Mistakes (short story) by Leanne Dyck

This short story was inspired by my career as an Early Childhood Educator--inspired by it but not about it. I've made mistakes--many, too many--thankfully this wasn't one of them.

photo by ldyck

I'd started working at the daycare only a few weeks before so I was still getting to know everyone.

Tyler, one of the children in my care, rushed to the toilet but she didn't get there fast enough. She kept crying and saying, "I'm not a baby."

Tyler is an adorable little girl with an angelic face and big blue eyes. Seeing those big blue eyes full of tears tore at my heart. I would have done anything to ease her pain. All I could say was, "Everyone makes mistakes."

I dug through our collection of donated clothes and found a pair of pink sweatpants that fit. She dried her eyes and joined the other children at the craft table.

I bagged Tyler's soiled pants and hung them on the hook under her jacket. 

Her mother usually picked her up from daycare. She often arrived with a gift for her daughter--a flower or a pebble or a... Little things that delighted Tyler. Gifts that revealed their special relationship. Small things that spoke loudly about a thoughtful mother. 

That day we were told "Peter" would pick up Tyler. 

I was helping one of the little boys put on his jacket to go outside to play when Peter came.

"You--?" Was all he said when he saw me.

We'd meet the night before at the pub. One thing had led to another and I'd invited him home.

"I work here." Said quickly to ensure him that I wasn't a mom. I smiled at how shy Peter was acting. I didn't think he was capable of shyness. And I smiled because I was excited to see him. Butterflies. The whole nine yards. Doubly so now that I knew he must be Tyler's uncle.

He pulled Tyler's jacket off the hook and knocked the bag containing her soiled pants to the floor. "What's that?" He picked up the bag. "It stinks!"

"Tyler had an accident but--."

"And you didn't wash her pants?"

"The daycare doesn't wash clothing."

"Where's Tyler?"

"She's finishing her snack. Please don't--. I mean she feels really bad about her accident so I told her, Everyone makes--."

Tyler came running down the hall and threw her arms around his leg. "Daddy."

"Mistakes." But I wouldn't make that mistake again.

Go RED for Dyslexia

photo by ldyck

Nails by GG on Mayne Island

photo by ldyck

October on this Blog...

Scotiabank Giller Prize

and...

Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize

and...

City of Victoria Butler Book Prize

and...

It's literary awards season and we're celebrating on this blog. I'm devoting the entire month to reviewing books...

Sunday, October 16

Book Review: Everyone in this room will someday be dead (novel) by Emily Austin

Sunday, October 24

Book Review: Hannah and Ariela (novel) by Johnnie Bernhard

Sunday, October 31

 The Dollhouse: a ghost story by Charis Cotter

What happened to and on Sunday, October 9? Well, you know I couldn't go an entire month without sharing a short story. And so...

Sharing my author journey...

Congratulations to us. On October 10 this blog will be twelve-years-old.

You watched over it as it found its' feet and started to walk. Now that's running it needs you

Finishing a cardigan

Written on February 12, 2015:  My knitter friends are finding my old knitting posts. So it must be time for an update. I gave in to my itch to knit just before Christmas. I started turning out presents -- left, right and centre. I made three scarves, four hats and a baby sweater. All was good. No wrist pain. So I pulled out two unfinished projects. Two cardigans, knit much the same this one is. Well, this turned out to be a big mistake. I made headway on both, but at the expense of my wrists. So I've had to shelf the cardigans, once again. Once upon a time, I could finish a new sweater about every third week. I was knitting crazy. A word to the wise: use caution, control this impulse. 

Cool blog title, eh? I was pretty stoked about it. A nice new cardigan just in time for Thanksgiving. Um, yeah, that's what I thought until things weren't horribly wrong.

 the front

 the back

 the sleeve (I do have two)

 Unsuspecting, I attached the sleeve to the body and that's when I found.

 the problem--the front is approximately two inches shorter than the back.

the solutions--I ripped out the front and put it back on the needles. My cardigan may be ready for Thanksgiving--the one in November.
As I ripped out the stitches I thought, Yet another reason why I'm glad I'm now an author and not a knitwear designer--you can argue with words but not with numbers.
***
Next post:  focus on Maynely A Mystery