Chapter 9
1317 Words
Aubrey’s POV
“Why do we have to go to Dave and Cheryl’s?” Nick whines on the drive over to our dad’s place Sunday afternoon. “I hate it there! So I better not find out you’re actually dropping me off there for good!”
“It’s just dinner, I swear,” I promise him. “And it’s going to be barbecue ribs, your favorite! This is the last time you’ll see them again until December, so just suck it up and be nice!”
“Fine, I’ll be nice,” Nick claims. “As long as Cheryl doesn’t keep treating me like a slave, or expecting me to babysit the brats tonight for free!”
That had been one of the biggest issues with Nick staying with dad and Cheryl during the summer holiday. They expected Nick to help out around the house by doing chores, and to babysit the kids without pay so they could go out on dates or so Cheryl could run errands without the kids, even though Nick had been working part time and paying rent to share a room with a toddler.
Dad had called it character building. Nick had called it slave labor, pointing to the fact that he had hardly been able to save up any of the money from his summer job so that he’d have some pocket money during his final year of college.
“No one is asking you to babysit tonight,” I tell him. But once we arrive, we find out that Cheryl isn’t there at the moment. Apparently she was out getting her nails done. Nick gives me a significant look, as if he completely expected this.
“Here, can you just hold Paige for me while I get dinner for everyone started?” Dad says, handing the baby over to me. “I just fed her so she should be happy for a while. But Cheryl will be back pretty soon.”
“Umm… sure,” I say, after the fact. And then I hear the distinct sound of Paige crapping her pants. Just fantastic, I can’t help but think as I head towards my old bedroom that had been turned into a nursery in recent years.
Nick follows along looking at me with a smug looking lopsided smile.
“See, I told you so!” Nick claims triumphantly. “Nothing is free in this place anymore. Not even a family dinner comes without strings attached!”
“We are now adults,” I remind my little brother for the hundredth time. “Including you, even if you’re fighting against it tooth and nail. Helping out with chores around the house teaches you important life skills and responsibility.”
“Yes, mommy!” Nick says snarkily.
“Niiiiick!” Paxton says, tugging on his pants leg. I hadn’t even seen our younger brother enter the nursery. “Carry me pig back! Daddy says you will!”
“See, Aubrey!” Nick moans dramatically. “This is what I’m talking about! I never get a break or any privacy when I’m here because I had to share a room with him!
“Niiiiick!” Paxton demands once more, sounding very much like a miniature version of Cheryl. “Pig back, or I gonna tell on you!”
“So go tell on me then, little bro!” Nick suggests. “I don’t live here anymore. You aren’t in charge of me.”
“Daaaaaadeeeee!” Paxton screams, running off to find dad in order to tell on Nick.
“He’s turning into an insufferable little entitled brat!” Nick tells me as I try to snap the onesie and then the pants correctly for the third try while the little thing wiggles around the changing table like a worm. “Always thinking he can tell me what to do, and expecting me to play with him all the time. And dad makes me do all that crap, reminding that he used to do all that play time with me. But Paxton is HIS kid, not mine! I didn’t sign up for this.”
“Hey, where’s daddy?” Paxton comes back to ask.
“He’s in the backyard, barbecuing ribs,” I tell him, grabbing Paige from the changing table, planning to put her in her bouncy seat in the living room.
“No he’s not!” Paxton argues.
Nick and I look at each other, and head immediately to find dad, then calling out his name when he’s not found in the backyard where we expected him to be. And I notice that the grill is cold!
“s**t!” Nick exclaims angrily. “They dumped the kids on us and left!”
I go into the kitchen and find a note.
There is pizza being delivered for dinner, and an extra bottle of formula in the warmer for Paige. We’ll be back by 11 at the latest!
Love, Dad
“Those dirty rats!” I can’t help getting angry now. “This is child abandonment! That’s against the law!”
“Oh, now it’s a problem if they do this to you?” Nick points out unhelpfully. “You always tell me it’s helping out and being all responsible and s**t whenever they do this to me!”
“OK, I agree that they’ve been taking advantage of you,” I admit, taking out my phone and typing a quick message to my absentee parent stating to the effect that this behavior will not be tolerated in the future or the authorities will be getting involved. “But you’ll be gone in a few days anyway, back to Arizona. I’d like to see them try and force you to babysit while you’re over 1000 miles away!”
“No, they’ll just find some way to sucker you into it somehow!” Nick says with a laugh, going to answer the doorbell that just rang. Apparently the pizza delivery guy was already here. Half cheese, half pepperoni, and an order of hot wings.
“Yay! Pizza!” Paxton shouts, jumping up and down for joy.
“What are you excited for?” Nick grumbles angrily, a sentiment that I’m starting to share. “It’s not even good pizza! It’s like cardboard with cheese! I was promised ribs.”
I look at the greasy looking cheap pizza and can’t help feeling disappointment at how this evening is working out as well. It was very dishonest of dad to pull such a stunt, and then not even sweeten the deal with actual ribs! This is how people end up with trust issues. If I end up needing therapy thanks to tonight, I’m sending the bill straight to David Nicholas Downing with no regrets.
I look at my text messages to see if dad responded yet. Nope. I try calling him, but it immediately goes to voicemail. He left us here with his precious do-over family, and has the gall to turn his phone off?
“Unbelievable!” I can’t help but exclaim loudly. “What if there were an emergency? How can I get ahold of them?”
“Welcome to my world, sis!” Nick says with a laugh.
And I was about ready to kill my father and Cheryl when they finally got back about 12:15 am, far later than promised, and tipsy.
“I can’t believe you two,” I tell them off angrily. “What you did was highly irresponsible! And I have to work early in the morning!”
If I was expecting any sort of apology, though, I was sadly mistaken.
“Aww, well,” Cheryl explains, giggling as she does so. “It’s all right because we’re family!”
I just left in disgust at that point, and decided I would not be answering any phone calls from either of them for quite a long while!
- Writer
