her fortune was found the Design College of Ardenthill. It’s the Ardenthill Bioscience and Design University now, of course. Whoever owns Tess’s house has to serve as the family’s representative on the University’s board of trustees.”

Beatrix frowned, something like fear or wariness showing on her face for the first time.

Veronica pulled an envelope out of her purse and handed it to Suzie. Suzie delivered it to Beatrix.

“You are expelled from the Ardenthill Bioscience and Design University.”

“WHAT?” Beatrix ripped the letter out of Suzie’s hands. “Just because you’re a trustee doesn’t mean you have the authority to, to…”

“I had a long conversation with the president of the college, the Dean of Arts and Sciences, the Vice President of Student Affairs, and Mark, the Dean of the Economics department. You know Mark, don’t you?”

Beatrix had the letter open and was furiously skimming it.

“You’ll find all their signatures at the bottom of that letter. Furthermore, Mark was kind enough to offer to ensure that you will be blacklisted at all Economics graduate program in the United States. Graduate positions are competitive and academia is a small world. No accredited University is going to take you.”

“You fucking bitch. You want a lawsuit? You think I’m penniless?”

“Oh yes, the lawsuit. I was going give you that one third, but we can do it now.” Veronica handed another letter to Suzie to relay.

“If you release the media you have with Melody in it, you will be hit by a SLAPP suit and a separate DMCA claim for every image and video.”

Beatrix made a strangled noise.

“That letter is from my lawyer, Simon. He is at this moment sitting on a twenty thousand dollar retainer for the suit.” Veronica paused for a moment as Beatrix’s eyes bugged out.

“Typically, you would expect to pay at least two thirds of what the suing party does, to successfully fight a suit. So it would likely cost you at least fourteen thousand dollars to fight it, even if I don’t put another penny in.”

“You can’t just…”

“We’re not done.” Veronica said. The polite neutrality had dropped out of her voice. There was fury in her tone that made Melody flinch. Even Beatrix shied back a little.

“You assaulted my child. You vandalized their car. You made threats against their life. Credible, detailed threats as part of the vandalism and on electronic communication.”

“Oh let me guess, you’re going to report me to the police?”

Veronica laughed. That really took the wind out of Beatrix’s sails. Bea was starting to look wild, like a trapped animal.

“Oh goodness, Beatrix, no. People like me don’t make a report at the station. I spoke with Ardenthill’s district attorney, of course. He’s a good friend of the family. My mother throws him the nicest parties every election year.”

“I have a letter from him here too. Think of it as sort of a pre-arrest-warrant.” Veronica said. Suzie delivered the letter with a very satisfied smile.

There was real panic on Beatrix’s face now. Melody was surprised to discover that they didn’t feel badly for her at all. They thought back to their conversation with Veronica and braced themself. Their part was coming up soon.

“So that’s it? You’re going to bully me with your money and privilege? Not very fucking woke, is it?”

“That is exactly what I’m going to do. What did you think would be the price of attacking my family? If Melody had been willing to cooperate earlier, I would have acted sooner.”

“That could be your one saving grace. None of these letters have been officially sent yet. There’s one person here who can make all this go away.”

Beatrix’s eyes flashed across the group like a hunted animal.

“It’s Melody, Beatrix. If they forgive you, if they ask me to withhold one or all of these letters, I will.”

“That’s what I came here to do! To make things right with Melody!” Beatrix shouted in panic.

“Melly, baby, you don’t want her to do all this to me, do you? You’ve known me way longer than these people. Please – I fucked up, I know that. I got crazy. When you left me, I freaked out, I lost control. I know what I did was wrong.”

Melody licked their lips. Mom and Mommy were holding her hands super tightly. Melody shook their head at Beatrix.

“You showed me who you really are.”

“No, that’s just me hurting. We were going to take over the world together, remember? It was so good! Don’t you remember our night together? It was perfect. Melly, please. I need you. You can’t destroy me. You love me. We’re in love. You said you’d love me forever, back in the day. You meant it, didn’t you?”

