C.R.E.W

Chapter 8 ~ Flammable Fibs

      The smoke alarm was going off and I rushed down to see my mom blowing at the fire and swatting at it with a wooden spoon.

"Mom!" I yelled, too scared to get any closer.

"Honey! The stove caught on fire! Get some water in the mop bucket!!" She yelled.

I panicked and ran into the garage to grab the mop bucket, ran back inside and started putting the sink on blast to get as much water as I could inside the bucket. I filled it up about halfway and used all my might to pick it up and splash it in front of the stove. Water came flowing down onto the floor and I looked at my mom.

"Are you okay?!" I asked in a panic

"Yeah, but I can't say the same about the stove..." she looked at the stove that was now drenched in water.

"Go fetch the mop, will you?" She asked, staring down at the floor covered with water.

"Yeah!" I responded, exasperated as I brought myself back into the garage to grab the mop.

I walked back inside and mopped up the mess of water I had made from dumping the bucket on the stove.

"Looks like the chicken is messed up. What do you want to do? We can order pizza, order something else, or make something here if you're still comfortable." She laughed at her own remark and watched me as I mopped the floor.

"We can make something here, I'll save you the money." I smiled, hopeful that the next meal won't turn ablaze.

She smiled at me, "I appreciate your consideration."

"So, what are our options?" I asked her as I started mopping again.

"We can make sandwiches, homemade pizzas, I can make pasta..." she continued.

"What do you think Dad will want?" I asked.

"Knowing him, he'll eat anything." She laughed as she glanced back at me from the fridge.

I smiled as I continued mopping the floor, "I'm good with pizzas."

"Pizzas? Alright." She agreed as she took out the crusts and cheese from the refrigerator.

                                           ~~~

I had finished mopping the floor and got started making my pizza. My dad was going to be home any minute now and I was just waiting for a conversation to start.

"So, how was school?" She asked, not looking away from her pizza in progress.

I instantly remembered the cold, queasy feeling I got the minute he walked into the room. His cold, mischievous smile, the way he focused on me and then made the topic about Mental Disabilities, how I started to get goosebumps every second he spoke.

"Honey, are you okay?" She asked, noticing my bouncing leg and shaky hands.

"Yes! Everything's fine! School is great!" I shot up and blurted out. I started breathing heavy but tried to calm myself down.

"Okay...just-" I already knew what she was going to say.

"Let you know if I need anything, will do." The moment started to get awkward, so I forwarded myself to making my pizza, again.

Not too long after, my dad came home. He walked in with a grin on his face as he noticed we were making pizzas. He kissed my forehead and rubbed his fingers on the top of my head. He then kissed my mom and headed upstairs to change into something more comfortable. The typical "after work reunion."

"Done." I finalized as I cleaned my hands off with a towel.

"Okay, I'll go put it in the smaller oven," she smiled.