DAY TWO -- IT WORKED, (SORT OF)

Sigh. She’s going to Be a Cali Girl, not a Seattleite.

So my second act of kindness (inspired by my unpublished novel 50 Acts of Kindness,) worked much better than the first because it brought 4 great people into my life. The problem is, they are moving. A couple weeks ago, my neighbor, who I knew vaguely from talking over the fence, saw me in the yard and said his wife had 3 job interviews in one day for a great job and they really needed a sitter and was my daughter free Monday? She was not. I had just driven back from a week in Canada and was tired. I said “sorry, she’s busy.” He said “Thanks anyway,” looking slightly panicked. I thought about it, knowing that the interview was in their home (via the magic of Skype) and having a 4 year old and a 18 month old wasn’t going to help a young mother focus. So I told him that I could do it. My daugher’s soccer practise was cancelled, 2 neighbor girls joined us. It was an absolutely delightful few hours which I prolonged just to hang out with the French-speaking, super smart little 4 year old and her adorable sister. The mom got to job, which is in San Francisco, so they’re moving. Yesterday, I invited the 4 year old to hang out with us while the moving vans were at their house. Her sister and parents joined us after they’d done the final bit of paint touch up. Finally, we had that glass of wine with our neighbors that we’d been promising each other over the fence for months. The house is empty now. I am going to miss those little girls and wish I’d invited them over the day they moved in. For a sneak preview of the first chapter of Fifty Acts of Kindness, visit EllynOaksmith.com or LIKE Ellyn Oaksmith Books





Ellyn Oaksmith is the author of funny, twisty contemporary novels such as Adventures with Max and Louise and Divine Moves. Please visit Ellyn at Ellyn Oaksmith.com, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest for more.