A Family Hustle: Part 6

Chapter 34

[KAIDEN'S POV]

One Week Later...

Ever Since Dad Left, My Mom Has Been Very, Very, Very Depressed. Though She Doesn't Show It, I Know She Is. Of Course I Stepped Up And Took On A Few Big Responsibilities. Since I Had My Permit, My Mom FINALLY Let Me Drive MY Car Back And Forth From School, And Picking Up The Younger Siblings. I Also Have To Cook Dinner, Help Out With Homework, AND Make Sure Everybody's In Bed On Time. Sounds Exhausting, I Know! My Mom Tells Me Over And Over Again That She Doesn't Need Help, But I Knew Better.

"STOP MJ!" Nevaeh Screamed.

"Give Me My Pencil Back!" MJ Said.

"NO! It's Mine!" She Said.

"Hey! Y'all Shut Up And Finish Your Homework." I Said.

"Kaiden...Is Pluto Still A Planet?" Naomii Asked.

"No. Not Anymore, But Put A Small Blue Planet Looking Thing, And Explain To Your Teacher That It Use To Be A Planet. That'll Get You Extra Credit." I Said.

"Okay!" She Said. I Searched The Entire Kitchen For Pizza Coupons And For Some Reason I Couldn't Find Them. I Sighed And Pulled Out My Phone To Call Mia.

"Hey Mia. Do You Have Any Pizza Coupons?" I Asked.

"No, But I Am Making Baked Spaghetti. Do You Want Me To Bring Some Over?" She Asked.

"Sure. That Sounds Good." I Said.

"Okay. I'll Be Over In Half An Hour." She Said.

We Hung Up And I Sat At The Table. Mia And I Are Still Together, But We Decided That We Needed Space So She Went Home.

"So What's For Dinner?" Nevaeh Asked.

"Mia's Gon Bring Us Some Baked Spaghetti." I Said.

"Are Y'all Still Going Out?" Naomii Asked.

"Yeah." I Said.

"Why She Leave?" MJ Asked.

"Because She Wanted To! Stop Asking Me Questions And Finish Your Homework!" I Snapped.

A Half An Hour Later, Mia Was Knocking At My Door.

"Hey Beautiful." I Said As I Answered The Door.

"Hey Yourself." She Said. She Kissed Me And Headed To The Kitchen.

"Hey Guys." She Said.

"Hey Mia!" Everybody Said. I Scooped Aubree Up And Sat Her In Her High Chair. I Grabbed The Plates And Forks, And Watched Mia Serve Everybody. I Then Grabbed Everybody A Drink And We All Sat Down.

"Mia You Have To Look At My Project On The Solar System! I Did It All By Myself!" Naomii Said.

"That's Great! I'll Look At It After Dinner." She Said.

"Mom's Home." MJ Said.

"What? How You Know?" I Asked.

"Wait For It. 3, 2, 1!" He Said. Next Thing I Know, My Mom Comes Walking Through The Door.

"Hey I'm Home." She Said.

"Man! How'd You Do That?" I Asked.

"It's A Gift." He Said.

"What's A Gift?" My Mom Asked As She Walked Into The Kitchen.

"MJ Knew You Were Home Before We Did." Naomii Said.

"You Know...I Wonder How You Do That." She Said.

"He Says It's A Gift." I Said.

"That It Is." She Said.

"Well...Mia Brought Us Dinner. Baked Spaghetti." I Said.

"That Was Very Nice Of You Mia, Thank You." She Said.

"No Problem Mrs. Smith. Would You Like Me To Make You A Plate?" Mia Said.

"No Thanks Honey. I'm Craving Some Doritos. I Been Wanting Them All Day." She Said. I Laughed.

"Well Then." I Said.

"Mom! You Have To Look At My Solar System Project!" Naomii Said.

"Ugh! Stop Talking About That Dang Project!" Nevaeh Said.

"Shut Up!" Naomii Said.

"Y'all Don't Start, And Naomii It Looks Great Baby. I'm So Proud Of You." Mom Said.

"Thank You Mom." Naomii Said, Sticking Her Tongue Out At Nevaeh.

After Dinner, Mia And I Cleaned The Kitchen While Everybody Else Was Doing Whatever They Were Doing.

"So...Have You Heard From Your Dad?" Mia Asked.

"We Talked Last Night. He Wanted To Make Sure Everything Was Okay Here." I Said.

"So What Exactly Happened?" She Asked.

"I Really Don't Know. I Was Dozing Off When I Heard A Crash And Some Yelling. You Were Fast Asleep, So I Went To See What Was Going On, Only To Be Followed By MJ And The Girls." I Said. She Gasped.

"No!" She Said. I Nodded.

"Yep. We All Crept Downstairs And Overheard Everything. My Mom Was Screaming And Telling My Dad To Leave If He Doesn't Wanna Be Here. And He Left. My Moms Been So Depressed And It's Sad." I Said.

"Wow....That's So Upsetting." She Said.

"I Know Right." I Said.

"Well....I'm Gonna Get Going. I'll Call You Once I'm Home." She Said. I Walked Her To The Door And Hugged Her Tight.

"Thanks For The Dinner Babe." I Said.

"No Problem. Go Be A Sexy Big Brother To Your Adorable Siblings!" She Said. I Laughed.

"I'll Try." I Said. She Giggled.

"I Love You." She Said. I Smiled.

"I Love You Too." I Said. We Shared A Passionate Kiss And Then She Left. Wow...Shit Really Just Got Real! I Think I'm In Love!