Growing Up with Skye and Her Family

"Okay kiddo." Father ruffles her hair. He follows his wife to the kitchen. Staying in stride he says, "Oh by the way, there's a card for you on the dining table from MiMaw." A squeal pops out of Skye as she jumps up, starts to run and steps on her father's right foot in the process! "Ouch! Skye." "Sorry." Narrowly escaping his out stretched arm, she snatches the pink envelope and darts off upstairs to her bedroom. Leaping over the pile of clothes on the floor Skye sits on the edge of her unmade bed. "My dearest Skye, I think of you every day with love and joy in my heart. Multitude of Birthday wishes to come true for you my dearest grandchild. We're expecting kids around the time of your birthday. Also, my neighbor has the most adorable baby alpaca on her farm. She is light fawn and white. fluffy, like a teddy bear. Goes around humming all day (Skye giggles). It’s her way of talking, I’m told. Very cute I must say. Any suggestions for a name for her? Hope to see you soon. Love you always, MiMaw xoxo" Skye bounces off the bed, stumbles over a tee shirt on the floor, but catches herself from falling. Dashing down the stairway, around the corner, she collides with her father! Mother, Father, and Skye are on face time with MiMaw. Skye is livid with the news and is not holding back in letting her grandmother know. “I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I wish you’d die!” Skye wails so loudly her voice croaks. The call is disconnected. BOOM! She hits the table with her fist causing her Father’s coffee to splash out of his mug. With a sharp raised voice her mother pleads with her several times, “Skye. Skye! Calm down right now. Stop being so dramatic.” Mother really does know that you cannot appease a distraught person with shouting, but she’s feeling frustrated as well. “No! No, I won’t. How dare she give away Skylar and Milo?” There’s venom in her voice as tears stream down her cheeks. Father walks towards her hoping to console his daughter. She turns away quickly and continues her ranting. “They are Brandi’s brothers. They were all born on my 10th birthday. I’m the person who named them. Me!” She pounds her chest with her clenched fist as if beating an ancient drum. There is so much sadness in her heart. Her heart seems to be broken. She feels betrayed by her grandmother. Her father and mother do understand her feelings. However, they believe that she is acting out because she’s feeling very sorry for herself. Standing close together to show parental unity, they take a step towards her. Father begins, “You must understand sweetheart, that MiMaw came from her heart in choosing to do what she did. She is not a mean person Skye, you know that.” Mother steps in. “Honestly Skye, none of us know all the circumstances surrounding her decision. We didn’t give her the chance to explain. Quite frankly, I feel that you might be blowing things way out of proportion.” Collecting his own emotions, Father makes a final attempt, to most importantly sooth and show reason to his daughter, but also to speak up for his mother who is not present. “Skye, perhaps MiMaw could have handled the situation differently, I don’t know, but you are old enough to acknowledge that sometimes it is not all about you. Maybe Jesse asked her for them. Kaylee and your goat, Brandi, are still with MiMaw.” Needing to have the last word Skye spits out, “How could she,” and darts out the back door, Scout follows quickly. MiMaw is devastated. Skye went ballistic at the news that she’s given Kaylee’s two sons to Jesse. Jesse is her neighbor and dearest friend. It is her buck, Lucas, who fathered the three goats born to Kaylee. There’s an unwritten agreement between the two of them that eventually, Jesse will be given at least one of Lucas’s offspring. Lucas died recently and Jesse is grieving. She will love and appreciate having both of his sons on her alpaca farm. Besides, Brandi, who is Skye’s “legal birthday gift” is still here with her mommy, Kaylee, at MiMaw’s home. The mother and daughter goats have such a unique and beautiful bond. Also, Brandi and Nevada always run and play together. They are great friends and love each other. They are good companions. “Skylar and Milo are only a few miles away from here.” She adds weakly hoping to convince herself all is okay. But it’s not. “Oh, Nevada what have I done?” MiMaw says softly weeping while covering her face with her hands. Skye’s fierce reaction and harsh words go around and around in MiMaw’s thoughts. Her heart is aching. “She has a valid point though. I do whole-heartedly recognize that. I should have given her some warning. At least told her of Lucas’s death and how Jesse and I talked about this years ago. Let her know when the final decision is made. Dear God, I’ve handled this very badly, very badly indeed! Skye has always been a sensitive child. She will be celebrating her 15th birthday soon. A teenager!” She bows her head in despair. Nevada sits contently at her feet listening to her every word. He has been here for her for over seven years now. An extremely faithful companion and trusted listener. “Things were going so smoothly. What have I done?” MiMaw continues with her lament. She’s having a difficult time coping with the complete turn-around in her relationship with her cherished granddaughter. She whimpers, “Skye’s 15th birthday is approaching. Can she be convinced to come?” She gasps, as the Walker family is currently in the process of discussing their visit with Nevada and MiMaw. “Oh, dear God, what if they don’t come Nevada? What if they don’t want to be with ME?”