Chapter 11


Lilly looked around but she couldn't find it anywhere. She could've sworn the coin was in Hanna's hand a minute ago. She looked over at Grace and she was just as confounded as she had been. They'd been bamboozled! That coin was a chocolate one! It was worth a lot to a girl their age! And Hanna went ahead and made it disappear! This was a travesty! They couldn't believe their rotten luck.

Lilly stood up and moved around Hanna but she couldn't find it. She couldn't see it anywhere. Grace looked behind the couch but the coin was nowhere to be found. Exasperated, Lilly turned to Hanna and mumbled gibberish. She was really letting her have it. Grace was cooing along while Lilly mumbled the angriest words she'd ever spoken and Hanna just sat there with a smug grin on her face. Lilly wished she could wipe it off. She picked up her toy phone and pegged it at her. Unfortunately the twenty odd years she had on her allowed her to snatch it mid-air and put it down without getting hurt. This only made Lil hurl some more angry syllables at her.

Hanna was cracking up. She was trying so hard to be serious but she just couldn't do it. This was just too funny. The babies were getting so worked up over the chocolate coin she'd pocketed when they were looking away.

As Lilly growled at Hanna, Grace wattled over to her mom. Emily was sitting by the telephone hoping it would ring, and staring out the window. Every now and then she'd pull up some new picture on her old phone. Grace didn't know why she kept it but then again she didn't really know much of anything. Lilly tackled Hanna as Grace sneaked a peek at the picture on the phone. Grace recognized her neighbor's face, as well as her mommy's, but the significance of her mother staring at these old photos was lost on her young, innocent mind. She did understand emotions though, and she could her mother was feeling upset so she reached up and gave her a cuddle before wattling back to her twin.

"Ok" Hanna announced, "I'm gonna do another one now, you ready?" she asked the garrulous throng.

The babies looked around the room, still trying to find the coin when with a flourish, Hanna reached behind Lilly's ear and pulled it out. Then, with a similar theatricality she pulled a coin out of Grace's ear as well and the tiny tots were so overjoyed they tackled her to the ground and covered her with hugs and slobbering kisses.

"You guys rock" Hanna called out from under the cat-pile as she continued returning sloppy kisses and hugs. Emily kept looking out the window, waiting for Paige to come back from her jog.