Tiffany sat on her bed, absentmindedly pushing a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear, only to do it all over again when it fell back in front of her brown eyes time and time again. She smiled as she chatted on the phone with her best friend, Abigail. They were making plans. Abigail was going to come over and spend a week with Tiffany, who now lived two counties way. They used to live in the same neighborhood, in fact they used to live in the houses right next to each other. But then Tiffany's dad got a better job offer and they moved. But the two girls had kept contact after all these months, and were just as inseparable as ever.
"And don't forget to bring you swim suit." Tiffany said, "The Hollingers have a pool, they let us use it so we'll probably go there while you're here. You'll also want sunscreen, but we've got plenty here so you don't really need to bring any."
The two girls had been on the phone together for at least two and a half hours. Abigail had put her phone on speaker, and she packed her suit case as they talked. Abigail kneeled beside her dresser and pushed the two lower drawers closed before standing and opening the top drawer.
"Ok, I have two one piece swim suits, a two piece swimsuit, and a bikini. What do you think I should bring?"
"Eh," Tiffany's voice sounded from the phone across the room, "whatever you want. Just know that the Hollingers have two boys and a girl."
Abigail threw her hands up. "Ok. How old are they?"
"Mmm, Cassidy is 13, Justice is 16, and I think Bruce is 17. Not sure about Bruce though."
"Right, and which one do you have a crush on again?" Abigail smiled, anticipating Tiffany's reaction.
"What!?" Tiffany exclaimed. "Ew! Neither of them. What are you talking about?"
"Oh, nothing." Abigail tucked a piece of her red-brown, cork screw, curly hair behind her ear and chuckled to herself. "Anyway, so one piece and two piece then?"
"Yeah, that'll do." Tiffany replied.
"Ok then, I think that just about covers everything." Abigail sighed contentedly. She was always glad to be done doing things.
"Yeah, I don't see what we could have possibly missed." Tiffany shook her head, they were really very thorough.
Abigail climbed onto her bed and struggled to lift half of the suit case over onto the other half. "I know right." She said slowly as she strained. She had it most of the way up, and when it suddenly fell on the other half, she was pulled down with it. "Whew. Besides, even if there was anything else, I don't think it'd fit. This suitcase is packed, man."
"Duh, what have we been doing this whole time?" Tiffany asked, teasing Abigail.
"Oh you know what I meant." Abigail waved the comment away. "Anyway, I gotta go. We should be leaving in..." She paused and looked at her watch, "wait, it says it's 7:16. Tiff, what time is it?" She asked urgently.
"Uhm it's like...11:30." She said at last.
"Oh no!" Abigail zipped up her suit case so fast the zipper nearly broke off. "I have to go. Talk to you later Tiff!"
"Ok, talk to—" but she was cut off, Abigail had already hung up the phone and was rushing about putting on socks and looking for her shoes.
She and her mom were supposed to be on the road by now. It was an hour drive to get to Tiffany's house, and they were supposed to be there for lunch. Tiffany's mom had promised to have a key lime pie waiting for Abigail in the fridge. Key lime pie was Abigail's absolute favorite dessert, and she couldn't wait to have some.
The suitcase wheels hit the floor with a bang as Abigail took off running for the car. The suitcase thumped all the way down the stairs, and rolled loudly on the hard wood of the kitchen floor. She flung open the door to the garage and stopped dead in her tracks. The car wasn't there.
She left the suitcase in the door way and ran though the house. "Mom. Mom!" She called as she peeked in every room. But her mother wasn't in any of the rooms, in fact she didn't seem to be in the house at all. Abigail rushed to the phone in the kitchen and dialed her mom's cellphone number. She drummed her fingers on the counter nervously while she waited for her mom to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Mom! Where are you? We're supposed to be heading over to Tiffany's house."
"I'm at the store sweetie. Jackson needed a new pair of pants." She said, explaining why Abigail hadn't seen her little brother when she searched the house.
"Well, are you almost done? We're supposed to be leaving already. You didn't forget about today, did you?"
Abigail's mom sighed. Secretly she had, in fact, forgotten that today was the day her daughter had been waiting for. For weeks it was all Abigail had talked about. "Of course I didn't forget. Yes we're done at the store and are on our way home. I'll be there in about three minutes. See you soon dear. Bye."
"Hurry, bye." Abigail hung the phone back in its cradle on the wall. 'Oh no,' she thought, 'she forgot.'
