Alignments

Chapter 18

"Mama, your belly big."

"I know."

"Why?"

"Because there's a baby in there."

"How did the baby get in there?"

"Cause it is."

"Did it..."

"Michael, shut up!" The four year old got scared and started crying. "Oh my god. Rebbie!" The sixteen year old came from the kitchen. "Rebbie!"

"I'm right here. What is it?"

"Get him out of here. He getting in my nerves." She picked Michael up. "And change that one. He stinks." The woman got up. "Getting on my damn nerves." She went to her room.

"Come on, Steven." Rebbie picked up the other baby and took them to her room. Michael laid on her shoulder and cried. "It's okay, Mike. Shhhh." She bounced him as she grabbed wipes and a pull up. "I got you." Just as Mike started to calm down her bedroom door opened.

"Rebbie." LaToya came in crying and holding her arm. She turned and looked at her.

"What's wrong?" She laid Mike down in the bed and went to him.

"Dad, hit me with the cord." She moved her hand and blood ran down her arm.

"Oh no. Come on." Rebbie took her to the bathroom and rinsed her arm.

"Ssss...ow."

"I know, but it's so we can clean it and it can heal." She finished rinsing it and dried her arm. "Come." They went back to her room and she got her first aid kit. As she went to clean the wound, Steven started crying. "Hold on, LaToya. Keep this in your arm."

"Okay." Rebbie picked Steven up off the floor and rocked him. She immediately remembered his diaper hadn't been changed yet. Laying him on the bed, she gave him a toy to quiet him while she finished cleaning and covering LaToya's wound. 

"How's that? Is it better?" Marlon nodded. "Good." She placed a kiss on it and she smiled.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." LaToya left out of the room and Rebbie moved on to changing Steven's pull up. He kicked his legs as she tried to clean him. Once she managed to get him cleaned up, she picked him up. "Come on, Mike." Mike climbed off the bed and they made their way downstairs. "Sit down while I cook." Mike sat at the table with his toy and Rebbie put Steven in his high chair.

"Mac and cheese?"asked Mike.

"With chicken and veggies." He made a face.

"No veggies. They nasty." She shook her head and took the cookware out of the cabinet.

"But it's healthy for you."

"Bleh." He stuck his tongue out.

"You'll eat them for me, right?" She squatted next to him. "Please." She made puppy dog eyes.

"Okay."

"Thank you." She kissed his cheek and he smiled. Going back to the counter, Rebbie began to prepare dinner. She made sure that she picked something that was easy for all of them to eat off of. Granted it's become slightly easier for her, but it was bittersweet though. Her parents had sent yet another one of her siblings away and she couldn't even figure out where they went. Now she had to keep the rest of her siblings as unproblematic as possible so that they wouldn't get sent away too.