Chapter 3: Popcorn and Plans
"So you're saying that George was cheating on Mom?" Lizzie sat on the edge of Casey's bed.
"Yes! Can you believe that? And Derek thinks its no big deal!" She was pacing back and forth in front of her sister.
"Are you sure that George isn't telling the truth? I mean, he loves Mom, he would never try to hurt her."
"Well he doesn't have to try anymore. He hurt her bad," sighed Casey. While telling Lizzie what their mom had seen, she had been getting into clothes to sleep in. "Come on- we're sleeping with Mom tonight. I've got an old movie she likes. Could you go down and pop some popcorn with M&Ms?"
"Of course." An apprehensive Lizzie walked down the stairs. She could see George sitting quietly in the middle of the lonely couch. Even the TV was off- a rare occurrence in the house. He was so absorbed in his thoughts he didn't even notice Lizzie sneak by. When she entered the kitchen, however, she found someone else digging through their popcorn supply.
"Edwin? What are you doing?"
"Trying to find the buttered popcorn. Dad doesn't like the salted kind, but that's all that is down here." Lizzie went over to a different cabinet and pulled out a box.
"Here." She shoved the buttered popcorn into his hands in exchange for a package of salted. "Mom likes the salted because she puts M&Ms in it."
"Oh yeah- I forgot." He placed his bag in the microwave and set the timer. "So you got popcorn duty too?"
"Yep. So what do you think about this whole thing?"
"Sadly, I think this has everything to do with my mom trying to break up our family. She knows that if Nora kicks Dad out he'll have to go somewhere- and Mom's arms are always open." The timer went off and Edwin pulled out his bag.
"I just can't believe Mom thinks George would really cheat on her. We need to stick together!" said Lizzie gallantly as she took her turn with the microwave.
"The only problem is that Casey and Derek are as mad as Nora and Dad." Edwin sighed.
For some reason he felt responsible for all of this. His mother was driving a stake between the family. It was all her fault everyone was fighting. When George had married Nora, Edwin had not been so sure how all of this was going to work. However as the months passed, it felt more and more right. His new step-sisters were not strangers and his step-mom was becoming more like a mother to him every day. Now, all of this was falling apart. Everything the two families had worked for to become one, vanished in an hour.
"I've got to go- Casey and Mom are waiting on me. Meet me in the closet at midnight. We need a better plan." Lizzie removed her popcorn from the microwave and grabbed a bag of M&Ms.
"Deal. Keep your mind open for new ideas. See you at midnight."
Lizzie tiptoed out of her Mom's room at eleven fifty-five. Casey and Nora were sound asleep on the bed- they would never know she was gone. About an hour into the movie they had both dozed off and did not even hear her turn off the movie. She shut the door quietly and continued up to the game closet on the second floor. In the living area, George was asleep on the couch and Derek was snoozing in the recliner. A hockey game was still playing on the television, the volume down low. Edwin must already be upstairs. Three knocks later she entered the game closet with her brother.
"Any good news?" Edwin asked hopefully as she sat down.
"No. Mom's still upset. I haven't seen her this distraught since her and Dad got a divorce."
"Dad is just confused I think. He never cheated on Nora, honest." He had a desperate look in his eyes, trying to make Lizzie believe him.
"I trust you, but Mom swore she saw him and Abby kissing."
"And that's true, but Abby was kissing Dad, not the other way around." They both sighed, sitting for a while trying to think of something to do.
"I've got it!" exclaimed Lizzie after a few minutes. Edwin looked up in excitement. "We have to make them realize how much they love each other! A romantic dinner for two or a bed-in-breakfast. They love each other, so all we have to do is remind them!"
"Perfect!" Both of them were beaming, proud of their new plan. Until Edwin spoke up. "Er, Liz? How are we going to pull that off? We can't do it alone…"
"So we get Derek and Casey involved," said Lizzie matter-of-factly.
"But they're still mad at each other."
"They don't have to know they're working together."
"Genius! Pure genius! Derek wants Dad to be happy as much as Casey wants Nora to be. All we have to do is get them to think they're working on their own, but really, they're working together." His eyes lit up with the idea. He reached over and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. "Let's get planning."
"Well, first we need something to get them on talking terms first. So anything romantic might be too much. It needs to be something small; something that makes them work together."
"Something that they both care for..."
"Well, they both love all of us. But how are we going to do anything that could make them talk to each other?"
"I could break my leg- that would cause them both to worry and lean on each other." Lizzie looked skeptically at him.
"You're going to break your leg? That could be a little painful."
"Yea, it might not be worth it," grumbled Edwin. He began to doodle on the paper. He drew a stick figure doing cartwheels.
"What is that?" Lizzie leaned over, looking at his creation.
"Me."
"It looks like Marti's bear when she draws." All of the sudden, something dawned on Lizzie. "It's perfect!"
"Actually, it's a very mediocre masterpiece, but thanks anyway."
"No, stupid. My plan. Listen up."
For the next hour and a half the two cooked up a plan that was sure to bring their parents out of seclusion. And they didn't even need Derek and Casey for this master plan. Tomorrow, Operation Mom and Dad would be in the works.