In An Instant
“Why no talk?” queried Sourire as she stared at toddler-aged Evangeline. She made to poke the girl, but Evangeline quickly moved away from the offending finger.
“Now now, Sourire,” Atticus said while sweeping up his spotted girl. “Not everybody can be as cheery as you.” Sourire giggled from this comment, and the finger tickling her belly. “Eva just needs some time.” He placed Sourire on the floor and pointed her toward her room, “I’m going to put Eva down for a nap, why don’t you go grab a book so I can read for you guys.”
“Girlsssss!” Sourire screamed happily and disappeared into her room.
Smiling Atticus moved over to Evangeline and scooped her off of her place on the counter. There was something about that Sourire that just made him want to smile. “Isn’t that right, Eva weva.” He cooed to the black baby. Eva’s face didn’t twitch a beat. Atticus chuckled, if anyone could penetrate through Eva’s hard shell it would be Sourire, but even she was unable to coax Eva out of her dark demeanor.
As Atticus was laying Evangeline down Sourire burst into the room, “I GOT A BOOK! I GOT IT!” She hooted. And, startled by the sudden noise Evangeline broke out and started screaming.
It was hot to cold. Piping to freezing. Sweet to sour. It was Sourire. Her once smiling mouth transformed into an open, aghast shaped. Her sparkling eyes sparkled more, filling up with water. One instant she was the happiest girl on Earth and the next her head was back and she began wailing. Absolutely wailing.
Taken aback by Sourire’s actions Atticus froze. He stared at the girl, puzzled beyond belief. He watched as Sourire dropped to her knees, curled up into a ball, and covered her ears. The louder Eva’s cries grew, the louder hers did. She kicked the floor, tried to hide from the noise. “Sto’!” She kept repeating.
If it hadn’t been his two girls it would almost have been funny. Because one baby was crying about the other baby crying. It was, by all means, a vicious cycle. But the two girls were Atticus’ two daughters, only daughters, and so he knelt down beside Sourire and helped her onto her feet. Her cries did not cease, but slowly they moved into his bedroom. In there, Evangeline’s cries were muffled, barely audible and with a sniff of the nose and the wipe of a back hand Sourire beamed at Atticus and said, “I brought’d Mr. Popper’s Penguins!” She showed him the book, completely transformed.
And it blew Atticus' mind.
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