Chapter Four

When Laurie and Keith arrived home that afternoon, the house was unusually quiet. They both entered cautiously and took a look around. The family room was empty and everything was still.

"Where do you think Rueben is?" Laurie asked, dropping her satchel on a nearby table. Nothing seemed to be out of place. It seemed almost as if the whole house were deserted.

"Knowing Rueben he's probably taking a nap." Keith followed her into the living room.

Laurie swiped the mantle with her hand. "Well, where ever he is, he forgot to dust."

"Forgot to vacuum too." Keith replied collapsing onto the couch.

Laurie soon joined him. "I wonder where Chris is?"

"Probably napping too."

"Maybe I should go check on him?"

"Okay, and while you're up, can you get me a soda?"

Laurie frowned at her brother. "You get it. You need the exercise." She got up from the couch and headed for the stairs. Keith didn't call after her, which was unusual, though she wasn't the least bit worried. She knew the soda comment was just a joke. At least, she hoped so.

Once reaching the second landing, she knocked on the door to the younger boys' room. "Chris?" She pushed the door open and sighed in relief when she spotted the young blonde boy asleep in his bed. "Well, that solves one problem…" She closed the door as not to disturb him and headed back down the stairs. When she reached the lower landing, Keith was nowhere to be seen.

"Keith?" She headed or the kitchen. Just then, her brother entered through the back door covered in frothy soapsuds. Laurie lifted a hand to her mouth to hide her smile. "What happened to you?"

Keith frowned. "I found Rueben." He paused to open a drawer and remove a dishtowel, and then quickly began to dry himself off. "Do you know how to work the washing machine?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Because we can't find the off-switch and Ma Kincaid decided to not only wash our clothes but the entire garage as well."

Laurie began to laugh.

"It's not funny. I barely escaped with my life!"

"Oh, Keith. You're so melodramatic, it can't be that bad." Laurie headed for the back door.

"Oh yeah? It really is that bad." Keith followed her out the door and to the garage.

Laurie's smile remained until she opened the door. "Oh my goodness!" Soap suds spilled out the doorway and onto the concrete. "Rueben?" Laurie called out, pushing her way through the froth and into the garage.

"Laurie? Hey, do you know how to turn this thing off?"

Laurie soon found their temporary mother in a pink apron, standing by the washer. The machine continued to pulse out sprays of bubbles as Rueben held up his arms to shield himself. "What happened?"

"I don't know, I just put the soap in and started the washer and then… well… this!"

Laurie reached for the washer and cranked the knob, stilling the machine.

"What a relief." Rueben began to fan suds from out of his eyes.

The garage door suddenly eased open and the bubbles began to diminish.

"Fix the problem yet?" Keith soon arrived and walked up to his sister.

"All fixed." Laurie assured him. She looked to Rueben. "By the way, how much soap did you use exactly?"

The frustrated manager shrugged, "I don't know. A little bit here, a little bit there… The water refused to foam!"

"He used the whole box" Keith replied holding up the empty container.

Laurie raised an eyebrow and looked back to Ma Kincaid.

"What? Aren't I entitled to at least one mistake? I've never done laundry in my life!"

"Never done laundry?"

"Well, all my suits are dry-clean only."

"What about socks and underwear?" Keith wanted to know.

"Well, there's this really nice lady at my apartment complex…"

"I see…" Laurie uncrossed her arms and sighed. "Well, let's get this place cleaned up before Danny and Tracy show up."

"Please do." Said Rueben, "If Danny saw this mess I'd never hear the end of it."

"If Danny saw what?" Just then the last two Partridge children entered the garage.

"Where did all the bubbles come from?" Tracy asked, looking at the foam.

"We uh…" Laurie looked to her brother for help.

"Were giving Simone a bath." Keith finished quickly.

"Who's bathing who?" Danny chuckled.

Laurie frowned. "You two go along inside, we'll be in soon."

Danny nodded. "C'mon Tracy, let's go get a snack."

"Okay."

Laurie waited until the two younger ones had gone before turning back to Rueben. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Not so easy being a mother now is it?"

Reuben's frown deepened. "Everyone's entitled to a couple of mistakes. Even mothers."

Laurie and Keith exchanged amused grins.

"Sure, Reuben." Keith patted the manager on the back. "Even mothers."