An Apocalyptic Invasion

childhood memories

It was just after school ended, probably the first week of summer vacation.

Carlos's mom, Gloria, called my mom to see if we wanted to eat at our favorite ice cream place- Baskin Robbins.

We had just eaten dinner and my mom thought it would be a good idea to eat dessert with his family.

I had just finished putting my plate in the dishwasher when my mom came up to me.

"Do you want to go to Baskin Robbins?" she asked.

"With who?"

"Carlos and his mom. I think his sister will be there."

"Really?" I gasped. "Thank you, Mommy!"

I ran up to her and gave her a big hug. She hugged me back and smiled at me. "Are the twins coming?"

"They'll be playing with Delilah, so you'll be fine."

Delilah was Carlos's younger sister, one year younger than me and two years younger than him.

The twins were around the same age, maybe a couple of months younger.

I had turned six a couple of months ago, and Carlos was already seven.

He was going into the third grade, and I remember being incredibly jealous because the third graders at our primary school were always going on the wildest field trips, while I was stuck learning how to read and color inside the lines.

The drive to the ice-cream place was pretty noisy, since the twins had managed to get each other's fingers stuck in their noses.

It took a lot of shoving and snot, but I eventually managed to get their fingers out. They started sucking their fingers full of boogers.

Elijah flung snot at me, and I yelled, "EWWW MOMMY ELI THREW MOCOS AT ME."

"Don't fling your boogers at your sister, Eli," my mom said sternly.

He pouted but soon found joy in picking at Penny's hair. She retaliated by trying to punch him with her pudgy fists, but he just continued to pick at it, unfazed by her attacks.

I shot out of the van after my mom barely parked it. When I went inside, I was met with fresh air. It was such a relief after having the sun hit your face through a glass window.

Gloria's sleek, blue Tesla pulled up next to the van. She came out with Delilah in her arms and Carlos running at the door.

He pushed it open and beamed when he saw me. "Hi, Riley!"

I always tell Carlos that his kid voice was so cute. It was high-pitched and clear; he always grumbles about it, but I know that he's secretly pleased.

Even at that age, he was taller than me. Not drastically- maybe like two inches, but at the time I saw him as a giant.

Delilah fussed in her mom's arms as she came in. "Alright, go play." Gloria set her down and she bolted to the play place, where there already were three kids playing.

My mom came in with Penny and Eli, and when they saw Delilah, they started arguing with each other on who would play with her first.

"She likes me better than you," Penny said.

"Nuh uh! She gave me a dead bug during recess last week!"

"Carlos, who do you think she likes better?" Penny asked, turning toward him.

Since they were younger than him, they saw him as all-knowing and looked up to him.

"Whoever gets to the play place first will be the person she likes best," he said.