Melody took a deep breath. They were astoundingly calm. Veronica was at their left, standing like a judge or a queen. Rosa was at her right, solid like a rock and full of love. Dad had her hands on their shoulders.

Beatrix was smiling, beautiful, enticing. She was everything she’d always been, dialed up to eleven. Melody could finally see through the masks. The tightness at the corner of Bea’s eyes showed that the fury was still there. She didn’t love anyone, couldn’t love anyone. She just wanted a way out.

“Beatrix.” Melody said. “Don’t talk to me or my family ever again.”

“No I – fine, okay, if that’s what you want. But you’re not going to let Veronica do all that to me, right? Please, Melly, I saved you. You can save me. I’m Beatrix. I’m your Bea.”

“Now you’re just somebody that I used to know.” Melody said. “Mom, go ahead with the letters.”

“NO!” Beatrix’s scream was bloodcurdling. She lurched forward.

Gary, Casey, Maryam, and Suzie puffed up their chests and stepped in. Suzie was comically small by comparison to the other three, but she was out in front to throw hands. Beatrix skidded to a stop and took several hopping steps back.

“I didn’t bring the laptop, if you want that back you’ll have to…”

“The police are already at your vehicle.” Veronica said, calmly.

“What? BULLSHIT!”

“I asked them to come today and keep an eye on you. They’ve been watching you since you drove to campus. They staked your vehicle out after you left it. You’ll be riding back with them, today.”

“Fuck you!” Beatrix turned to run.

“Gary.” Veronica said.

Gary and Casey both grabbed Beatrix. She screamed again, thrashing. She had no chance of freeing either arm from the holds on them.

“This is assault!”

“This is a citizens arrest, while I let the police know that the perpetrator they’re looking for is here.” Veronica said, putting her phone back in her purse. “You can complain directly to the officers in a few minutes.”

“I’ll kill you.” Beatrix said, with pure venom. “I’ll get all of you. You think I’ll be in jail forever? When I get out…”

“If I have anything to do with it, you’ll be in prison, not jail.” Veronica said. “There are the officers now. Thank you gentlemen, you can take her, please.”

Beatrix fought the officers too, screaming incoherently. They were a lot less gentle with her than Gary and Casey had been. As soon as Beatrix was out of line of sight, the dam of Melody’s calm broke. They shuddered, clinging to their caregivers.

“That was crazy. Thank you for doing that for me. Everybody… thank you.”

“We love you.” Rosa said.

The general murmur of agreement that followed made Melody want to laugh and cry at the same time. There were people all around them, hugging them, ruffling their hair, congratulating them.

Melody heard someone exhale with a big ‘oof’ next to her. Briana wormed her way into the middle, working her elbows like she was in a mosh pit. She threw herself on Melody and hugged them so intensely that she was practically climbing them.

“Sib! You did it! You were so awesome and calm and brave!”

“Thanks Bri.” Melody said, through a haze of tears.

“I saw what you did! You memed Beatrix twice! The somebody I used to know one was obvious, but the don’t talk to me was one too. I got the reference!”

Melody laughed all the way from their belly. “Good job sis. You’re right.”

“I knew it!” Briana giggled.

Briana nuzzled Melody fiercely, not letting go even when the huddle around Melody broke up. It took Gary grabbing her and putting her up on his shoulders for Briana to relent.

“That was some amazing drama.” Suzie said. “What now?”

“We go home and have a wonderful Christmas, as a family.” Veronica said.

“Well said, Vonnie.” Michelle said.

“Thanks Mom.”

“I’m so proud of you.” Michelle hurried over with her cane and put her arms around Veronica. “You did it exactly right. You protected our family and the family’s honor at the same time. Magna Grandma would be proud of you too.”

For once, Veronica didn’t have any words. She hugged Grandma happily with a huge sigh of relief.

“Heh, Beatrix is lucky that Magna Grandma wasn’t the one to deal with her!” Briana said.

