A Mother in the Making by Gabrielle Meyer

yellow brick school, and to the west, the beautiful downtown buildings and Mississippi River. Petey and Charlie’s room was behind the north wall, with one more dormer window.
    â€œOne of those boys took Petey’s airplane,” Lilly said with her hands on her hips.
    â€œWhich one?” Marjorie asked, looking at the identical Jensen boys. They both had their hands behind their backs.
    One of the little girls began to cry—but which one was it? Daphne or Delphine? “What happened to her?” Marjorie asked Charlie, who was standing near the stairway door, watching the whole circus.
    â€œI don’t know.”
    The other little girl began to cry, too, her head tipped back, her face red, and tears seeping out of her eyes.
    Petey put his hands over his ears and tucked his knees up to his chest. He closed his eyes tight and rocked back and forth on his bottom.
    â€œPetey.” Marjorie took a step to the little boy, but Laura began to fuss from the basinet near the south window.
    â€œLilly, could you please pick up Laura?”
    â€œBut what about Petey’s airplane? That Jensen boy still has it and won’t give it back.” Lilly pointed to the little boy who clutched the airplane to his chest now.
    The other Jensen boy walked up to Marjorie and tugged on her dress. “I have to go.”
    Marjorie wanted to put her hands over her ears and join Petey on the floor. Instead, she looked at Charlie. “Could you please take him down to the water closet for me?”
    Charlie sighed and nodded. “Come on.” He put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Which one are you?”
    â€œIsaac.”
    They left the nursery, but the crying prevailed. Marjorie bent over and touched the first Jensen girl who had begun to cry. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
    â€œI want Mama!” she wailed.
    â€œMe, too,” cried the other one.
    â€œLaura needs her diaper changed,” Lilly said loudly from the south side of the room. “It leaked through and now her dress is spoiled.”
    It wasn’t right to ask Lilly to change Laura’s diaper—but it didn’t seem right to ask her to stay with the crying children, either.
    â€œCan you please get a new diaper and a change of clothing? I’ll have to change her up here.”
    Lilly set Laura down in the basinet again and left the nursery.
    Petey suddenly stood up, his face red. He raced across the nursery on his way to the stairway door.
    Marjorie caught him a moment before his hand touched the doorknob, swinging him up into her arms. “Where are you going?”
    Petey tried to wiggle out of her hold. “I want Papa.”
    â€œI’m sorry, but you can’t go to your papa right now.”
    Petey’s lower lip began to tremble and he crossed his arms, but he didn’t try to get away again.
    Marjorie set him on his feet and looked at the boy holding Petey’s airplane—Isaiah. Should she tell Petey he must share, or should she insist that Isaiah return the item, since he took it without permission? How did you deal with a situation like this?
    â€œPetey, Isaiah is a guest. Let’s let him play with the airplane for a few minutes and then we’ll ask for it back.”
    Petey’s bottom lip quivered. He ran across the room and raced into his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
    Laura and the Jensen girls continued to cry, and nothing Marjorie could do would convince the twins to settle down. She tried pointing out toys in the room, and then items outside the window, but nothing distracted them from their tears.
    Finally Lilly and Charlie returned to the nursery with Isaac, and Marjorie was able to change Laura.
    â€œIs this what it would always be like?” Charlie asked, his face sullen. “If Papa marries Mrs. Jensen?”
    â€œNo,” Lilly said. “Because if Papa marries Mrs. Jensen, Miss Maren would have to leave.”
    â€œMama