Super Mom

She was a fraud. Everyone in the neighborhood thought Angela Schumacher was a Super mom, which might have been true a couple of years ago. But now, handling two jobs, caring for Olivia, Anthony and Michael more or less on her own, she was frazzled and on the edge. She parked in her driveway and leaped out of her van, just staring at the scene in front of her. Evening light was fading fast. Her neighbor and babysitter, Zooey, stood just outside Angela's front door carrying Jack Lever's toddler. Zooey's hand was in a "stay" position to Olivia, Michael, and Jack's daughter, Emily, as she called to someone around the corner of the house. Concerned that her normally unflappable, beautiful neighbor seemed hassled, Angela rushed forward. Although her blond hair was cut to a chic chin-length bob, and she usually felt good about herself when she looked in the mirror, next to Zooey she felt like a shrimp at five foot four. She'd never understood why it had taken Jack Lever so long to fall in love with his beautiful, willowy nanny. But he finally had, and everyone on Danbury Way had cheered. Now they were engaged to be married. "Jack, be careful on that ladder," Zooey called around the corner of the house, her breath puffing white in the early December cold. "What ladder?" Angela asked, astonished. What in the heck was going on here? Maybe a cat had climbed up onto the roof... "Why is Jack climbing a ladder?" Shifting two-year-old Jack Jr. from one arm to the other, Zooey replied calmly, "It's Anthony." The fact suddenly registered with Angela that Anthony wasn't standing in the doorway with the other kids. Her heart raced. Her mouth went dry. Panic clamped her chest. "What about Anthony? What's wrong? Why do you need a ladder? Is there a fire?" Zooey gave her friend a hint of a smile. "No, no fire. Calm down. He's locked in his room. We can't get him to open the door. He and Olivia got into an argument. He took her rock collection, went into his room and locked everyone out." Seven-year-old Olivia came rushing to Angela now, and so did Michael. "Mummy, I hate him," she cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. "He's got my rocks." Olivia's rock collection was her most precious possession. That's obviously why Anthony had taken it. From the Super mom front, she was failing miserably with her oldest child. Anthony had been acting out in subtle ways for the past few months, ever since Jerome had missed his last two dates to see him. Little Michael, whose fifth birthday seemed to give him permission to ask more questions than any other five-year-old in the world, gazed up at her with certainty. "You can make him open the door. That's my room, too. He won't let me in." "Jack just wanted to peek in the window to make sure he was okay," Zooey assured her. At that moment Jack rounded the house and smiled at Angela. "He's as stubborn as any nine-year-old. He won't look at me or talk to me. He totally ignored me when I rapped on the window. But he's okay. He's sitting on his bed with his earphones on, playing with his GameBoy." "I don't know what to do with him," Angela murmured. "I can't make up for what Jerome won't do." After she shooed the other kids into the house, Zooey bounced Jack Jr. a bit. "Maybe it's time you look into the Big Brother program at the community center." She glanced at Jack for support. He shrugged. "You'd get a positive, male influence that way. On the other hand, you could get married again..." As usual Jack's voice was full of mischief, and Angela knew he was just trying to make her smile. But right now, the idea of finding a husband ranked right up there with wanting to find a snake in her basement. She wasn't looking for one, didn't need one and would rather dismiss the whole scenario. One thing she did know was that she had to take Anthony in hand. Up until now she'd been too lenient. She'd felt guiSmith, Karen Rose is the author of 'Super Mom ', published 2006 under ISBN 9780373247974 and ISBN 0373247974.