“We don’t have to go that far back.” Grandma said. “She’s lucky it wasn’t my grandmother taking care of it.”

“That’s right.” Veronica said. “Great Grandma Ashley was a bootlegger.”

“She was?” Melody asked.

“My Grandmother?” Michelle said. “You’d better believe she was. She had some rough associates.”

“That’s your great-great Grandmother, Melody.” Veronica said.

“Oh uh, I’m really glad you let me call you Mom but it doesn’t have to go that far.”

“You already call me Grandma.” Michelle said. “In for a penny, in for a pound of powder, as Magna Grandma used to say.”

“Okay.” Melody blushed. Rosa hugged them from behind and they leaned into her.

“I know we’re off to celebrate, but I’d like some time with my other grandchild if I can get it. I haven’t gotten to know this brave kid yet.”

“Do you want to take Rosa and Melody out for lunch?” Veronica asked.

“I’m glad you suggested it!” Grandma said. “The car will be here for us in five minutes.”

“You already ordered a car?”

“You’re not the only one with a fancy cell phone, Vonnie.”

“Really? Because I thought that if you had a cell phone, you would have used it when you started having health problems, not after you’d been hospitalized.”

Grandma cackled! “Please pay attention, everyone. This is what it looks like when you raise your daughter right. You’re right, Vonnie. I’ll do better. I’m not used to relying on my daughter. It wasn’t that long ago I was wiping your snotty nose.”

“It looks like your car is here, Michelle.” Jane said. “Rosa, you’re in charge of Michelle until you get back to the house.”

“Gotcha, Jane.” Rosa said.

“Excuse me, Ms. Müller?” Michelle said archly.

“I’m helping you keep the promise you just made to your daughter.” Jane said mildly.

“Hmm, you’ve got hidden depths. You might just be a match for my Vonnie. Keep an eye on this one, Vonnie. She’s sneaky.”

“Believe me, I know it all too well.” Veronica said with a soft smile.

The three of them got in the back seat of the car, with Melody in the middle. They were still a little uncomfortable around Grandma. It was awkward to be right up against her. Though she seemed nice, she was a stranger. Melody wished they had Briana’s ability to instantly accept people.

“We might as well start getting to know each other.” Grandma said. “Melody, how old are you?”

“Twenty three.”

“I’m sorry, I knew that. I’m asking how old you – present. Is that the right word?”

“I think it’s a good way to say it.” Rosa said. “Melody and I are still narrowing that down, but right now we’ve settled on six.”

“Thank you. I needed to know for the Christmas presents I’m going to get.”

“You don’t have to get me anything, Grandma.”

“Melody, you’ve got a lot to learn about being a kid still. Never tell your Grandma she doesn’t have to give you a present. I won’t listen and you don’t really mean it.”

Melody squirmed and smiled.

“What about clothes? I see you’re a very handsome kindergartener. Would you wear a suit, if you had one?”

“Um, maybe? If it wasn’t totally a boy’s suit?”

“I can work with that.”

“Why do I need a suit, Grandma?”

“So you can go out nice places with me. Have you ever been to the opera?”

“No. It’s not really my thing.”

“How would you know if it’s your thing, if you haven’t tried it?”

Rosa giggled. “Listen to your Grandma, Niñe.”

“Is it alright if I call you Michelle?” Rosa asked.

“For now that will work.” Grandma said.

“Thanks. Michelle, I’m sure that Melody would love to go to the opera with their grandmother. Wouldn’t you, Niñe?”

Melody kicked the seat console in front of them grumpily. “Yes Mama.”

“You’ve got this one’s number. Well done, Rosa. It’s not easy taking on a kid you didn’t start out with from the beginning.”

“I’m really curious about that.” Rosa said.

“Ever since Tess, Rasmussen women don’t get married. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to pass down our legacy, or that we don’t want someone to take care of. There are always wonderful girls that need adopting.”

