Out of Order by Betty Hicks

Author:Betty Hicks
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781626723795
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

V

“Yikes!” exclaimed Mary Beth from the kitchen. “Who cleaned out my cabinet?”

Curled up on the sofa in the den, I smiled. Here it came. The awakening. Mary Beth opening her brain and realizing that an intelligent thirteen-year-old daughter came with the marriage.

“I did,” I answered as casually as I could manage under the circumstances.

Mary Beth appeared in the doorway. “You did?”

Or, to be fair, maybe it was “You did?”

But I’m betting my money on the first one.

I waited for her to notice that the den had been dusted and vacuumed.

“V,” she said warmly, “thank you so much. Imagine”—she turned and wandered back into the kitchen—“I can get out a pan now without an avalanche.”

Silence. Then the sound of sizzling sausage drifted out, followed by the smell.

I felt half happy, half cheated.

“Did you notice the den?” I called after her.

“What, honey? I can’t hear you over the sausage.”

“The den!” I shouted.

“What men?” she shouted back.

I sighed, pushed myself up off the couch, and strolled into the kitchen.

“I vacuumed and dusted the den,” I said.

Mary Beth flipped a sizzling patty, then lowered the spatula and stared at me through her hair straggles. She pushed them back with the back of her hand and said, “You did what?”

Emphasis definitely on what.

“Are you all right?” she asked, not even trying to hide her puzzled look. Hadn’t Parker or Lily ever done anything around here besides make their beds and empty a wastebasket? They’re not babies.

Are they?

“Do you have friends coming over?” she asked, as if that were the only answer that made sense.

“No,” I said. “I just like to help out. You know, I helped Dad a lot.”

Her blank face clearly stated that she didn’t know. She followed it with a curious head tilt. Yes! I had her attention! Finally.

“What’s for dinner?” I asked.

“Sausage biscuits and cheese omelets,” she said, slowly turning over another hot patty. I watched the evidence of a useful V trying to force its way into her closed mind.

“Do we have any blueberries?” I asked.

Her head popped up so fast you’d think I’d said something weird, like do we have any rare Egyptian pomegranates?

“None fresh,” she answered. “There’s some frozen. I could go to the store.”

“No!” I shouted. Then quieter, “Frozen are fine. I’ll make dessert. Okay?”

She looked up at me with the same eyes that Lily had yesterday. Super-wide-open, staring at the fairy that no one believed in, but there she was. Real.

Me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.