Once I’d had more coffee than a human being should consume in one morning, I started back on cleaning the house again since there was still much to be done before Saturday. I kept the TV on as I worked, as Timmy was already up and fed and camped out in front ofSesame Street.
He sang and I cleaned, and on the whole the morning felt about as average as you could get. Eventually, Eddie stumbled downstairs, made himself an Eggo waffle, then told me he was heading out to meet Rita for breakfast.
I glanced at the waffle and decided not to press the point.
“Is she coming on Saturday for You Know Who’s p-a-r-t-y?” I asked, being cryptic since You Know Who was only a few feet away.
“As far as I know she is. Don’t expect she’d want to miss it.” He spoke casually, but I could tell that he was looking forward to having her here, playing host and showing off his great-grandson.
Once he was out the door, I turned my attention back to Timmy. “It’s just you and me, kid. Want to help me clean?”
“Elmo,” Timmy said pointing at the screen.
Isn’t that always the way? Shoved aside by a monster. Albeit an adorably cute one.
By late afternoon, I’d done pretty much everything except vacuum the living room, which I was holding off on so as to not bother Timmy, who switched from television to quietly playing with his stuffed animals on the couch. Since the “quietly” was key, I didn’t want to anger whatever benevolent gods had blessed me with this moment of peace.
I took a moment at the kitchen table to flip through a magazine, and looked up to see Mindy at the back door. I got up to let her in, expecting to see Laura trailing behind her, but it was just Mindy.
“Allie’s not here. She went out patrolling with Jared.”
Mindy bit her lower lip, cocked her head, crossed her arms over her chest. And me, with my keen ability to read body language, clued in that she was irritated.
“She told me she wanted to do nails stuff today. She was going to do mine this morning so they’d be polished and cool for the show.”
“Maybe she got the times wrong,” I said, knowing full well that my daughter just forgot, her best friend pushed out of her mind by the power of a cute boy.
“I can’t believe she went out patrolling again and didn’t take me. It’s not about getting hurt and having my understudy go on, I’m sure of it.”
Since she was most likely right, I wisely stayed quiet.
“I’ve been training, Aunt Kate, and I’m good. I mean yeah, Allie’s better, but she’s practiced more. And she probably inherited some good stuff from you.”
“I think she inherited more from her father,” I said dryly.
Mindy shrugged. “Yeah, maybe.” She looked back at me. “They really went patrolling together?”
“I’m sorry. They really did. Do you want to hang out? I’ll pay you to babysit Timmy while I finish cleaning.” She looked over at Timmy who was being the most well-behaved child ever.
“You’d pay me to watch that?”
I laughed. “I’m afraid if I move him so I can vacuum, all hell will break loose. I was hoping for a buffer.”
“I’ll watch him. You don’t even have to pay me. Do you want me to take him over to our house?”
“Would you? That would be great.”
As we started to gather up a few things to take with him, she paused and looked at me. “Can I tell you something, Aunt Kate?”
“Of course, you can.”
“I don’t know that I trust him. Jared, I mean.”
I wasn’t sure if it was warning bells going off in my head or irritation with my daughter, who clearly had still not yet told her best friend the full situation yet. “Why not?” I asked.
“It’s probably just me. I just think he’s?—”
“What?”