Well, her mom said she'd be back in three minutes, Abigail decided to wait for her mother at the end of the drive way. She started up the stairs to go to her room, when she remembered she'd left her suitcase in the garage door way. She retraced her steps and lugged her suitcase out of the house. She rolled it out of the garage and down the driveway and leaned it against their green plastic mailbox. She looked nervously up and down the road. She checked her watch to see what time it was, only to remember that her watch was broken.
"Oh hello, Abigail. What're doing out here?" Abigail's neighbor called from her porch where she was tending her "little" garden of potted plants.
Abigail could just make her out behind all of the greenery, 'It must be like a jungle in there.' She thought. "Oh nothing, Mrs. Aker, I'm just waiting for my mom." Abigail answered, "She said she'd be back any minute."
"Well would you like some daisies? I have a few that need cutting."
"Umm..." Abigail didn't really want to go up there. Mrs. Aker always made her eat some new cookie with all natural ingredients. And when she'd ask if Abigail liked them, well Abigail always said yes. Of course, Abigail thought the exact opposite, but how could she say that to nice, old, Mrs. Aker's face? Then Mrs. Aker would tell Abigail to wait there, and she'd go inside and bring Abigail a brown paper bag with more cookies.
"Come on, I have them all tied up in a bouquet for you." Mrs. Aker continued.
Abigail gulped. "Ok." She said.
Abigail glanced down the street both ways, trying to see if there was any excuse to not cross over to her neighbor's, but the road was empty, save for a few parallel parked cars on both sides of the street. 'Maybe if I go quickly,' she thought, 'and if I see mom coming, I can get out of there before she gives me the cookie.' She was counting on her mother being there within a minute.
She hopped on the concrete stepping stones that connected the two drive ways and walked slowly up the steps of Mrs. Aker's front porch.
"Here you are dear." Mrs. Aker said and handed Abigail the little bouquet which she had wrapped with twine. "Flowers are doing lovely this summer. Would you like a cookie dear? I've got some right here." She didn't wait for Abigail's answer, the girl always said yes anyway. Mrs. Aker popped the lid off an old Christmas cookie tin she'd filled with her own home made cookies. She removed two, giving one to Abigail and munching on the other herself.
"I think the wheat grass made a big improvement, don't you? I used the same recipe I used last week, only this time I added wheat grass."
Abigail looked down at the cookie in her hand, feeling more and more sick at the thought of actually having to eat it.
"You mean the same recipe with the marigolds in it? That's what was in last weeks right?" Abigail asked, buying time.
"Oh yes, that's right dear." Mrs. Aker helped herself to another one.
Abigail gulped. The one she'd had last week was nasty—and this one didn't look much better. She glanced, imploringly, down the street, praying she would see her mom. But alas the road remained empty. Then she noticed Mrs. Aker's eye on her, Abigail quickly took a bite.
"They're good." Abigail said, wanting nothing more than to spit it out right then and there. She managed to finish the rest in the second bite. "Thank you for the cookie Mrs. Aker, and the flowers. I think I'll—"
"Oh you're welcome dear. Wait there, I'll get you some more for the drive. Where did you say you were going again? You have quite the suitcase down there on the driveway." Mrs. Aker continued talking as she disappeared inside her house.
"I—I'm going to Tiffany's house." Abigail looked wildly around for her mother. Ah, there she was, coming down the street towards their house. When her mom pulled up and stopped in front of their house, Abigail sprinted to the car and opened her mom's door. "Quick mom! Mrs. Aker just went to get me more cookies, we have to go before—" but Abigail was cut off.
"Oh hello Marie, how are you today? I've just got a bag of cookies for Abigail, would you like one?" Mrs. Aker came and stood by the car.
"No thanks, Helen, I'm not hungry." Abigail's mother replied.
"Abigail, dear, I think you left your daisies on my porch. Don't forget them." Mrs. Aker said before turning to Abigail's mom. "I figured out the best thing to put in hydrangeas for fertilizer..." Abigail didn't catch the rest.
Abigail hurried to Mrs. Aker's porch and retrieved her bouquet, then rushed back to get her suitcase. She rolled it up to the back of the car and popped the trunk open.
"Boo!" Abigail's little brother Jackson yelled.
"Jack! Get out of the trunk, this suitcase will squish you flat if you don't." Abigail said warningly.
