a sound she hadn't heard before

fifty-nine.

While Taylor and Joe are at their first day of rehearsal, Ayla is excited to be spending her first day with Joe's mom. The two have spent quite a bit of time together since coming to London and Ayla has quickly grown fond of the older woman. She's extremely kind and excited to be spending her days with her little "honorary grandchild."

In the morning, Elizabeth helps Ayla with her schoolwork. So far, Ayla has loved homeschooling. Her teacher from back home has been sending her worksheets and assignments. Ayla loves that she gets to do them at her own pace and once she is done with them, she can do whatever she wants for the rest of the day.

"Ayla, I've got a proposition," Elizabeth tells the little girl. "If you work super hard and get your schoolwork done this morning, then I will take you out for lunch and then we can ride your scooter around the park for a little bit. Does that sound good?"

Ayla smiles. "Yes please!"

It's a lovely day in London, a rare time without rain in the forecast and the temperature hovering around 50 degrees, a bit warmer than typical. She has been itching to use her scooter since coming to London, but Taylor hasn't been able to take her out to do so for fear of being spotted. Taylor is extremely worried about what her life will look like in London, especially since their rehearsals aren't exactly a secret. Everyone knows that this show is going to be opening, and before a show can open, it has to rehearse. Hence, it's pretty much common knowledge that she's in London. People want to get a glimpse of the superstar. They're keeping their eyes peeled, and because of that, Taylor wants to put a little bit of extra effort into laying low.

Elizabeth helps Ayla to get her iPad set up with the first of her school work for the day- starting with a video that she has to watch that will stop and ask her questions at checkpoints along the way. Then, she has a worksheet to do, which Elizabeth checks.

"You're such a clever girl," she says, putting the worksheet back down on the table. "You got every problem right. I am so proud of you. I really like how you took your time and made sure that you didn't make silly mistakes on that."

Ayla smiles. "Thank you."

"Now, we've got math out of the way. What do you want to do next? We can do..." Elizabeth pauses, looking at the list that Ayla has before continuing to speak, "silent reading or work on your spelling words. It also looks like you've got a music assignment, but I think we should let your mum help you with that, hm?"

Ayla giggles. "Mommy is the best at helping with my music." One of the things that Taylor was very insistent upon when pulling Ayla out of in-person school was that she still wanted her daughter to be working on the arts curriculum from her home district. In school, her class followed a schedule of specials that rotated between physical education, library, music, technology, and art- classes that are just as important for kids as reading and math. Taylor has been having the most fun with being the teacher for music and art class. Last week, the two made watercolor paintings together, which Joe insisted on hanging on the wall of the hallway in their apartment. Taylor couldn't help but notice Ayla smiling every time that she has walked past her art hanging up on display. In music class, they've been learning how to count and clap simple rhythms, something which Ayla is starting to be very good at. She takes after her mom in that regard- she has a musical talent, for sure.

It isn't too long before Ayla is all done with her school work for the day. "I'm so proud of how hard you worked today Ayla," Elizabeth tells the young girl. "You definitely deserve a treat. Go get your shoes and coat on and we can walk to the little cafe on the corner for lunch, okay?"

"Okay!" the child exclaims. She does as she is told and before she knows it, she is outside on the sidewalk, holding Elizabeth's hand as she skips along, chattering away about the book that she read during her silent reading time.

"I'm so happy that you're loving that story," Elizabeth smiles. "Isn't reading stories the best thing ever?"

"It is," Ayla nods. "Well, that and ice cream." Both of them giggle.

"Now Ayla, when we go to the park, would you like to meet another little girl who is about your age and ride scooters with her, or would you just like to be with me for today?"

Ayla pauses. She isn't really sure about that one. What if she doesn't become friends right away with the other little girl? What if the other little girl can ride her scooter faster? What if she falls and the other girl makes fun of her? "Um..." Ayla bites her lip. "I don't know."

"Do you want to keep it as just the two of us today?"

"Yes please," Ayla nods, her blue eyes wide. "Is that okay?"

"Of course that's okay," Elizabeth promises, squeezing the child's hand. "Today has been a big enough day for you already. I don't want you to do anything that you're nervous about."

Ayla has been to visit a pediatric therapist twice now, with a third appointment coming up soon. She really loves going because she gets to play games and do other fun things. Taylor has noticed a boost in Ayla's confidence already, too. However, they haven't had a lot of deep talks, just the two of them. Taylor knows that she should be doing this, but everything has been so busy lately. She can only hope that her daughter isn't shoving down a bunch of feelings to bubble up eventually.

Even with Ayla's already improving state, however, Elizabeth knows that pushing Ayla too far in one day won't be very helpful. She has to stay within her comfort zone, and if meeting another child today is not going to be in that safe haven, then it shouldn't be forced upon her.

After lunch, Ayla excitedly takes her scooter to the park. She can't wait to give it a proper spin, with the lights on the wheels, streamers coming off of the handlebars, and brand new bell that her mom just bought and installed a few days ago.

"What do we do before we get on a scooter?" Elizabeth asks Ayla before she starts to ride.

At first, Ayla is confused by the question, but upon looking in Elizabeth's hands, she instantly knows the answer. "We put on a helmet."

"Good job. And we always check to make sure that the chinstrap is just the right tightness."

The little girl does as she is told, then she's all ready to roll. She kicks off and starts scooting down the path, with Elizabeth trailing several feet behind her. Elizabeth smiles as she sneakily snaps a photo of the little girl from behind, her blonde hair sticking out of the bottom of her pink helmet, which matches her pink sneakers and pink scooter.

Opening up her texts, Elizabeth sends the picture to Taylor and Joe.

Elizabeth: Attachment: 1 image

Elizabeth: We are having a great time over here. Hope you two are having a lovely first day!

Almost instantly, she gets a text back from Taylor.

Taylor: Oh, how sweet! Thank you so much for watching her, you're the best.

Elizabeth: She's an absolute delight xx

Elizabeth places her phone back in her pocket before briskly walking to catch up with Ayla, who is scooting along and having the time of her life.

"I think you'll be ready to scoot with some mates next time, hm?" she winks.

"Maybe," the sweet little girl cracks a smile. "I love this park. Can we come back here every day?"

"We'll see," Elizabeth laughs. "I'm so happy that you're having fun."