Murders Of The Past

TWO

GIGGLING FILLS MY ears and I frown. I can't hear my show! Who's kids are those? Tell your kids to- wait those are mine.

I stand up from the couch and poke my head past the wall, watching Aiden charge towards the kitchen, opening the freezer and digging through it. What does he think he's doing? Bailey walks in after him, carrying a black trifold board that's almost bigger than her, along with a grocery bag in her hands. There's two of them. Where's my other two?

"Sadie baby, we're home!" I roll my eyes. I hate when he calls me that. I don't know why, I just do. Maybe because it rhymes. Maybe because it's more creative than what I call him, which is dumbass.

I come out of my hiding place and Carlos looks at me, smiling.

"There's Mommy, go to her," Carlos mocks a baby voice, speaking to Thana. Thana, sucking on her pink pacifier, looks at me with her big brown doe eyes and makes grabby-hands. I sigh.

"Carlos, what did we say about the pacifier?" I take my four year old out of his arms so he can put grocery bags on the counter.

"She wanted it." He shrugs. "Would you rather her bite off her finger?" I raise a brow, not understanding his question. Carlos sighs. "If she doesn't have the pacifier, she chews on her thumb. She could bite her thumb off."

"Good. She'll learn a lesson to stop chewing on things."

"Sadie!" Carlos gasps and Bailey looks at us with her bright blue eyes.

"The best way to learn is through," I explain calmly, making a forward motion with my hand. Carlos rolls his eyes, turning around to put the groceries away. I look to Aiden who's about to open a box of Drumsticks.

"Ah, ah! What do you think you're doing?" I snap my fingers at him. He whips his head up and stares at me, paling. "No dessert before dinner, you know the rules."

"But Mom!" He whines.

"I think he could use a pacifier too," I mumble. "Don't you agree?" I ask Thana who's fiddling with my wavy blonde hair. "Of course you do. That's why you're my favorite," I whisper, planting a kiss on her warm forehead.

"You shouldn't eat that, it's bad for you," I hear Bailey say.

"What do you know about what's good and bad? You dug through the trash, you gross... baboon!" Aiden retorts and I furrow my brows, looking at my two kids.

"You dug through the trash?" Bailey turns to look at me, nodding proudly. Is this the result of Carlos Colby? A child who digs through trash? Bailey opens the trifold board and presents a title with bright neon paint that reads Is It Healthier?

"In school we're doing research on sugary food and their negative affects," she explains. "And I was digging through the trash— " she sends Aiden a look, "—to get these." She sets the board on the floor in front of her black ballet flats and reaches into the grocery bag she was carrying, pulling out an empty bottle of Mountain Dew, an empty water bottle, and a juice pouch. "I'm going to take the amount of sugar that's in each of these and put them in bags to demonstrate how much sugar each of these drinks contain, then I'm going to put them on the board."

"But nothing's in those," Aiden points out. Bailey's eyes go wide and she huffs in frustration.

"I know."

"So where are you going to get the sugar?"

"Well I could always pull it out of you, I'm sure there's plenty of sugar inside of you!" Aiden clenches his fists, glaring at her.

"You're just jealous I can eat all the candy I want and no one stops me!"

"What are you talking about? Everyone keeps telling you not to, you just don't listen." Bailey gasps. "I should add that! That sugar kills your brain!"

"Dad!" Aiden screams. "Tell her to stop it!" I look at Carlos who groans, shaking his head.

"Why don't you two go do your homework?" He suggests.

"OK!" Bailey chirps and runs along upstairs to do whatever it is intelligent nine year old's do.

"Ew, no!" Aiden cringes.

"Then help me put the groceries away."

"No!"

"Then do your homework."

"Fine, I'll help with the gross reeds!" Carlos looks at me with a smirk, which I return. Well played, Carlos. Well played.

"What are we having for dinner?" Aiden asks.

"Ask Mom."

"Mom, what are we having for dinner?"

"Ask Dad."

"But I did."

"Ask him again. He's a little slow." I feel something soft hit the back of my head and I spin around, my eyes locking with Carlos's blue ones. I look down at my feet to find a roll sitting on the floor. "Did you just throw bread at me?" I look back up at him.

"Huh? What was that? Sorry, I'm kind of slow." He shoots me daggers. I roll my eyes, picking up the bread and tossing it to Aiden.

"That's your dinner."

"What!" I laugh at his reaction. My favorite part about having kids is driving them crazy.

I hear the phone ringing and look up but Carlos beats me to it. I roll my eyes. He left me alone to handle two kids. One is enough.

"Aiden, I'm serious. Put that Drumstick back," I command.

"But it's yummy!"

"I don't care if it's yummy. Punching people is yummy, but you don't see me punching people all the time." I furrow my eyebrows. Wait, what did I say?

"Huh?"

"Sadie." I look away from my confused son and to Carlos who's walking in from the other room. He's clutching his phone with distraught eyes.

"What is it?" I ask, squeezing Thana in my arms, preparing myself for whatever Carlos is about to tell me.

"Your Dad had a heart attack."

Does Sadie seem like a good parent? What about Carlos? Do their kids sound like good kids? Is Dennis Bane (Sadie's Dad) going to be okay?

{I don't know why I'm asking these questions, I just felt like it.}

Thanks for reading!