Jackson climbed over the back of the seat and laid down flat. He had seen Mrs. Aker, and didn't want to be offered any cookies. Mom said he had to eat them and be nice if she gave him some, so he just made sure not to be given any. He rubbed his fingernails over his new corduroy pants. He liked the sound they made when he walked. Now he and his best friend, Alex, had the same kind of pants.
Abigail struggled with her suitcase. Normally she'd ask her mom to help, but she was busy talking with Mrs. Aker, and if she interrupted, Mrs. Aker might remember to give her the cookies. So Abigail struggled on bravely, alone. She finally succeeded by pulling it up as far as she could, then jamming her knee under it, and then pulling it a little farther up using both her arms and her leg, and then allowing it to topple into the trunk. Abigail closed the trunk with a bang and looked at her mom. She was still talking, but was obviously trying to break away from the conversation.
"Well, Helen, I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I have to go."
"Oh yes, Abigail was telling me about it. Say, Abigail dear, did you say you were going to Tiffany's house? Tiffany Foster, who used to live here?"
"Yes Mrs. Aker. That Tiffany." Abigail replied from the relative safety of the other side of the car.
"Well I have some cookies for her and her family as well. Here, I almost forgot to give you them. Here you are." Mrs. Aker walked around the car, causing Abigail to subconsciously retreat a step before she caught herself.
"Thank you Mrs. Aker. I have to go now, I'll see you later." Abigail tried to excuse herself politely and retreat to the safety of the passenger seat, piling the two brown bags of cookies on her lap.
"Goodbye dear. And Marie, when do you think you'll be back? I have a lovely squash growing in the back garden, and it should be ripe any day now. I was thinking I'd cut it up and invite you over for dinner. Perhaps I can get Geoff to light the grill and we could have a proper cook out. What do you think?"
Abigail's mom was trying to end the conversation without seeming like was trying to get away. But it just seemed so impossible. "That sounds lovely Helen. I'll have to talk it over with David, but we could probably do that sometime. Just let me know when you think would be a good time, and we'll tell you if we can make it. I have to go now—"
"Oh and where is Jackson? I was supposed—"
"He's in the back. Have a lovely day Helen, I have to go. Goodbye." Abigail's mom quickly climbed into the car and, with one last wave to Mrs. Aker, she backed out of the driveway and drove down the street.
"Come on mom, hurry! It's already almost 11:50 and we're supposed to be at Tiffany's for lunch."
"Don't worry so much Ab," that was Jackson's nickname for Abigail, "the food won't run away."
"Yeah, but it might decide to do a magic trick, and disappear! Into people's stomachs." Abigail crossed her arms. "And if it does, we'll have to eat these." She crinkled the brown paper bag which held the cookies from Mrs. Aker. "Want one?" She asked Jack.
"No way man!" Jackson unbuckled and scooted over behind his mom. He quickly buckled back in before anyone could complain.
"Are you sure?" Abigail asked sarcastically, "They're good for you."
"They're too good for you." Jackson mumbled and looked out his window.
"I know right." Abigail agreed. "Ugh, and she made me eat one! What took you so long mom?"
"I had to stop by the bank, I realized I didn't have any money for gas."
"Did you already get the gas?" Abigail asked suspiciously.
"No." Abigail's mom sighed inwardly.
They turned off their street and drove until they came to the shell gas station. Abigail's mom had to wait a few minutes for a spot to open—the delay nearly drove Abigail mad—then she pulled up in front of the gas pump, put the car in park and turned it off. Jack, who all this time seemed to be just looking out of the backseat window, had actually been doing some quick thinking. He wanted some gum, but not the usual orbit brand mint gum his mother usually had tucked into her purse, he wanted a package of cotton candy flavored hubba bubba bubble gum.
"Mom, can I buy a some gum?" He asked hopefully.
Abigail was about to protest, but her mom spoke first. "Sure Jack. Still scheming to get that bubble gum I see. Here you go."
"Thanks!" Jack popped open the the door and got out.
"Fine," Abigail said sullenly, "can I get some too? It might get the taste of Mrs. Aker's cookie out of my mouth."
"Sure dear, here you go." Her mom handed her the money.
Abigail shoved her door open, unbuckled and followed her younger brother into the gas station store. Abigail's mom worked as quickly as she could. She knew Abigail would begin stressing out at how late it was getting, she was hoping to perhaps be done or almost done by the time her children came back from buying their gum. She sighed and rubbed her forehead as she unscrewed the lid to the gas tank.
