Finding Emery

Shopping was a long boring experience for Emery. She was 6 and if she saw another dress again she would scream. Her uncle, brothers and cousins wanted her to dress like a princess but that was not practical at all. She needed clothes she could move in and warm clothes for the cold winters. So with every dress they showed her she glared at them, crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head no. When that didn't work she refused to look at them.

Eventually Uncle Mike caught on that she wasn't happy with the pink clothes or dresses they showed her and allowed Emery to pick what she liked instead of what they liked. She had got track pants, and jumpers and tops. She also picked shorts and a few shirts. Kody couldn't help but laugh at the fact that the boys wanted to treat her like a girly girl but Emery refused to allow them. She use to love princesses and dresses and skirts, but he guessed that had changed with her being on her own for two years.

After getting her clothes and shoes as well as her school things including her school uniform, it was time for lunch. Emery was happy with that because it meant no more shopping. She wasn't hungry but she just had had enough of shopping. What 6 year old actually liked to shop? She much rather be doing anything else.

"Emmy what do you want to eat?" Uncle Mike asked when they sat at the table of one of the local cafes. Emery just shrugged her shoulders, she hadn't bothered picking up the paper with all the letters on it because she couldn't read. "Why don't you have a look at the menu?" Jasper asked when Emery hadn't answered. Emery just turned her face to the ground. She was embarrassed by the fact she couldn't read.

"Hey princess Emery, it's ok I can tell you what things there are to eat if you like?" Kody rushed out when he saw the reaction to what Jasper had said to her. She just shook her head no and tried to make herself smaller. By now all the Quake's were looking at Emery. Jasper felt like shit for telling her to read the menu. Not many 6 year olds could read fluently and he had forgotten that she was 6 and had never been to school at all.

"Hey baby, I'm sorry for upsetting you" Jasper stated but Emery didn't respond at all. She was uncomfortable and wanted to go to her shed where she could hide from the world. She felt silly and out of place cause clearly she didn't belong. Uncle Mike stood up and grabbed Emery from her chair pulling her to him and settling back on his chair. He placed her face in his chest and felt the water droplets of her tears. He didn't speak at all so he didn't embarrass her he just comforted her instead.

"What can I get you all?" The waiter asked coming to the table. He could tell that there was a lot of tension at the table immediately as everyone was looking at the child who was being engulfed by the eldest man at the table. "Do you need more time?" The waited asked causing uncle Mike to shake his head no.

Uncle Mike cleared his throat "we will have a kids chicken schnitzel with cheese and sauce with chips and then I'll have the combo with chicken schnitzel cheese and sauce with spaghetti bolognese no Parmesan. For drinks I'll take a coke and water plus an apple juice for the princess here" Uncle Mike stated. The waiter wrote it all down and moved around the table with everyone ordering. No one really took their eyes off Emery who was still sniffling into uncle Mike's chest.

"Emery, please look at us" Taz stated when he couldn't stand the silence anymore. Uncle Mike was stroking her back in an attempt to calm her down but that just made more tears appear. Emery shook her head no, she felt stupid because she couldn't read like other people. Uncle Mike snapped his eyes down to Emery as she had once again spoken the words she was thinking.

"Emery Quake, you are not stupid. Most 6 years old are still learning to read. You are far from stupid you hear me" uncle Mike spoke pulling the little girl out of his chest. "You survived for two years on your own baby, that's not stupid at all. You are so smart and I never want to hear you put yourself down again" Uncle Mike continued. Jasper felt even worse then he had before. He never meant to make Emery feel stupid, he just didn't think.

"Emmy, I didn't think before I asked you to read the menu. I'm so sorry" Jasper said softly to his baby cousin who was sniffling still. Emery wiped her nose on her arm because she didn't have anywhere else to do so but continued to look at the floor. Kody was shocked, none of the Quake men ever apologised even if it was warranted and yet here was the next leader of the Quake's apologising to a little girl.

Chase grabbed a napkin and moved towards his baby sister. He first wiped her little arm because she had wiped snot bubbles all over herself and then he wiped her face. He titled her chin up so she was looking into his eyes. "Dad would be so proud of you. You are so strong, so brave and so smart Emmy. Don't you dare think less of yourself. We are all so proud of you" Chase said before Emery jumped into his arms and began to cry again. "We all love you Emmy" Chase stated while cuddling his sister to his chest.

When the food arrived Emery was sitting back on uncle Mike's lap. She had tried the apple juice and didn't like it at all but was happy to drink the cold water and eat the ice. She wasn't sure if she liked the food in front of her at all but knew she had to try it. That was the deal she had made with uncle Mike to go bowling after shopping.

Uncle Mike cut up the schnitzel and then offered Emery the fork so she could taste the food. She didn't really like the tomato sauce of the schnitzel but liked the cheese and schnitzel but she loved the worm stuff on uncle Mike's plate. She could slurp it into her mouth which she liked to do. She had so much sauce around her mouth but she enjoyed the spaghetti bolognese.

Everyone was laughing at her face and Emery couldn't work out why until Seb snapped a photo with his phone and showed her. Emery just shrugged her shoulders "it's good like the best ever" Emery squealed out as the waiter collected the plates smiling at the little girl covered in pasta sauce. "Well we will have to come here again then" Jasper smiled at Emmy who nodded and patted her stomach.