Chapter Four – Brandon
Brandon was trying to scold a laughing Tyson about letting his pet spider loose in Kirian's bed when he heard me yell his name.
"Just a minute!" he called. Tyson giggled and squirmed in his grasp.
"Brandon!" I screamed. "I need you now!"
Brandon let go of Tyson, demanded that he not move, and stepped into the hallway.
"Ashley, where are you?"
I stuck my hand through the opening in the ceiling so my husband could find me. "Over here!"
He walked over and looked at me kneeling on the edge. "What are you doing in Jesse's room?"
"My room?!" came Jesse's voice from the bathroom. The door swung open and he came over to us. "What are you doing, Mom? Get out of my room!"
"I would, Jesse, but I kind of can't."
Brandon stared at me. "What do you mean you can't?" He glanced at Jesse. His eyes widened. "Were you crying?"
Jesse ran back to the bathroom again. "No!" he called over his shoulder.
"Daddy!" cried Tommi. "Come here, quick!"
Brandon ran toward Tommi's voice and hollered, "Jesse, help your mother!"
Just then, the phone rang. Brandon stopped short and turned the other way to answer it. He lifted the phone from the hook on the wall beside Ariana's bedroom. "Hello?" he asked. "Oh...hi Mr. Foxe...yes, yes, I understand...uh, just a second, please."
Tommi was tugging on his shirt. He covered the receiver with his hand and looked down at her. "Not now, Tommi, I'm busy."
"You're not busy, Daddy, you're just on the phone."
"It's very important." He went back to his conversation.
"DADDY!" Tommi whined.
Once again, his hand went over the phone. "Tommi!" he hollered, then his voice got softer. "Look, sweetheart, it's only quarter after six and already this is not a good morning. I'm having a very important phone discussion the high school principal, your big brother's crying, your mother's stuck in the attic, and there's a tarantula in the twins' room."
"It's not a tarantula, Daddy," Cody said as she skated by on her blades. "It's a wolf spider."
"Same thing! Oh – Cody! No rollerblades in the house!"
"Hello!" I called. "I'm still up here!"
"Yes, Mr. Foxe, I'll make sure it gets done," Brandon said to the telephone as he pounded the bathroom door. Jesse appeared and rolled his eyes as his father mouthed for him to help me.
Brandon was trying to scold a laughing Tyson about letting his pet spider loose in Kirian's bed when he heard me yell his name.
"Just a minute!" he called. Tyson giggled and squirmed in his grasp.
"Brandon!" I screamed. "I need you now!"
Brandon let go of Tyson, demanded that he not move, and stepped into the hallway.
"Ashley, where are you?"
I stuck my hand through the opening in the ceiling so my husband could find me. "Over here!"
He walked over and looked at me kneeling on the edge. "What are you doing in Jesse's room?"
"My room?!" came Jesse's voice from the bathroom. The door swung open and he came over to us. "What are you doing, Mom? Get out of my room!"
"I would, Jesse, but I kind of can't."
Brandon stared at me. "What do you mean you can't?" He glanced at Jesse. His eyes widened. "Were you crying?"
Jesse ran back to the bathroom again. "No!" he called over his shoulder.
"Daddy!" cried Tommi. "Come here, quick!"
Brandon ran toward Tommi's voice and hollered, "Jesse, help your mother!"
Just then, the phone rang. Brandon stopped short and turned the other way to answer it. He lifted the phone from the hook on the wall beside Ariana's bedroom. "Hello?" he asked. "Oh...hi Mr. Foxe...yes, yes, I understand...uh, just a second, please."
Tommi was tugging on his shirt. He covered the receiver with his hand and looked down at her. "Not now, Tommi, I'm busy."
"You're not busy, Daddy, you're just on the phone."
"It's very important." He went back to his conversation.
"DADDY!" Tommi whined.
Once again, his hand went over the phone. "Tommi!" he hollered, then his voice got softer. "Look, sweetheart, it's only quarter after six and already this is not a good morning. I'm having a very important phone discussion the high school principal, your big brother's crying, your mother's stuck in the attic, and there's a tarantula in the twins' room."
"It's not a tarantula, Daddy," Cody said as she skated by on her blades. "It's a wolf spider."
"Same thing! Oh – Cody! No rollerblades in the house!"
"Hello!" I called. "I'm still up here!"
"Yes, Mr. Foxe, I'll make sure it gets done," Brandon said to the telephone as he pounded the bathroom door. Jesse appeared and rolled his eyes as his father mouthed for him to help me.