Inside the store, Jack had already picked out the package of blue cotton candy bubble gum he wanted. Abigail had come up behind him and was standing in indecision in front of the gum selection. Jack decided to get away while he still could. He knew she was on edge, and he didn't want to receive any of the biting remarks she'd usually administer when she felt like that.
He wandered towards the counter, and saw that there was a line. Maybe Abigail would appreciate it if he got in line now and was near the front when she came. Jack got in line, he stuck his right hand in his pocket and closed it around his money. The line was moving slow, and the man right in front of him had an arm full of cokes and snickers bars. It was then, Jackson realized, he needed to go to the bathroom. He needed to go soon. He looked around for his sister, but he couldn't see her at all. Jack gulped, his need was starting to get urgent. He crossed his legs and tried to hold it longer. He bit his lip. He looked for his sister again, straining to try and see over the shelves and into the isles. But it was no use, his six year old body was just too small for that.
Jackson began to squirm. He really had to go now. What could be keeping her? Jack was beginning to be sure he'd wet his brand new pants any minute now. The man in front of him just began to lay his cokes and snickers on the counter. It wasn't the man's turn though, but he could set them down and slide them along the counter instead of freezing his paunch and arms.
Jack didn't know what to do. Behind him, more people had lined up. There were at least six waiting behind him now. Yet Abigail just seemed to not be coming. Jack shifted his feet. He really had to go, even the man standing behind him in line could see that. The man was beginning to wonder if he should offer to hold the poor boy's place in line. Jack was staring towards the gum section, he was just about to shout his sister's name when someone bumped into him.
"Hey, watch where you're going." Abigail said. She'd done her math and had picked out a drink as well as a pack of watermelon flavored hubba bubba bubble gum. She'd spotted Jack in line already, so she came to join him. She hadn't realized he hadn't noticed her before.
"Here," Jack pushed his money and pack of gum into his sister's hands, "pay for me. I have to go to the bathroom." He didn't waste a second in running off in the direction of the restrooms sign.
Tiffany clutched the money in hand and turned back to face the front of the dwindling line. The man with the cokes and snickers was finishing up paying, so Tiffany placed the items on the counter where the cashier could reach them and pulled her money out of her pocket. She smoothed the dollar bills, and stacked the quarters. Then she stood and waited to see her total.
Outside, Abigail's mom was finishing up paying for the gas. She was relieved that her children hadn't made it back yet, but wondered why they hadn't. 'Probably a long line.' She thought. She slid into the drivers seat, buckled in and pulled up in front of the gas station store, and parked in one of the parking spaces near the door. She tapped her steering wheel, and then looked through the cd's in their cd case. She was about to get out and look for her children, when the sliding doors slid open and out walked Abigail. She walked around the front and got in the passengers side.
"Where's Jack?" Abigail's mom inquired.
"Bathrooms, last I knew." She answered dismissively. She ripped open her package of gum, unwrapped a piece and popped it in her mouth before handing her mother the change. She sighed with relief, the horrible nasty aftertaste of the cookies was replaced by the good artificial flavor of the gum. Then she looked at the time.
"Oh my word!" She cried. "We have to go, it's already 12:00. Where is Jack?"
"Bathrooms, last I knew." Abigail's mom mimicked. It was slightly childish, she knew, but it was so tempting to do.
Abigail made a face. "Can you tell him to hurry up?"
"No, he's in the boy's restroom. I can't go in there."
"Please?" Abigail begged.
There was no need for her to ask, Jackson had followed a few people out of the store and now opened the back door of the car. His mother and sister hadn't noticed him coming out, and so were surprised to hear the door opening. Jack slid in, shut the door and buckled up.
"Can I have my gum now, please?" He asked.
"Great," Tiffany said to her mother, "lets go." And she handed Jack his gum.
They drove out of their little town, and soon were out into the sparsely inhabited countryside. Abigail, nervously checking the clock every minute or so, was beginning to worry that Tiffany might think she wasn't coming anymore. And, if Tiffany didn't think she was coming, why, she might just leave and go over to the Hollingers—maybe even take the key lime pie with her. Abigail could, she decided, survive without the pie, it's not that she really needed it, but she wanted her best friend to be there when she arrived. That way they could run upstairs and decide what to do first, instead of Abigail sitting around waiting for Tiffany to get back. There was also the fact that lunch was supposed to be waiting for them there, they might get tired of waiting for her to arrive and just start eating. There might not be any food left, and then Abigail really would have to eat the cookies. Tiffany might even think that Abigail didn't like her anymore, and wouldn't want to be her friend.
