I pulled into the space in the parking lot, and the warm September sun beat down on my back as I bent over the car seat in the back of my minivan.

“Mama, let’s go.” One of the girls screeched, and I could hear the metallic clinking of a seatbelt frantically disconnecting from its holder. I scooped up Nancy and held her in my arms, slipping her into the Snugglee I had attached to my front.

“Be careful getting out, Lissy.” I said, a bit gruffly, and Lisette slid out of the van like a bullet, skipping around the parking lot of the preschool like a rainbow on crack. Her little black Mary Jane shoes made clicking sounds on the concrete, and she sang “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” loudly as she shimmied around, letting her blue-striped dress flit around her ankles.

I straightened up when I realized that Lorelei was still buckled into her car seat. Her little face was sunken and sullen, her arms were folded in front of her, arms resting on the armrests.

“What’s the matter, Lor?” I asked, shutting the door I was standing in front of and crossing to Lorelei’s seat, closest to the other side of the van.

“I don’t wanna go to preschool.” She said, so quietly I could barely understand. Nancy gurgled happily from her Snugglee, and I bounced her up and down a few times. I reached across, unbuckling Lorelei.

“Come on, let’s at least go inside and see what your sister will be doing if you’re so sure you don’t want to go.” I said briskly.

“But I don’t want to go to presc-”A loud noise, skin sliding across concrete, interrupted my whining child as her twin let out a very upset shriek.

“My knee!” Lisette announced from her awkward place on the ground, her eyebrows furrowed and her brown eyes furious. “And my tights!” she shrieked indignantly. “My prettiful pink tights!” her eyes filled with tears and she peered up at me like she had just seen her best friend die.

I turned to see Lorelei slowly creeping to her sister’s side. She calmly inserted her index finger into the bloodied hole in the tights before looking back up at me solemnly, sincerity flashing across her face.

“Yep, they’re a goner,” She said calmly. “Sorry, Lis.” The anger flashed across Lisette’s face again, and she stood up, marching to her sister.

“This is your fault!” she shouted loudly, shoving Lorelei away. Lorelei stumbled, losing her footing, but remained standing upright. She continued to stare wordlessly at her sister, not a trace of anger on her face.

Another mother pulled into the parking lot with her son, and they walked hand in hand across the parking lot to the preschool. I envied the worriless look on the mother’s face, the beatific son skipping and humming his way to the front door.

Lorelei found her way to me, clutching my shirt to the point where her hands turned white, and Nancy took the opportunity to reach out, clutch a fistful of her sister’s hair, and put it in her mouth happily. Lorelei let her sister eat her hair, sighing softly as she watched her twin stand up. I winced in tandem with Lisette, whose knee was almost busted open and bleeding profusely.

“Lissy, sweetheart, this wouldn’t have happened if you had been more careful.” I picked her up with one arm and took Lorelei’s hand with my free hand, grateful that Nancy had let go of her sister’s hair.

“Mama, I said I didn’t want to go!” Lorelei cried out when she realized that we were entering the preschool.

“We’re going to go get your sister a band aid, Lor, and then you can do what you wish.” We had made it to the front door, and the director of the preschool stood in the doorframe, smiling happily at us.

“Hello! You must be the Gilk girls, right?” she got down on Lorelei’s level. “I’m Miss Rose! Who are you?” Lorelei hid her face in my shirt and pressed very, very closely against my side.

“I’m Lisette.” Lisette offered from my arms, jumping down. “I skinned my knee in your parking lot. You should really smooth that baby out. It broked my prettiful tights.” She said, chastising, holding out her leg and showing Rose her tights.

“Well, hello Lisette,” Rose smiled warmly. “I am so very sorry that you hurt your pretty tights. But I can get you a band aid for your knee, if you’d like?” Lisette nodded briskly.

“That’s my twin sister Lorelei,” she offered, sticking a thumb at her sister. “But she’s kind of dumb and she doesn’t want to go to preschool. And that’s my baby sister Nancy. She doesn’t do much and she kind of smells.”

“Thank you, Lisette.” Rose shook her head momentarily before smiling back at me. “You can take Lorelei to the four year old room…it’s just around the corner. I’ll just go and get Lisette cleaned up. Want to say goodbye to your mommy?” she asked the elder of the two twins. Lisette nodded and stood up on her tiptoes, pecking me on the cheek.

“I love you mommy. Have a good time doing mommy stuff.” She took Rose’s hand and they skipped together down the hall to what appeared to be a kitchen.

“Mama, you said I don’t have to go.” Lorelei whined, not skipping a beat. I didn’t even have time to say goodbye to Lisette.

“Let’s just go get a look at your room, at least?” We walked down the hall, hand in hand, and nudged open the door labeled “4’s.” A young looking woman sat at a table with six other children, playing with play dough. “Hi!” she said brightly. “I’m Miss Karen! And this is Mike, Joey, Fabian, Luke, Tabitha and Rachel! What’s your name?”

“Lorelei.” Lorelei said into my shirt.

“This is Lorelei.” I said, gently detaching her. “Why don’t you go see what Tabitha is doing?” I asked. Miss Karen took Lorelei’s hand, and somehow managed to get my daughter to toddle over to the play dough table. I turned around quickly when Karen waved me away, and took a step towards the front door.

I saw Rose leading Lisette to the room, and crows of joy could be heard from the room as she entered.

“Lisette!” I heard Lorelei’s tiny voice ring out, and I could hear a soft thud. I took a few steps back toward the room, ducking my head in the door in time to see Lorelei sitting nearly on top of her sister, hugging her tighter than I had previously thought it possible to hug. Nancy let out a gurgle, and I had to step away before I was noticed.

Rose came out of the room, grinning, and noticed me lingering at the entrance.

“You won’t lose them,” She said. It was all she had to say…enough for me to look down at Nancy and peck her on the top of her head, grateful for my youngest girl. She smelled of baby powder and clean diapers…what a good smell. “They’ll be yours again in five hours, for baths and bedtimes and snuggles.” With that, Rose reentered her office, leaving me standing on the welcome mat with tears streaming down my cheeks.

I pushed open the door, unlocked my car, and buckled Nancy in to her car seat. I was sitting behind the wheel, tracing the circular pattern with my fingers and wondering what to do with my time. I pulled out of the parking lot and drove home, putting Nancy down for a nap and setting out coloring books and crayons, baking a batch of cookies, putting newly-acquired library books by the girl’s bunk beds. I then sat on my couch until 3 o’clock.

I could not waste any time…they were Karen’s for five hours, but they were mine for the rest of the time, and I could not possibly let them go any longer.