Eight Dates and Nights by Betsy Aldredge EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Author:Betsy Aldredge
- Language: English
- Genre:Teen & Young Adult Multigenerational Fiction
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2.4 MB
- Price: Free
The Christmas season may be magical and delightful to some, but you
could never tell from my gate at LaGuardia Airport. Clearly, the toddler
screaming her head off next to me agrees. Zero delight there.
Her mom hands her a big red paper cup with a straw before digging
through her ginormous diaper bag while also juggling a baby. Nearby, a
random guy in a Santa suit who looks like he has had one too many lets out
a couple of ho, ho, ho’s, followed by a loud belch.
That’s when my years of babysitting and being a camp counselor kick
into high gear. I’m not overly fond of most adults, but I love kids. I always
have. I’m pretty sure I even want to be an elementary school teacher in the
future. However, I love kids much more when they aren’t crying at a high
pitch directly next to my ear.
“Do you need some help?” I ask the mom, holding out my hand for the
toddler. Under normal circumstances, the mom probably wouldn’t take help
from a stranger, but at this point the toddler is wailing and the drunk Santa
is kind of wobbling toward her. He’s hopefully friendly, not creepy, but
baby girl isn’t having it. At all. And neither am I, to be honest.
In contrast, at five two with my curly brown hair, baby face, leggings,
and fuzzy Uggs, I hardly look dangerous or overwhelming to the pre–
elementary school demographic, or their parents.
“Yes, please! Whatever you can do! Emma, honey,” she says over the
sobbing, “this nice girl wants to say hello.”
I crouch down next to her. “Hi, Emma! I’m Hannah. Do you like dogs
or cats?” I ask.
The distraction works, and she stops crying at once.
“Kitty?” she asks, grabbing my hand. Her fine blond pigtails are
askew, and her face is as red as her cup.
Her mom flashes me a grateful smile as I sit down in a chair and pull
the girl into my lap and pull out my phone to scroll through some cat
videos. A couple of seconds of watching cats dressed in Halloween
costumes and she’s calm but hiccupping now that she’s no longer crying.
The baby in the mom’s arms has fallen asleep as well. Even Way-Too-Jolly
St. Nick seems to be sitting down, which is probably a good idea.
I smile briefly. As I do, I realize it’s the first real grin to take up
residence on my face since finding out I have to go to Texas. Not Austin, or
Houston, or anywhere remotely cool. Nope. I have to go to the middle-ofnowhere East Texas. Population 2,000. Plus me. That makes it 2,001 for the
four miserable days I will be there. That would be bad enough, except it’s
during Hanukkah and I’m being shipped off to see my grandmother. Alone.
Not my choice, but my parents don’t exactly get along with Nana, so I have
to take one for the team, and in this case, it’s my family, aka Team Levin.
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