Tiffany, of course, would never think such a thing. She wasn't planning to go anywhere, and was trying fervently to keep her older brother Seth from eating the pie. He, too, liked key lime pie, and was slightly annoyed that his mother had made one for Abigail, and not for him as well. Not that he wouldn't get a piece, the whole pie wasn't for her, but Tiffany wouldn't let him even have a tiny pinch of the gram cracker crust. Tiffany currently stood, back braced against the refrigerator door, listing off all the reasons why he couldn't have even a pinch. Seth then pleaded for just a little bit of whip cream then, but Tiffany remained firm.
"Why don't you go over to the Hollingers." She said, not really asking. "I can call you when she gets here."
Seth thought about this for a second. He could go to the Hollingers, he could take his swimming shorts and swim with Justice and Bruce, if Bruce was home. Maybe, he could even ask his mom if he could bring Justice over for lunch. That way Tiffany would have a friend, and he'd have a friend.
"Ok, I think I will. Just call their house when they get here." Seth left the kitchen. "Mom?" Tiffany heard him call.
"Whew." Tiffany sighed. She got pushed herself off the fridge, but she wasn't quite ready to believe that Seth wouldn't sneak back in here before he left and try to get a spoonful. She looked at the double door fridge, and thought about what she might do to ensure the safety of the pie.
'If I could just lock the doors together,' she thought, 'then it'd be safe.' She looked around the kitchen. There wasn't much she could use that was laying on the counters. She could probably jam one of the candle sticks in between the handles, but Seth could just remove it, take his bite, and put it back. She opened the drawer where her family kept all the odds and ends they didn't really have any other place for. Things like rubber bands, and paper clips, old pens, and spare batteries. Her eyes fell on the duct tape sitting in the back of the drawer.
'I could tape them together.' She thought. She was about to reach for the tape, when she realized it would probably leave sticky stuff on the handles, and then her mom would make her scrub it off. 'Well that won't do.' She mentally decided and slammed the drawer shut.
She walked back over to the refrigerator and sat down, leaning against it. She thought about getting a chain and lock, but she didn't have a lock; or a chain. Then she thought about getting some string and tying it up like that, but Seth could either untie it or simply cut it off. Tiffany knew whatever it was that she did do, it couldn't be permanent. So she couldn't glue the knife sharpener to the fridge. But then what could she do? At that moment Tiffany heard the front door open, and into the kitchen came her dad. He was carrying at least four plastic bags stuffed with groceries in each hand. He piled them up on the counter and flexed his hands, which hurt from the plastic handles of the bags cutting off the circulation to his fingers.
"Hey sweetie." He said when he saw his daughter.
"Hey daddy." Tiffany replied. She was about to ask him if he knew of anything she could use, but then she remembered: he liked key lime pie too. She decided it was a better idea to not bring it up so she wouldn't have to tell him why.
"By the way, Tiff," her dad, who had been about to leave the room, turned back for a second. "I got you a new bike lock. It's in one of the bags."
"Ok, thanks." Tiffany called. 'Hey, that's it!' She thought.
She jumped up and dug around in the multitude of plastic bags until she found the new, pink bike lock. She took it out of its wrapping and unlocked it. Then she realized, the things like the milk and eggs her dad had brought home would have to go in there first. She dropped the lock on the counter and sorted through the groceries, taking out all the perishables and leaving the rest. She quickly put them away in the fridge, then grabbed the bike lock. After winding it around about four times, she locked the ends together.
"There." She said, dusting off her hands.
When her dad came back in a few minutes later, Tiffany was gone. He began unloading the bags and putting the groceries away. Normally he would notice that the shredded cheese and yogurt he had bought weren't in the bags, but he was preoccupied thinking of the maple log a friend of his had given him. He hadn't decided what he was going to make it into yet, but he couldn't wait to go down to his workshop in the basement and start on it. He was so busy thinking about it, he never saw the bike lock.
Back in the car, Jack's stomach was beginning to feel as if a soul-sucking black hole had replaced his stomach. He was starving. Abigail began chewing on the side of her index finger nail. The clock said it was 12:25, five minutes 'till the time they were originally supposed to arrive at Tiffany's house.
"Can't you go any faster?" She asked her mom.
"No, I'm going the speed limit already, dear." Her mom replied.
Abigail sighed. They still had another half hour to go, and Abigail, like Jack, was beginning to feel hungry.
