"What in the world is _that_? Seto asked, covering his ears.
"Rachel," Kelsey said brightly. "She probably needs changing. C'mon Cootie, let's hang Barbie!"
Seto found Rachel's room, with two year old Rachel howling her head off on her cot. Seeing him, she only howled the louder. "Just great," Seto said quietly to himself. Gingerly he picked her up.
"Wanora!" she shouted, hitting Seto in the noise with her stuffed rabbit. He quickly disarmed her, putting the rabbit back in on the cot. That was a mistake. She wailed loudly until he gave her back the rabbit. "Wanora!" she repeated.
"'Wanora'?"
Rachel sighed and spoke very slowly and clearly. "Wann 'Ora!"
"You want Cora?"
Rachel nodded and began chewing her rabbit's ears.
"Cora had to go to a meeting. I'm Seto," he introduced himself.
"Seh-oh?"
"Close enough."
A scream split the air. "Mokuba!" Seto rushed into Kelsey's room, still carrying Rachel. Mokuba was not in sight, but Kelsey was standing by her now open window, giggling. Seto ran over. Mokuba was holding onto the ledge for dear life.
"Sorry, Cootie!" Kelsey called, unhelpfully.
"Seto, help!"
Seto pulled him in and turned to Kelsey. "What exactly-"
She interrupted. "We were hanging Barbie, but Mokuba fell out. It wasn't that long of a fall!"
"She pushed me!" Mokuba protested.
"Kelsey!"
"He _tripped_!" Kelsey pouted. "It's not my fault if he's clumsy."
Seto took a deep breath and tried to think of what the punishment for that should be. What was it called again? Oh yes. "Time out. Twenty minutes, in your room."
"Twenty _minutes_? Cora _never_ makes me do time out! It's for babies!" Kelsey shouted and kicked Seto in the shins again. This time, Seto bit his lip and did not clutch his shins in agony, seeing as it would be difficult to do with Rachel in his arms.
"She's better behaved than you are!" Seto said as he, Mokuba and Rachel exited.
Downstairs, Mokuba and Rachel started playing with blocks. Seto opened his briefcase and began to work on some papers he had brought along in case of such quiet time. Then his cellphone rang. Before he could say anything, Cora began talking. "Hi, Seto! Listen, the conference was delayed a bit, so I got here ontime, but I won't be home until later- a lot later, like ten, instead of seven. Is that okay?"
Seto glanced at the clock. Currently, it was two fifteen. /What's two hours more?/ part of him thought. /Life or death?/ his saner part replied.
Cora took his silence for assent. "Great! See you later!"
A scream shattered the semi-silence. /Not again!/ Seto thought, running up the stairs to Kelsey's room, wondering what the little terror had done now.
"Rachel," Kelsey said brightly. "She probably needs changing. C'mon Cootie, let's hang Barbie!"
Seto found Rachel's room, with two year old Rachel howling her head off on her cot. Seeing him, she only howled the louder. "Just great," Seto said quietly to himself. Gingerly he picked her up.
"Wanora!" she shouted, hitting Seto in the noise with her stuffed rabbit. He quickly disarmed her, putting the rabbit back in on the cot. That was a mistake. She wailed loudly until he gave her back the rabbit. "Wanora!" she repeated.
"'Wanora'?"
Rachel sighed and spoke very slowly and clearly. "Wann 'Ora!"
"You want Cora?"
Rachel nodded and began chewing her rabbit's ears.
"Cora had to go to a meeting. I'm Seto," he introduced himself.
"Seh-oh?"
"Close enough."
A scream split the air. "Mokuba!" Seto rushed into Kelsey's room, still carrying Rachel. Mokuba was not in sight, but Kelsey was standing by her now open window, giggling. Seto ran over. Mokuba was holding onto the ledge for dear life.
"Sorry, Cootie!" Kelsey called, unhelpfully.
"Seto, help!"
Seto pulled him in and turned to Kelsey. "What exactly-"
She interrupted. "We were hanging Barbie, but Mokuba fell out. It wasn't that long of a fall!"
"She pushed me!" Mokuba protested.
"Kelsey!"
"He _tripped_!" Kelsey pouted. "It's not my fault if he's clumsy."
Seto took a deep breath and tried to think of what the punishment for that should be. What was it called again? Oh yes. "Time out. Twenty minutes, in your room."
"Twenty _minutes_? Cora _never_ makes me do time out! It's for babies!" Kelsey shouted and kicked Seto in the shins again. This time, Seto bit his lip and did not clutch his shins in agony, seeing as it would be difficult to do with Rachel in his arms.
"She's better behaved than you are!" Seto said as he, Mokuba and Rachel exited.
Downstairs, Mokuba and Rachel started playing with blocks. Seto opened his briefcase and began to work on some papers he had brought along in case of such quiet time. Then his cellphone rang. Before he could say anything, Cora began talking. "Hi, Seto! Listen, the conference was delayed a bit, so I got here ontime, but I won't be home until later- a lot later, like ten, instead of seven. Is that okay?"
Seto glanced at the clock. Currently, it was two fifteen. /What's two hours more?/ part of him thought. /Life or death?/ his saner part replied.
Cora took his silence for assent. "Great! See you later!"
A scream shattered the semi-silence. /Not again!/ Seto thought, running up the stairs to Kelsey's room, wondering what the little terror had done now.