"Carol, would you mind getting me a cup of coffee?" Dr. Swanson asked as he looked over a patient's file.
Carol stood for a minute wondering if she had correctly heard the request. After determining Dr. Swanson had indeed asked her for coffee, she told the desk clerk to phone whoever was on call because she was leaving.
"For the day?" the desk clerk questioned.
"No, I'm quitting after I tell Dr. Swanson what an ignorant bastard he is," Carol explained.
Minutes later, Carol sat in her car. She was still filled with rage. She picked up her cell phone and dialed.
"Carol, what's wrong?" Doug asked when he picked up the telephone in his office.
"I quit," Carol told him.
"Quit what?" he questioned.
"My job," she said with irritation. Sometimes she really wondered what was going on inside of Doug's head.
"Why did you do that?" Doug asked leaning back in his chair.
"Because Dr. Swanson thinks I'm his personal assistant. I did not go to school to pour coffee," Carol explained.
"Listen, Carol, I'm swamped today. Can we talk tonight?" he offered.
"Sure," Carol said before abruptly hanging up.
Later that afternoon, Kate walked up the front steps with her key in hand. Tess had to stay after school for cheerleading practice so she expected to be alone for the next few hours.
"Why are you guys here?" Kate asked Meg and Andrew. They were seated on the living room floor playing a card game.
"Mom picked us up early," Meg told her.
"Why? Kate questioned.
"I don't know, but she doesn't seem very happy. When we got home, she told me to go play with Andrew," Meg explained. "We're playing Go Fish, Want to play?" she offered.
"Sure, deal me in," Kate said taking a seat on the carpet.
Meg, Andrew, and Kate played cards until Tess came home. At the sound of the front door slamming, Carol came into the living room.
"Tess, remember that conversation we had the other day about keeping your room clean?" Carol questioned.
"Yeah," Tess replied confused on why her mother was bringing it up.
"Come with me," Carol said leading Tess upstairs.
"Well?" Carol demanded as they stood in Tess' room.
Tess noticed she had left dirty practice clothes near the hamper and a collection of nail polish bottles scattered on the floor.
"Sorry, I was in a hurry this morning," Tess explained.
"Sorry, isn't going to cut it. You're grounded until next Sunday," Carol told her.
"For not putting my clothes in the hamper?" Tess questioned.
"For not keeping your room up to the standards of this family," Carol said.
Tess thought for a moment and then replied, "Get out of my room."
"This is my house," Carol shouted.
Tess couldn't take it anymore. She ran out of the room and into the bathroom. She flipped the lock and fell back against the door. Something was going on here, and Tess thought she was the only one who did not know what was going on.
"Where is everyone?" Doug asked Kate when he came home from work later that night and noticed the house was unusually silent.
"Tess, is upstairs sulking because Mom grounded her for not cleaning her room. Mom took Meg and Andrew with her to the store.," Kate told him as she continued to work on her homework.
"What's for dinner?" he questioned looking around the kitchen for any evidence.
"Nothing, well, I had cereal," she said.
Doug gave her a questioning look.
"I thought it was odd too, but I was not about to ask after she went off on Tess," Kate replied.
"Do you want me to order a pizza or something?" Doug asked.
"I don't care. I'm not hungry, but I'll eat pizza," she said with a smile.
"I figured," he responded. He went upstairs to talk with Tess.
"Can I come in?" Doug asked as he cracked the door.
"I guess," Tess replied.
"What's going on? Kate told me your grounded for not cleaning your room, but it looks fine to me," Doug stated.
"That is because it took me all of five minutes to clean, but psycho grounded me anyway," she explained.
"I'll see what I can do about the grounding. In the mean time, what do you want for dinner?" he asked.
Tess rested her head against her headboard and stared at the ceiling.
"Tess?" Doug questioned.
She shook her head for side to side. "I'm not hungry. I think I'm just going to go to bed.," Tess replied.
"Is anything wrong?" he asked.
"Not really. I'm mad, I'm tired, and I have a headache," she told him.
"If you decide to stay up, I think I'm ordering pizza. Good Night," Doug said before leaving Tess' room.
"Night," Tess called after he closed the door.
"I hate math," Kate announced as she slammed her textbook shut. She had been trying to study while she and Doug ate their pizza.
"I'm sure it isn't that bad," Doug told her.
"It is bad. I'm going to fail the test tomorrow," she said.
"Another piece of pizza might do the trick," he said taking a slice out of the box and offering it to Kate.
"No," Kate declined, "I think I am going to go downstairs and try to finish studying."
"If you need any help, I am here," Doug offered.
"Thanks," she said as she gathered her notes and book.
Doug found himself sitting alone in the kitchen, and he did not like the feeling. He couldn't remember a time when the house had been this silent since Carol had arrived with the twins.
"What are you going to do?" Doug asked Carol that night as they sat in bed.
"I was thinking about going back to school," Carol told him. Doug knew school meant Med School.
"Why now?" he questioned.
"If I don't do it now, I'll never do it. We have two kids to put through college at the same time," she explained. "Do you have a problem with it?
"If this is what you want to do, I will support you one hundred percent," Doug said.
"Thank you," she replied.
"Oh, I was supposed to ask about lifting Tess' sentence," he commented.
"Not going to happen," Carol responded immediately.
"Will you think about it so I won't have lied to Tess?" Doug asked with his infamous smile.
"Sure," she told him.
"Mom, please just this once. I swear I'll never ask for anything ever again," Tess pleaded the next morning.
"I'm sorry, but you're grounded. You aren't going anywhere let alone to a concert," Carol told her.
Tess decided this situation was unacceptable. She knew there was only one person who could help her. She cornered Kate in the bathroom while Kate was brushing her teeth.
"I need your help," Tess told her.
"Step into my office," Kate said closing the bathroom door.
"I have to go see Kaylee-Anne-Marie," Tess explained.
"But you're grounded, and you want me to fill in for you," Kate finished her sister's thought.
"Yes," Tess replied timidly.
"All right here is the plan, I'll ask if I can go to the mall and then spend the night at Hannah's house. You can find a place to crash right?" Kate questioned.
Tess nodded.
"Ok, so we make the switch right after school. Mom takes you to the mall, and I spend the evening incarcerated in your room," Kate said.
"I love you," Tess squealed.
"Yeah, just don't get caught," Kate warned.
Tess leaned back in the city bus seat. She could not believe she was really on her way to the Kaylee-Anne-Marie concert with her friends. She was having an even harder time believing Kate was covering for her. The plan had gone successfully with no problems. The ride from the mall was not too far, and they arrived at the venue within fifteen minutes. Everything was going just as planned.
Back at home, Kate was sitting on Tess' bed cutting out pictures from her large collection of celebrity magazines. She had decided to make collages to personalize her new space.
"Aren't those Kate's?" Meg questioned from the doorway.
"What is it to you?" Kate demanded.
"I'm going to tell mom Tess went to that concert," Meg told her.
"I did not go to any concert," Kate told her.
"You didn't but Tess did," Meg replied.
Kate had forgotten that even if her parents could confuse one twin for the other Meg could not be fooled.
"Keep your mouth shut unless you want mom to go on another rampage," Kate said going back to her magazines.
Meg didn't answer but decided she would save this piece of information to use at a later date.
Thanks for being patient. I have had writers block combined with starting college. Not a good combination. I love reading reviews keep them coming, and I promise to keep with it no matter what.