"Mom, could I at least try calling Tiffany to tell her we'll be late?" Abigail asked.
"Well, you can try, honey, but I don't know if you'll get any reception." Abigail's mom consented.
Abigail grabbed her mom's purse and dug around in it until she found her mom's grey flip phone. She flipped it open with one hand and looked at the signal bars. There were absolutely none. She grimaced and flipped the phone shut with one hand. 'Why, why couldn't they have just left on time?' She thought. She gave a long sigh.
Jack had spotted the sign saying which restaurants were on the next off ramp. There was Mc. Donald's, Pizza Hut, Burger King, even the Olive Garden. "Mommy, I'm hungry." He said, hoping she might get off at the next exit and maybe go to a drive-thru.
"Eat one of these." Abigail said crossly, waving a bag of Mrs. Aker's cookies in between the seats.
"I don't want those, I want something good to eat." Jack whimpered.
"Sorry sweetie, you'll have to wait until we get to the Foster's house." His mom was sure he was very hungry, but they weren't very far away from Tiffany's house now, maybe another twenty minutes of so.
Jack moaned and hugged his stomach, he just felt so empty. He felt so hungry, Mrs. Aker's cookies almost sounded good. Almost. Not quite enough to convince him to actually eat one on his own free will. He laid his head back limply against the seat, and stared listlessly out the window.
Back at the Foster home, Mrs. Foster was beginning to wonder when Marie, Abigail's mom, would arrive. She had been sitting in her office, which was right next to the front door, for a half an hour or so now. She was technically doing some filing, but really she was just waiting to hear the doorbell ring. She wasn't sitting idly, she was actually sorting the papers and other mess that cluttered her desk, but the moment she heard the doorbell ring she jumped up and rushed for the door, pausing only a moment to compose herself before flinging open the door.
"Afternoon ma'am, package for Renee Foster." It was the UPS man.
"Oh, thank you." Mrs. Foster tried not to sound disappointed. She took the package, "Where do I sign?" She asked.
"Here ma'am." He replied.
Mrs. Foster signed her name, Renee Foster, with a flourish.
"Thank you, and have a good afternoon." The UPS man said, handing over the package.
"You too." Mrs. Foster called to the retreating back of the UPS man.
Mrs. Foster sighed and shut the door. Well, she figured she could start getting lunch set on the table now. Her original plan was to let them come first, and then she'd pull it out of the fridge and call them all to eat. But it was getting later now, and they'd probably be hungry by the time they arrived. She dropped the box on a bench in the foyer, completely forgetting to look at it. She walked down the hall and through the living room to the kitchen. She began to cut up the potatoes she had boiled earlier, and then shelled and cut up the eggs she'd boiled before as well. She tossed them together into a big bowl and grabbed a fry pan and the package of bacon that had been thawing on the counter.
She turned on the stove and set the pan to heat up. Then she cut open the package, trying not to imagine what could be on the raw meat. She shuddered. She absolutely hated touching raw meat. It could just be absolutely filled with disease causing microorganisms. She set her face in a grimace and began laying the slices in the pan. The moment the pan was full, and the package was empty of bacon, she rushed to the sink. She used her wrist to pump some hand soap onto her hand, and then used her wrist to turn on the hot water. She wet her hands quickly and began lathering up the soap. She decided it wasn't enough soap, but as she went for more, she knocked the bottle on its side.
"Drat." She said.
After much pushing and prodding, using her wrists and elbows, she contrived to shove the bottle into a corner and administer another pumps worth of soap into her hands. She lathered it up and looked at the faucet. She just realized that she'd left it running the whole time. The water coming out of it was almost white, and billows of steam were drifting towards her. There was no way she could wash her hands in such hot water—and she knew it. She gave an inward sigh and began trying to turn on the cold water without using her hands. Once she was finally able to wash her hands, she became aware of a popping sound. As it dawned on her that the bacon had been sitting on the stove this whole time, cooking. She yelped and clamped her mouth shut at the same time. This resulted in a weird strangled cry, which Tiffany heard from where she sat in the living room.
Tiffany placed her book, face down, on the arm of the couch she had been reading on. Well, she'd been "sort of" reading. Really she would read a line or two, and then glance out the window to see if any cars were coming down the street; and if there were, she'd squint and try to make out if it was Abigail's car or not, then she'd read the same two lines all over again. Tiffany crept slowly up to the wall that divided the living room from the kitchen. She stood right by the door way and listened, she was rather sure her mother was under attack. She heard a pop, and her mom yell "Ouch!" which was followed by the sound of something dropping. That was enough to convince Tiffany that she was right.
