Chapter Eight – Preparing Dinner
After Brandon got home and we'd buried Cocoa in the backyard, we all pitched in to start supper. I gathered all the kids in the kitchen, holding Jason on my hip.
"I know you guys have had a rough day, and we're all gonna miss Cocoa, but I still need you to help us out." I gently wiped a lingering tear from Tyson's cheek and kissed his forehead. "Now Ariana, do you know if Jesse plans to come home?"
She shook her head.
"All right. I want you to get out a pot and start boiling the spaghetti noodles. Cade, you can help her break them up. Chandler, help your father cut up the veggies for the salad. Kirian and Kieran, I want you two to get out the bread and butter and a couple butter knives. Tyson and Cody, set the table. Make sure you get plates, forks, knives, napkins, glasses, salt and pepper. Akira and Tommi, I suppose you can help them. And Jason," I glanced at the boy on my hip, "I know you like to stir the Kool-Aid, so you can help me make that."
The kids set out to do their jobs. I put Jason on the counter and grabbed a ceramic jar beside the stove. Jason picked out four packets of cherry Kool- Aid and dumped two in each of the pitchers I had grabbed. After filling them with sugar and water, I handed Jason a wooden spoon and he mixed them together. When that was done, I added ice to the pitchers, replaced their lids, and set them in the middle of the kitchen table, where plates, glasses, and forks were slowly appearing.
"Let's see what else we can do, Jase," I said. I lifted him off the counter and turned around. There stood Jesse, motionless, arms at his sides. He was looking at me the way he used to when he was very small and had just been caught coloring on the walls, or smashing grapes all over the kitchen floor, or squeezing chocolate syrup onto the brand new living room carpet. I wanted to pull him close, tell him it was okay, that although he was in trouble, Mommy still loved him and everything would be just fine. But Jesse wasn't two years old anymore, and he had some explaining to do.
After Brandon got home and we'd buried Cocoa in the backyard, we all pitched in to start supper. I gathered all the kids in the kitchen, holding Jason on my hip.
"I know you guys have had a rough day, and we're all gonna miss Cocoa, but I still need you to help us out." I gently wiped a lingering tear from Tyson's cheek and kissed his forehead. "Now Ariana, do you know if Jesse plans to come home?"
She shook her head.
"All right. I want you to get out a pot and start boiling the spaghetti noodles. Cade, you can help her break them up. Chandler, help your father cut up the veggies for the salad. Kirian and Kieran, I want you two to get out the bread and butter and a couple butter knives. Tyson and Cody, set the table. Make sure you get plates, forks, knives, napkins, glasses, salt and pepper. Akira and Tommi, I suppose you can help them. And Jason," I glanced at the boy on my hip, "I know you like to stir the Kool-Aid, so you can help me make that."
The kids set out to do their jobs. I put Jason on the counter and grabbed a ceramic jar beside the stove. Jason picked out four packets of cherry Kool- Aid and dumped two in each of the pitchers I had grabbed. After filling them with sugar and water, I handed Jason a wooden spoon and he mixed them together. When that was done, I added ice to the pitchers, replaced their lids, and set them in the middle of the kitchen table, where plates, glasses, and forks were slowly appearing.
"Let's see what else we can do, Jase," I said. I lifted him off the counter and turned around. There stood Jesse, motionless, arms at his sides. He was looking at me the way he used to when he was very small and had just been caught coloring on the walls, or smashing grapes all over the kitchen floor, or squeezing chocolate syrup onto the brand new living room carpet. I wanted to pull him close, tell him it was okay, that although he was in trouble, Mommy still loved him and everything would be just fine. But Jesse wasn't two years old anymore, and he had some explaining to do.