In Limbo

Chapter 7

It was the middle of the afternoon that Monday as Amanda arrived home, and coming in the house, she was surprised at the disarray she saw as she walked in, as boxes were in front of, behind, and beside the couch, and chair and end table in the living room!

She called out, "Mother?! Are you here?"

Dotty peeked her head out from the dining room behind their china cabinet, and stated, "Darling! I didn't expect you for hours! How was your first day?"

Amanda, putting her work folders and purse down on one of the staircase steps, shook her head, answering, "Not great, but I'll tell you about it later...Tomorrow will be my first long day...What is going on? We had our furniture arranged already, didn't we?"

Dotty, with a huff as she squeezed herself out of the space between the china cabinet and the dining room table, which were surrounded by boxes,and walking towards her daughter in the living room, replied,"Y-Yes...We did, Dear, but one of the neighbors, Carol Lumbley, came over to introduce herself, and wanting to help, suggested the place might need some...um, I believe she called it, Feng-"

Amanda sighed, finishing the words for her, "Shui, Mother...Feng Shui...Really? She only just met you, but I think in her own kind way, she was trying to throw out suggestions, you know? But never mind. We'll get it back to the way we should have it before dinner, alright?"

Dotty queried, "Really? So you don't like my original idea of the TV over by the window? I think it would be fine there."

Amanda, with a patient sigh, commented gently, "Mother, we decided we shouldn't have it there because the sun would cast a glare, and there'd be more dust on the top of it, remember?"

Dotty shrugged, responding with a hand up, "Alright, Dear...Why don't you go change, and then help me move some things...Not the really heavy items of course. We'll wait until our strong boys are home to help-"

Just then, the phone rang, and Amanda stated, looking around distractedly, "I'll get it...Maybe it's the TV service people to set up our cable...Now, where is the phone?"

Dotty quipped with a wry smile, "Try the wall in the kitchen...It was put there Sunday afternoon, remember?"

Amanda shook her head, stating as she headed towards the kitchen, " Very funny, Mother...I think I like the phone put on the counter here instead. I'll see if I can arrange that..."

-SMK-

While Amanda was answering the phone, the boys came in yelling, "Grandma, we're home!"

Dotty put her index finger to her lips and stated quietly, "Shush! Your mother's on the phone...How was your first day at school? Any problems?"

When Phillip and Jamie sighed and then eyed one another, as they sat on the couch, Dotty responded, "Okay, what happened? Couldn't have been that bad...Phillip, you first."

Phillip shrugged commenting, "It was okay, but I had to fill out some stuff in the office before going to homeroom, since I'm new, and by accident, I put my real name down-"

Dotty winced slightly, remarking, "Ah, Phillip King? Well, that's alright...We'll straighten it out later-"

Phillip shook his head stating, "No, I put Samuel Phillip Blake...Mom didn't tell us about using different middle names, so I put what I thought was okay to do..."

Jamie, nodding, answered, "And at my school I had the same papers, and wrote Corey James Blake...Sorry, Grandma, but we-we miss our old names."

Phillip added, "Yeah...I mean, we're who we really are in the house, so why can't we-"

He stopped mid sentence as Amanda came back into the living room, and seeing the boys, gave them each a hug and replied, " Hi Boys...I just heard what you were telling Grandma, and don't worry about it...And to answer your question...We have to be different out there because the Government wants to keep us safe, so we just have to do what they tell us, alright? Believe me, your grandmother and I want our old names back as well...But look, you're still my sons, and her grandsons, and that's never gonna change, okay? Now, why don't you go change out of your school clothes...Wait...Do you have any homework?"

The boys shook their heads, and Jamie replied, "I got a guidebook to read-it's about dress codes and rules at my school. They said I'd have homework tomorrow, though."

Phillip nodding, responded, "Yeah, me too...But do we have to look at them now?"

Amanda shook her head, answering, "No. Listen, go up, and change, and then come back down, have some granola bars that are in the cupboard, and then help Grandma and I move some stuff before dinner, okay?"

The boys nodded in relief, and headed upstairs, as Dotty asked, "Who was on the phone, Amanda?"

Amanda stated, " That was Carol Lumbley, the neighbor you mentioned earlier...Apparently, we have a Home Owner's Association meeting to attend tonight to familiarize ourselves with the neighborhood, but I begged off, explaining we were new, and that we were still trying to get settled. Since she's going though, she offered to get us pamphlets, and drop them off later...Now, about dinner-"

Dotty, putting up a hand, remarked, "Pizza it is...At least for tonight...Until we get the kitchen in order, and can do more grocery shopping...Oh, and about the bank-"

With a heavy sigh, Amanda replied as she headed for the stairs picking up her purse and work folders, "Mother, please! Let's just do as much as we possibly can tonight, and then worry about the rest later, alright? I'm going up to change, also."

Watching Amanda head up the stairs, Dotty answered, "Boy, your day must have been a real humdinger!"

Amanda scoffed, quipping back, "Oh, you don't know the half of it..."

TBC