Chapter 3

"Mother, where are the boys? They should be helping you," Amanda asked. Dotty was carrying in the bags of groceries, one at a time.

"Philip is working at the shop, and Jamie is with Joe, remember?" Dotty stopped, leaned against the doorframe, and questioned her daughter.

Amanda closed her eyes and sighed, "Now, I do. I swear, I forget everything these days." She dropped her chin and shook her head.

Dotty stopped by the chair Amanda was resting in and assured her, "There's a name for that. I heard it the other day. It's called Pregnancy Brain, and I'm sure it's from lack of sleep. You know, you're not your finest when you don't sleep enough, Amanda, and Lord knows the last time you got a full night's sleep."

"I know, Mother. And we both know, this is just the beginning. Once the girls are here, who knows how long it's going to be before they sleep through the night," Amanda groaned.

"Well, maybe you'll get lucky. After all, Jamie was a great sleeper. You never know. These two little princesses might just be perfect little angels and sleep better than you imagine," Dotty replied happily.

Amanda shook her head. "Or they could be like Philip was and be awake every two hours. That boy was always hungry," she recalled with a grin.

Dotty laughed, "Some things still haven't changed, have they? Hang on. I only have two more bags to bring in. Tell you what, why don't I make us a nice snack… I'm sure you haven't eaten nearly enough since Lee left this morning."

"Which time?" Amanda chuckled.

"What do you mean, which time? Don't tell me something happened and he needed to come back?" Dotty propped her hands on her hips.

Amanda stretched her back slightly, rubbed her hands down the sides of her expansive belly, and laughed. "Well, one of your little angels got her foot stuck again, so I had to call him."

"Again?" Dotty immediately gasped.

"Yes, Mother, again. Lee had to help me because I sort of got stuck in the position I was in," Amanda explained.

Dotty reached down and touched Amanda's stomach, "Now, listen up you two. Enough is enough. Save some of that energy for when you make a break for the outside world."

Amanda covered her mother's hand and chuckled again. "I don't think that's going to help. Lee tried talking to them, too, but so far, they have minds of their own."

Dotty gave her a crooked grin as she stated, "Sounds like someone else I know." She paused long enough for Amanda to roll her eyes before she added, "I only have two more bags, so how about some fresh cut watermelon? Your favorite."

Amanda dropped her head back and moaned, "Really, Mother? Watermelon? I look like a walking watermelon with legs."

Dotty patted Amanda's belly once more before she headed back into the garage. "Amanda, you're carrying twins! You're supposed to look like that! Now, stop complaining," she reprimanded her. She disappeared into the garage, muttering, "Soon enough, those babies will be here, and she will forget all about how she looked."

"I heard that, Mother!" Amanda called back with a sigh. She shifted the recliner back into place and slowly pushed herself into a standing position. She waddled her way into the kitchen and settled herself onto one of the stools where she started pulling groceries out of the bags and lined the items up on the kitchen island.

"What are you doing, Missy?" Dotty snapped as she reappeared in the kitchen carrying the last two bags.

Amanda continued to empty the bag as she replied, "Just because I'm on bed rest doesn't mean I can't sit and help."

Dotty placed the bags on the table and propped one hand on her hip before she began, "Amanda, the doctors told you to stay off your feet."

"I'm not on my feet, Mother. I'm sitting. Right here, on this stool. I'm not carrying anything. I'm not running around. I'm staying put. On this stool," Amanda insisted with a smile.

"What am I going to do with you, Amanda? Even as a little girl, you never did what you were told," Dotty shook her head.

Amanda chuckled, her large belly bouncing with each laugh, "Lee says the same thing. He's always telling me I don't listen to him, or I don't follow instructions very well."

Dotty held up a long, thin box of spaghetti and used it to point at her, "I'm going to tell you this, Amanda, Lee is a wonderful husband, and he's been a fabulous stepfather to Philip and Jamie, but… and I mean, BUT… you need to listen to him. You can't be going off all willy-nilly, doing your own thing all the time. You are going to need to work as a team, especially once those babies are born."

Amanda gave her mother a warm smile, "I know that, Mother, and I think he's going to be a great father to the girls. I mean, you see how he is with Charlie. He doesn't even think twice about picking him up or getting down on the floor to play with him if you're trying to clean up."

"Speaking of Charlie… Do you know Lauren told me she may have found a daycare that can take him three days a week starting after the Fourth of July?" Dotty sighed as she went back to emptying the grocery bags.

"Don't sound so sad, Mother. It'll be good for him to be around other children his own age," Amanda assured her.

Dotty dropped the box of cereal she was holding onto the counter and replied sadly, "I'm just going to miss him, that's all. He's become almost like a part of our family."

"Well, what is Lauren going to do with him the days the daycare can't take him?" Amanda questioned.

Dotty shrugged her shoulders, "I'm not sure. She didn't say." She moved across the kitchen and began filling the cabinets with the items Amanda pulled out of the bags.

Amanda smiled again and handed her mother a few more items to put away as she assured her, "I'm sure that means Charlie will still be here or with Christina and Harry if they can take him. I know it's hard for them, but Harry likes to spend time with his only grandson."

"I suppose," Dotty gave her one last, noncommittal shrug before she rolled the watermelon onto the cutting board and announced, "It's snack time!"

"Oh, Mother," Amanda rolled her eyes once more. "While you do that, I'm going to use the little girl's room." Slowly, she waddled her way into the small bathroom, only to shuffle back into the kitchen several minutes later. She found Dotty quickly slicing through the juicy melon, and before she even sat down, Dotty was sliding a bowl in her direction. Several bites later, Amanda declared, "You're right, Mother. This is exactly what I needed."

Dotty waved the knife in Amanda's direction as she stated, "I keep telling you, a mother always knows what her children need."

"Well, I'm pretty glad you're my mother, Mother. Because you always know what I need," Amanda gave Dotty a warm smile as she sunk her teeth into another juicy slice of watermelon.