Going Back Home

On the way back to her home at the Chan residence in the Chan van, Anne was sitting next to Alan, holding Boo to her chest.

"After that hospital food," Anne said to Alan. "I can't wait to fix you all bowls of my chilli con carne with soft breadsticks!"

"You're back to normal all right!" Alan commented.

"Your sister may be back to her old self, Alan," Charlie commented. "but I'm afraid she will need to take it easy for a while."

"Oh, Pop." Anne groaned irritably, mentally face palming.

"Anne," Henry chided. "you know better than to talk back to our father!"

"Sorry, Pop." Anne said.

"You are forgiven," Charlie said to Anne. "once we get home, I would like you to put your feet up, do I have your word?"

"My word is my bond, Pop." Anne said.

"Good." Charlie said to Anne.

A little while later after dinner at the Chan residence, Anne had her feet propped up on the footrest of her father's Recline Massage-omatic 3000, the easy chair that she and Alan got their father for his birthday twelve years ago.

When Scooter entered the living room with the copy of Cinderella in his hands from the bookcase.

"Oh, hey, Scooter, isn't it nearly your bedtime?" Anne asked.

"Aw, you sound like Mimi when you say that." Scooter said to Anne in protest.

"Hey, no need to insult me on my first day back home." Anne said to Scooter.

"Sorry." Scooter said.

"So what brings you here?" Anne asked.

"I can't go to sleep without a story," Scooter said to Anne. "Henry and Stanley are playing Go Fish in the dining room, Suzie is washing the dinner dishes while Nancy is drying them, Mimi is putting leftovers in the refrigerator, Alan is tinkering with the Chan van, Tom is assisting Alan, and Flip is in my bedroom studying for his math test, it would break my heart to disturb them, would you mind reading Cinderella to me? Last night's story was Hansel and Gretel, only Chief read it as Scooter and Mimi just to make it fun."

"Ah, yeah, sure, why not?" Anne asked Scooter.

After giving his sister the book, Scooter happily climbed into Anne's lap as she opened it.