“That’s amazing.”

The car had come to a stop. Rosa climbed out and hurried around to the other side, opening Michelle’s door for her. Grandma gave a single eyeroll before allowing herself to be helped out of the car.

“Melody, be careful, don’t cross the street by yourself.” Rosa said.

“I wasn’t going to.” Melody said, blushing and stepping back from the street.

Rosa made them walk over to the crosswalk to get to the restaurant. She had Grandma leaning on one arm and was holding Melody’s hand with the other.

The restaurant was really cool, with model train tracks winding around every wall and even crossing bridges to reach all the tables. The trains were carrying plates of food. Melody watched in fascination as one of the trains went by, wondering if destinations were programmed or more manually managed.

Melody ordered chicken nuggets with a side of garlic bread off the kids’ menu and nobody teased them about it. They were sitting next to Grandma, but other than answering her questions, they didn’t participate much in the conversation. Between the food and the passing trains, Melody was too distracted.

By the time they’d ordered dessert, Melody was feeling a lot more comfortable. They tried leaning against Grandma and were rewarded with an arm around their waist.

They kicked their feet, wishing that Rosa had let them order the giant cookie as well as the ice cream for dessert. Forced to make a choice, the ice cream had won Melody over despite the cold. They’d seen how much whipped cream they put on the ice cream when it passed by on a train.

Grandma only ate one bite of the cookie she ordered for dessert. The rest ended up in Melody’s ice cream. It was fun seeing Rosa exasperated but unable to do anything. Melody was more excited about the idea of having a grandma all the time.

When the dessert was gone, they leaned their head on Grandma’s shoulder and tuned out the conversation. Grandma had to nudge them a bit to get their attention.

“Melody, do you need to potty?”

“I don’t think so, Grandma.”

“Why don’t you go check? The bathroom is over there. Do you think you can go on your own?”

“Of course I can.” Melody said, confused. “But I don’t have to go.”

“Try anyway, okay? Humor your old grandma.”

Rolling their eyes, Melody made their way to the restroom. It was a private one, at least. They took a seat on the toilet and waited. Grandma was being dumb, or just teasing them. They didn’t have to go…

Splashing in the toilet made Melody cringe. How had Grandma known when they hadn’t? Why hadn’t they known?

Because I wasn’t paying attention. I was letting Mama and Grandma handle everything.

Melody sighed and shrugged. Mama and Grandma had handled it. It had been so well handled that they hadn’t even had an accident.

Back at the table, Rosa had an odd look on her face. Grandma looked satisfied. The two of them were acting really weirdly.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing Niñe, ready to go home?”

“Tell me!” Melody insisted.

“Did you get all your potty out?” Grandma asked.

Melody blushed and ducked their head. “Yes Grandma.”

“I thought so.” Grandma chuckled. “Come on, let’s get home so the nice gentleman driving our car can get back to his home.”

Back home, everyone had stuck around for lunch. Melody endured another round of congratulations and hugs bashfully. They were happy to curl up at Rosa’s side when that was over. Even so, Melody was in high demand. Their family didn’t let them retreat and be quiet that afternoon. When tea was served, Melody had to help Veronica, and ended up sitting on her lap. After tea, Melody was next to Grandma again.

They were feeling pretty sleepy from the huge meal they’d had, plus the extra cookies at tea time. Getting their head petted by Grandma was too much to resist. Melody dozed off with their head on Grandma’s shoulder.

Melody was at the center of things after dinner too. They were on the floor with Briana, surrounded by the adults. Occasionally someone would send Melody or their sister to fetch something from the kitchen.

By bedtime, Melody was socially exhausted and filled to the brim with happiness. They thought they were ready to fall straight into bed. Rosa had other ideas. Between undressing Melody and getting them into pajamas and a diaper, Melody got pounced.

A long sweaty hour past their bedtime, Melody was finally getting their nightclothes. Feeling better than they’d ever thought possible, Melody fell asleep in the middle of being diapered.