The lives of Olivia and Rayden Reed are about to take a captivating turn when a figure from their past reemerges, igniting a whirlwind of emotions and buried secrets. Malia, a woman they once loved and lost, returns after eight long years with a dar...
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I'm sitting on the sidelines with other parents, watching our children on their first day of gymnastics. The coach gathers the kids in a circle to introduce themselves. She begins by sharing her own name and a brief background about her experience in the sport. Then, she goes around the circle, allowing each child a chance to state their name, share something fun about themselves, and mention a favorite activity they enjoy outside of gymnastics.
When it's Meylin's turn, she says her name followed by, "My favorite color is orange, inspired by Darwin Watterson from my beloved show, 'The Amazing World of Gumball.'" Her grin widens as she opens up further. "I enjoy riding bikes, playing with my cousins, and I suppose you could say reading books now." She looks at me, and we exchange thumbs-ups.
Olivia comes back from the bathroom with the twins on her hips. I quickly stand to take Hope from her. "Hi, lovebug," I say, planting a kiss on the chubby toddler's cheek.
"What have I missed?" Liv asks as she sits next to me, placing Faith on the ground to explore while Hope stays in my lap.
"Nothing yet. They're still introducing themselves," I reply. Liv nods and wipes some Cheeto dust off Hope's face.
"This is Lemon!" Our daughter's voice rings out once again. Her friend is whispering in her ear. "Her favorite color is obviously yellow... because she's a lemon. You know, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade- Ow!" The little girl hits Mey's wrist three times to get her to refocus, before proceeding to sign something to Meylin, who groans and signs back a few words.
Valiana has been teaching her more sign language, and she's getting the hang of it. "Sorry, she says I went off script." Lemon whispers into her ear before signing something else. "She also says her favorite activities include swimming, painting, and feeding ducks bread at the pond near her house."
They both share a chuckle. Lemon signs, and Mey nods. "Oh, and she mentions she started doing gymnastics when she was... 2?" she asks, and Lemon nods. "Right, at 2 years old. And now she's in this class, obviously because I'm in it. She thinks I'm awesome. Ow—" she gets interrupted by another three slaps to the wrist. "Oops, sorry, went off script again. That's Lemon for you, everyone," she concludes, rubbing her arm.
"Ew, why are you named after a fruit?" a red-haired girl asks.
"Why are you a redhead? You look like Chucky, the killer doll," our daughter retorts, rolling her eyes. Liv and I exchange glances and stifle our laughter. She's definitely been spending too much time with her cousins. "And Lemon is a unique name that symbolizes happiness, positive energy, and freshness—unlike the split ends on your head. So, what does your name symbolize, Porsha? I bet your mama can't even afford one of those."
"Mey," I interject sternly from the sidelines. It's reasonable for her to defend her friend, but as amusing as it is, she needs to be mindful of her sharp replies.
"Sorry," she whispers. "Got a little carried away again."
After the introductions, the coach leads the kids through a warm-up session, guiding them in stretches, jumping jacks, and other light exercises to prepare their tiny bodies for the practice ahead. With the warm-up completed, she captures the kids' attention by having Lemon demonstrating a cartwheel because she is in a higher level class. Some, like Meylin, already know how to do it, while younger children in the class need a bit of assistance.
