Consequences

4.

Hazel

Once we're seated and have the chance to get situated inside of the theater room, I pull Karter's hearing aids from my purse and adjust them so that they wouldn't interfere or irritate her ears in any way while watching the movie. I hand them to her one after the other when I'm done and watch her to make sure she puts them on correctly. She gives me a thumbs up letting me know she's fine with the way they are, before we wait patiently for the movie to come on.

I swear this is like the thirtieth upcoming movie to show on these commercials and we were already five minutes late to the room all because the girls couldn't decide which snacks they wanted. August ended up letting each one of them get two different snacks to split between each other, so now we're sitting here waiting for the girls to get their sugar rushes so we can let them burn it off before sending them back to their parents later.

Auntie and uncle life is the best.

"TT when is the movie coming on." Karter asks as she looks up at me with a pout, obviously growing more and more impatient as time goes on.

As Karter asks the question aloud, everyone, including some of the other guests in the room, turn their heads to face her. From the looks on their faces, I'm guessing August and the girls didn't know Karter still has vocal abilities, especially since we were signing everything before we got into the theater room, but furthermore, an unsettling expression makes an appearance on Karter's face. She picks up on the sudden change in the vibe, and it's only a matter of time before she's scurrying to hide herself.

Sensing everyone is now quiet, besides the big screen and a few small whispers below us, Karter glances around and sees everyone's eyes on her. She redirects her attention to me, making a face that lets me know she's scared, and I rush into auntie mode trying everything in my power to help her feel as comfortable and safe as I can. Amidst me trying to comfort her, she tries her best to scoot a little closer to me, despite the chair's arm rest not allowing her to do much. With her not being able to get closer to me without bringing more attention to herself, she begins to get more and more freaked out by the second.

I've noticed lately that Karter tends to get a little timid when people stare at her or we enter big crowds because she doesn't like too much commotion or sudden unnecessary attention. She's starting to get more and more shy and antsy around people she doesn't know, which makes sense given her situation with her mother, but I knew from the beginning she definitely wouldn't be a people's person. I feel as though she'll grow out of it a bit more when she gets a little older and becomes more experienced in social gatherings with other little kids, but as of now, my poor baby is shaking out of fear.

Not wanting her to know that they're still looking at her, I lean over the arm rest so that I'm as close as the chair allows me to be without bringing too much discomfort to myself. When she notices the gesture, she clings onto me as best as she can while I wrap my arm around her, caressing her arm in a calming manner. She snuggles more into me and hides her face into the sleeve of my sweater before someone finally speaks up.

"Stop lookin at ha y'all ugly selves makin ha scared." Amaiya says before reaching over and rubbing Karter's back. "It's okay Karter."

"Yeah, my love. The movie's going to be starting soon I promise. All we have to do is wait for the commercials to stop." I assure her.

"Why do they have so many?" She looks up at me, whispering so that only I can hear her.

"I don't know, baby. Maybe to promote other movies."

"Can you stop them?" She asks with a small pout. "I want to watch the movie now."

Gosh, she's so adorable. I really admire my baby. She's like the daughter I'll never have because I don't think I want kids.