The Nanny

Chapter 2

After Doctor Maraj was certain that Beyoncé had a good grasp on handling the children and their daily routine, she went back to her normal surgical rotations, seeing Beyoncé only briefly a few times a week, but the two stayed in contact via text, and if something particularly exciting happened, the young brunette made sure to take a picture or video to send to Onika.

For her part, Beyoncé stayed on top of the schedule Onika had set, though she didn't let the older woman know that sometimes she just let Jr and Anyla loose in the house, running around and often playing hide and seek. She usually did so when they needed to burn off a little more energy before naptime or bed.

About three weeks after Beyoncé moved in, Onika came home early from the hospital to the sounds of loud squeals and the distinctive slapping of bare feet on hardwood floors, originating from upstairs. Alarmed, the older woman quickly set her belongings on the kitchen island and rushed through the house to the stairs. Once there, the squeals morphed into childish giggles and Onika's fears subsided.

"The pajama monster is gonna get youuuuu!" Onika heard Beyoncé growl out in a comical monster voice.

"No, no, B! Not da jamma monster!" she heard her daughter squeak.

"Mama will be home soon, and the pajama monster has to come before she gets here, or she'll be mad at me!"

Glancing down at her watch, Onika noticed that it was 30 minutes past the children's bedtime and she frowned. Had Beyoncé not been adhering to the proper bedtime?

Instead of intruding, Onika decided she'd wait for Beyoncé to finish putting the children to bed, so as to not further disrupt their schedule, and wait for her in the kitchen. Turning on her heel, she headed back into the kitchen and selected a nice bottle of Malbec from the small wine rack, making a mental note to replace the bottle with another from the wine cellar.

By the time she was taking her third sip of the smoky red and reading a journal article on her iPad, she finally heard Beyoncé's footsteps heading toward her and then stop abruptly.

"Oh, you're home," Beyoncé greeted quietly, surprised.

Onika's lips formed a thin line briefly before she spoke, "And you put the children to bed more than 30 minutes past their bedtime."

Instantly Beyoncé's eyes went wide. "Doctor Maraj, please don't be mad," the young brunette begged. "For some reason they were just full of energy this evening, and then Ny-Ny insisted that she wanted to draw pictures for you, and of course Jr. wanted to join in, so after I made dinner, we sat down in the playroom to draw, and we were just having so much fun that I accidentally let time get away from me and-"

"Beyoncé," Onika interrupted, "Please take a deep breath."

"I am so, so sorry," Beyoncé replied. "I know you told me to stick to their bedtimes, and I swear I have been! But tonight just..."

"Beyoncé, please calm down, okay? I'm not mad," the older woman soothed. "Well, I suppose I was at first when I walked in the door and realized the children were still awake, but I am most certainly not angry with you now." She saw Beyoncé visibly relax at these words.

"Oh."

"Would you like to know why?" Onika asked quietly, reaching forward slightly and patting the bar stool next to her.

The young woman swallowed hard and shrugged, sliding into the seat beside her, facing Onika, but avoiding her gaze.

"Please look at me," she instructed softly.

When Beyoncé did so, worry etched into her features, Onika reached forward and took the younger woman's hands between her own. "I cannot tell you the last time I remember either of my children giggling so much as I did tonight while I listened to you growl at them about the 'pajama monster' and it just," Onika paused and took a deep breath, looking down briefly before raising her eyes again, "thank you."