Chapter 6- It's Never To Late
It was around 11 when Haley got up because she couldn't sleep. The thought of the messy house kept her awake. Everyone else had crashed, after much fighting, in their own beds, but the filthy house still kept her awake. She slid out of bed and put on her robe and walked to the kitchen.
On her way out, she picked up a laundry basket sitting on the floor and began putting all the random scattered clothes littering the floor into it. By the time she reached the laundry room, the basket was over flowing, and she had stopped picking up clothes. It was astounding how much stuff was on the floor, and that there actually was a floor under all of that stuff. Haley started a load of laundry and went to the kitchen to tackle the dishes, which were overflowing in the sink.
About halfway through the dishes, the washing machine beeped, signaling it was done and she went to put them in the dryer and start another load. She figured the house hadn't been cleaned since she left. Nathan really wasn't one to clean, often, unless he was forced to. She felt kind of bad that it was their fault for living in such a mess.
It was around two when the dishes were done, almost all of the laundry, and lunches were made for tomorrow, and she started on the vacuuming and dusting. Nathan sure was going to wake up to a surprise, Haley just wasn't sure that he would like it, even though the house looked dramatically better.
By four in the morning she was making pancakes for breakfast, and had finished with the house, except for the bedrooms, not wanting to wake them up. Abby loved chocolate chip pancakes, which is what Haley was making, along with sausage, bacon, eggs, toast, and if you wanted cereal and bagels. Coffee was on because she had a feeling it was going to be a long day. By the time breakfast was ready, Ally, Alex and Andy had all followed their noses to the kitchen, where Abby was, waiting impatiently for breakfast.
"What's all this?" Alex asked, sitting on the stool, and Haley put a plates around.
"Breakfast," Haley answered simply, flipping a pancake.
"Breakfast is Gatorade, not pancakes," Andy said, smelling the kitchen, "But we could try this."
Haley put down glasses of milk and orange juice, "I'm glad, cause it's good."
"Where'd you get the dishes from?" Ally asked, looking at them, they weren't paper plates.
"I washed them," Haley said, serving the four, "Where's your dad?"
"In bed?" Alex asked.
Haley sighed, grabbing the plate she made for him, and his coffee and orange juice and put it on a tray, "I'll be back, please make sure Abby doesn't fall off that stool," she said and walked down the hall to Nathan's room.
"Doesn't it smell good?" she asked, putting the tray down in front of Nathan.
He sat up, "Yes it does, what is it?"
"Breakfast, pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, coffee, orange juice, toast, a cream cheese bagel, and a bowl of cheerios, with milk, you've got syrup on your pancakes too, and that would be a fork, and a knife, and a spoon, and a napkin."
"Why is it here?"
"I brought it to you," Haley answered, like it was obvious.
"Where did it come from?"
"The kitchen, now get up, you will be late for your early morning practice, and you need to separate the clothes, I did a couple loads of laundry, and vacuumed a bit, and made lunches for everyone."
"We have all of this stuff in the kitchen?"
"Well, I might have went to the store too…"
"Haley, you don't need to do this, all you wanted was a place to crash for the night."
"But seeing it so messy, I couldn't sleep, and Abby loves chocolate chip pancakes, and with a hunk of cast on her arm, I thought chocolate pancakes were just what she needed, and it would be rude to make just for me and Abby, and pancakes in not a hearty breakfast, so I had to get more than pancakes, and for everyone, or it would be rude, so, eat, get dressed, make your bed, and go to work."
"I'm sorry I was such a jerk years ago."
"I know, I thought you would be, and I forgive you," she said, standing up, "I need to get back to the kitchen, dirty dishes are calling my name," Haley said and left.
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So… It's a start right? Breakfast, cleaning, and lunch, a bit of laundry… you never know what else I could have up my little sleeve.
A u s t y n
