MOM'S HOME

"Great... Now Mom's home." Edith looked all around the room. It was flooded. Water was leaking out from under the door and running into other rooms.

"Quick! look for a towel or something!" Margo was in a panic. She had no idea how she would explain her way out of this one. She was the oldest. She had to have some sort of explanation. Different possible reasons and responses rushed through her head in a blur.

Edith ran to the bathroom to get a towel. She grabbed one and ran as fast as she could back towards the laundry room.

Lucy stepped in the door just as Edith ran by with the towel.

Edith froze.

"Were you out playing in the rain again?" Lucy asked.

Edith tried to put up a fake grin. "Uh, um, yeah. Just playing in the rain."

"Looks like you brought a lot of the rain inside with you." Lucy pointed to the water coming from under the laundry room door.

Edith sighed. It was no use lying. "We had an accident in the laundry room."

Lucy started laughing. "I can see that! Here, I'll help you girls clean up." The two walked inside the flooded laundry room.

Margo saw them and looked embarrassed. She hoped Edith wasn't going to betray them and blame Agnes and herself for the mess.

Agnes didn't know what to think.

"What happened in here? You girls get a change of clothes. I'll mop up the water." Lucy laughed again. "And then you can tell me just what happened."

Margo looked relieved as she walked with the others to their room. She was glad that Lucy was the sort of person who would understand. Gru had done well choosing her for a spouse. Margo wiped the water off of her glasses so she could see. She helped Agnes pick out a change of clothes, and grabbed some for herself.

Edith was wringing out her beanie in the bathroom sink. Her hair was badly jumbled into disarray. It looked like she had never taken off the beanie in her life.

About this time, Gru came up from the laboratory and saw Agnes and Margo soaking wet, waiting in line for the bathroom, and holding fresh clothes. "What? What happened here?"

Lucy's head popped out from behind the laundry room wall. "There you are, Gru. I got the replacement piece. It was a little tricky to find, but I got it."

"Dat is good." Gru stepped into a puddle. He was worried that it belonged to Kyle at first but looked around and saw that it was more of a flood than a puddle. "Weel Someone please explain to me what eez going on here?"

Agnes walked up to Gru and handed him the wet pin. "I found this on the floor of your lab yesterday, Mr. Gru."

"Ah, so dats where eet went. Thank you, Agnes, but... What happened to ze floor?"

"We opened the washer to get it out of my pockets." Agnes answered simply.

"While it was turned on?" Lucy asked.

The girls nodded.

Lucy laughed again and Gru rolled his eyes.

"Sometimes I wonder how you girls..." Gru didn't finish his sentence. Instead he began looking for another mop.

A few minions arrived on the scene and began pumping water outside of the house.

Soon enough, the floor was clean, and the family was sitting at the table eating dinner.

"Ve don't plan to punish you for dees, but I suggest that you don't do eet again. I know you were only trying to help."

"So...you're not mad?" Margo asked.

"No, we're not mad. That was hilarious." Lucy answered with a small laugh.

"As long as you don't let eet happen again."

"Thanks." Edith responded gratefully.

Agnes didn't seem to understand, but was glad that she wasn't in trouble.

The family finished their dinner together, and Gru looked at the clock on the wall. It was getting late. "All right, keetans, eets time for bed."

The girls went to their room, brushed their teeth, put on their PJ's, said their prayers, and lay down in their beds to wait for their parents to tuck them in. Gru and Lucy arrived promptly for the bedtime story and goodnight kisses. Everyone was exhausted. they had had quite a day, but everyone was grateful. Somehow all that had transpired that day managed to pull them closer together as a family. And what a strange family they were.