The following Saturday, I picked the kids up and took them out. I let them vote on an activity they wanted, and we settled on bowling. The nearest bowling alley was a bit away, but even the car ride was full of laughter and stories in the backseat. Kenzie and Eli hardly acknowledged that I was in the front seat, which felt like an omen to me. When we arrived at the bowling alley, though, Eli struck up a conversation with me, though Kenzie kept giving me a side-eyed look as if she was sizing me up.
Now three weeks later, I’ve been taking them out. Today we plan to go to the zoo, which all three were excited about when I suggested it on Wednesday. Kira has been asking me to take her ever since my mother brought her, and I just never had time with everything I was dealing with. Kenzie and E