What had really happened was, as Mrs. Foster was turning the bacon, a rather large bubble of grease had popped and hit her on the arm. She wasn't expecting this, no one ever is, so when the hot grease hit her skin she jumped back, yelling ouch, and dropped the tongs she was using to flip the bacon. She mumbled to herself as she turned on the cold water and thrust the burned part under the faucet.
Tiffany didn't connect the smell of bacon with the sounds she'd heard. She began looking around the living room for something she could use as a weapon. She searched, but she wasn't sure how much time she'd have to save her mom. The best she ended up with was a heavy blanket and a video game controller. She figured she might be able to throw the blanket over the attacker, and then use the controller's cord to fend him off. Maybe if she could get it around his neck she could choke him, or at least threaten to choke him if he didn't leave her mother alone. Armed with the two items, she peeked around the corner, then entered the kitchen.
Her mom was back in front of the stove, tongs in hand, moving the bacon around in the pan. Tiffany glanced around quickly, then looked back at her mother.
"Uh, are you ok mom?" She asked.
"Oh, well, pretty much. It was just some bacon grease. Hurts though," at this point she turned and looked at her daughter. "What're you doing with those sweetie?"
Tiffany had been holding the blanket partly over her head, the rest of it hung down and piled up at her feet. She was holding the controller by its cord, and her mom thought she looked a little bit strange.
"Oh, um, nothing." Tiffany said as it hit her how silly she'd been. She lowered the blanket and mumbled something about taking it back to the living room. She folded the blanket back up and laid it on the back of the love seat, and then returned the video game controller to the basket where all the controllers are kept. Then she sat down and resumed her "reading".
Mrs. Foster had resumed cooking the bacon. It was done now, and she pick up pieces, let them drip, and them with a quick movement transferred them to a plate with a folded paper towel on it. She turned off the stove and moved the fry pan to the back burner to allow the grease to cool. Once the bacon had cooled a bit, she got out a cutting board from under the counter, and pulled a big knife from the cutting block. She stacked the bacon in little piles of three, and lined them up on the cutting board. Then she proceeded to chop the bacon into bits.
When it was all chopped up, she lifted the cutting board and used the knife to add the bacon bits to the potato salad she was making. A few bits fell outside of the bowl, without giving it a second thought she swept them into her hand and added them in. Who would waste real bacon bits? She dug around in her spice cabinet until she found her bottles of dried dill and chives. She sprinkled some of both, using more chives than dill, into her bowl, and followed them up with some salt and a pinch of pepper. She lightly tossed the spices and the potatoes together, then went to the fridge to get the mayonnaise.
"What in the world!" She exclaimed when she saw the bike lock. "Who locked the fridge?"
Tiffany heard her from the other room. "Oh yeah, I did." She said the last two words loud enough for her mother to hear. She got up, closing her book on accident and ran into the kitchen.
"You did?" Her mother repeated. "Why?"
"Well, Seth wouldn't leave it—I mean the pie—alone, so I told him to go to the Hollingers and I locked the the fridge so he couldn't sneak back in here to get some."
Mrs. Foster covered her mouth with her hand, but even so she was audibly giggling. Soon she was laughing so hard she was almost crying. "So you locked it with your bike lock?!" She laughed harder until she clutched her stomach in pain. "O-okay well," she was trying to stop laughing now, but she wasn't very successful. "Well, I need you to unlock it now so I can get some mayonnaise."
Tiffany, who was a bit red in the face at this point, obediently unlocked to bike lock and removed it from the handles. Her mother opened the fridge side and found the jar of mayonnaise she needed. Tiffany craned her neck to see over her mother's arm. There it was, the key lime pie, sitting in the middle of a shelf, still smooth and perfect from when her mom made it. Her mom closed the door, and Tiffany thought about locking it up again. But then again, if her mom needed something else, she'd just have to go and unlock it again. She decided against locking it again. She wasn't worried that her mom would eat it. And if her mom was in here, it was very unlikely her dad and brother would get away with eating some. Instead she went skipping out the back door to the shed where the bikes were kept. That was when Seth returned.
He and Justice came in the front door. They kicked off their shoes in the foyer and were talking about some new video game or other that Justice had bought. He was carrying it, and the two boys were planning on playing it all afternoon.
