Keeper Of the Cheerios | Eliza & Sam
Sam: The children were playing with one another on the swingsets. Bonnie is in one of those baby swings, while August pushes her back and forth and loudly singing one Broadway tune after another. Some of the children and their parents are giving the boy odd looks – their eyebrows furrowed in, mouths open in confusion -- but Samantha is happy just to see him happy. Every time Eliza came over with Bonnie, the red head noticed her son’s knack for treating the younger girl like a little sister. It brought warmth to her heart and made a lot of sense since most of his friends at school were girls. Much like Sam, August was a quiet and sensitive child – he didn’t like loud noises, avoided big crowds, was too kind and curious for his own good, and generally preferred his own company. August was one of a kind. And since he had asked nicely, this fun mommy-and-me day had occurred.
“He’s so good with her,” Sam said to Eliza whilst setting a red and white cloth over a picnic table in the park. A huge smile was settled on her lips while she looked over at the two children playing. Thankfully the weather was nice, cloudy, but nice. The park was also not as crowded as it could have been. All of these things combined meant the day had started out lovely and hopefully would continue to stay that way. “You should have seen his face when I told him the two of you would be joining us today. He literally jumped and waved his arms. I was so confused.” Sam straightened the cloth. “But I am glad you’re here. I would have been left putting the picnic together if you weren’t.“ Jokingly Sam winks at Eliza, having finally placed the cloth on in the way she preferred it to be set.
Eliza: Eliza was delighted when Sam invited her and Bonnie to August’s and her outing. She was in dire need of getting out and enjoying herself, a picnic in the sunshine with Sam, watching the kids playing together was just what she needed. Her face expressed that of love and adoration when she looked at the two youngsters having fun together. Bonnie loved the swings, and at the moment she seemed to thoroughly enjoy being pushed by August on one of them. It was fantastic how well the two got along with their age difference, it brought her immense joy to know that Bonnie looked up to August, almost like a brother. Which wasn’t strange of course, August had known Bonnie since she was born, and been there since then, so naturally Bonnie would look up to the boy she’d known since she was a baby, a boy who always looked out for her, taught her tricks and took her on adventures.
“He really is.” Eliza replied, a big smile on lighting her features as she did. She bent down to get the foods and drinks from the picnic basket while Sam put the cloth on the table. Happiness was by far the dominant emotion in the brunette’s mind today. Happiness to see Bonnie laughing, bursting with joy, happiness to spend this lovely day with her best friend, happiness that they’d found a spot not too crowded, nor completely empty. She lifted her gaze when Sam spoke, and her smile grew bigger at the words. “Really?” she asked, “I’m very happy to hear,” a brief laugh bubbled up through her pink lips, “it’s nice to know the both of you enjoy our company, both Bonnie and I enjoy the two of yours.” Eliza shifted the things she’d plucked out of the basket to one hand to shield her eyes from the sun with the other so she could see Sam as her friend spoke. A genuine laugh came through and in the same joking nature as the other she replied “True, imagine the horror. Setting up a picnic is not a task to be taken lightly.” Once Sam had succeeded in putting and straightening the cloth on the table, Eliza hurried to put the things in her hand on it, partly to prevent the cloth from flying off the table and partly to relieve her hand. When done, Eliza continued on her previous comment in a more serious tone “To be honest, though, putting a picnic together is not the easiest task.”
Sam: Eliza's response left Samantha with a wider grin; one making her look more like a woman working as a Disney princess at Disney World, instead of someone battling for custody of their child. The fact that Eliza is patient enough to listen to her on both bad and good days, over happy things or sad things, makes her a cherished member of Sam's family. How could she not be a cherrished member? After all, Eliza played an important part in helping Sam gain her confidence and overall happiness back. After moving to a new town and not knowing many people, Sam had been timid and only spoke to those she felt she had to speak with or felt the need to. And in the end, after going through various trials and tribulations, Samantha discovered Eliza's friendship was something she valued more than she had ever even exspected to.
Using clear tape to stick the cloth down to their table, her lips kept their smile and she nodded in agreement. “It’s not a one person job at all; let me tell you,E.” Samantha’s reply was short, but was only to pause and check out the items Eliza had added on to their now checkered picnic table. Everything seemed wonderful and she was already getting excited about the evening. With her hands clasped together, Samantha turned to face Eliza. “But with two people, it’s a lot easier and much much more fun,” she added on, having a seat at the table, her chin now resting comfortably beneath the palms of her hands; the urge to organize not as overwhelming as usual, since she's at ease and not thinking about anything other than the happy looks on Bonnie, August, and Eliza’s faces.
Though the children were still playing, Samantha findsherself picking up a chip from one of the containers and dipping it in bean dip. “What’s better is I have so many finger foods I now get to share.” She shrugged, slightly, right before taking a crisp bite of the chip. While she chewed, she let her gaze trail over the simple freezer foods that varried from sandwiches and chips, to fruits and vegitables. “I've been told thatit’s hard going 'adventuring’ on an empty stomach, by a very reliable sourse..." she said, sounding like she had shared one of the greatest secrets the Earth had to tell, when it was evident she was speaking of her son and not some great secret keeper.