"What's that?" Justice asked, pointing to the package Mrs. Foster had left in the foyer.
"I don't know." Seth picked it up. "It's for my mom, I guess we should give it to her." He led the way to the living room, and then into the kitchen were the smell of food was strong.
Mrs. Foster had just left the kitchen. She realized her cellphone was on her bedside table, and if Marie had tried to call her, she wouldn't know. The boys came in and saw she wasn't there, in fact no one was there, the room was empty.
"Oh well, she'll be back." Seth plopped the box on the island in the middle of the kitchen and turned back to his friend. When he turned, he saw the refrigerator. "Hey, did you know my mom made key lime pie?"
"She did?" Justice cried. He, too, liked key lime pie.
"Yeah, it's for lunch. You want some?" Seth asked.
"Are we allowed?" Justice hesitated.
"Uhh, no, probably not. So hurry." Seth yanked open the silverware drawer and took two spoons. He handed one to Justice and opened the fridge.
"What are you doing?!" Tiffany had just come back from the shed to see Seth and Justice crowding around the opened fridge. "You know you're not supposed to eat that!" She cried and pushed them away.
"Aww come on! Just a little bit." Seth pleaded.
"No, it's for later. Leave." She pointed to the living room.
"Fine, lets go." Seth said to Justice. They tossed the spoons on the counter as the passed and went into the living room.
Tiffany closed the fridge door and sat in the living room where she could keep an eye on them, and glare at them if they looked like they were going to try again. The boys began playing their game, and Tiffany picked up her book once again and tried to read.
Mrs. Foster came back downstairs, phone in hand, looking at a text her sister had sent her. She quickly wrote an answer and sent it. As she walked past the island, she stopped dead in her tracks. She stared at the package, which was now in the kitchen. 'I — I thought I left that in the foyer.' She mentally stuttered. She stared at it for a while, hands held like she was some sort of ninja master. If anyone had seen this, they would have thought she expected the box to bite her. That's what Justice thought. He'd looked over by chance when he saw movement through the doorway.
"I don't think your mom's ok." He said to Seth.
Seth looked up from the TV, "...You might be right." He finally agreed.
Back in the car, Abigail was relieved that they were almost there. Her mom turned onto the Foster's street and they passed long lines of almost identical houses before finally coming to Tiffany's. The car turned into the driveway and Marie didn't even have it in park before Abigail jumped out. She ran to the front door and rang the bell. She was followed shortly by Jack, who was so hungry he was sure he could eat an entire whale.
The doorbell ringing was what finally made Mrs. Foster quit staring at the package. The others had been leaning over the couches, watching her and giggling quietly, until they heard the bell.
"She must be here!" Tiffany yelled and was off the couch and running for the door in two seconds flat.
Mrs. Foster followed Tiffany, and the Seth paused their game. They didn't go to the door, no they went to the kitchen. They each got a knife and a fork, and took seats at the table holding the utensils upright in their hands.
"Abigail!"
"Tiffany!"
Both girls spoke at the same time. They hugged each other and then Tiffany pulled Abigail inside. Mrs. Foster said hello to Jack, and then went to greet Marie who was getting out of the car.
"Sorry it took us so long," Abigail was saying, "we left pretty late. Oh, and Mrs. Aker told me to give you something."
"That's not more of those cookies she makes, are they?" Tiffany asked, memories of the nasty dessert flooding back to her.
"Wouldn't you believe it." Abigail sighed.
The girls entered the kitchen. They saw Seth and Justice sitting at the table, waiting for food.
"Want some cookies?" Abigail asked, tossing the package on the table in front of them.
"Not if those are Mrs. Aker's." Seth said, recognizing the familiar paper bag.
"Why? What's wrong with them?" Justice asked. He'd never known Mrs. Aker, and had never heard of her cookies.
The others stared, wide eyed, at him.
"Try one." Tiffany said, not giving any explanation.
Seth didn't stop him from opening the bag. Justice chose one and looked at both sides carefully. He smelled it, seemed ok. He looked around the table at the others, then put the whole cookie in his mouth. Yep. The whole thing. He began chewing, and then the taste caught up with him. He gagged, then jumped up and ran for the trash can where he spit it out. Tiffany and Abigail were beginning to laugh. Justice ran to the sink and stuck his mouth under the faucet, which he turned on. He didn't stop gargling and spitting until he couldn't taste it anymore.
"That," Abigail stopped laughing long enough to say, "is what's wrong with them."
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