Janet played with her hands as she paced around the room. It had been a few hours since everything had happened and they hadn't heard anything from her father or Toni. She tried not to think the worst but she was too nervous. "Janet, sweetie. Sit down." Katherine spoke to her.
"Mother, I'm nervous. Where are they? They should've been back by now."
"These things take time. Who knows what planning they had to do." Janet tried to calm down. "Gabby, your mommy so extra." Katherine stood her up on her lap. "She just freaking out and everything. What should we do?" Gabby began to babble to her grandmother. "MmmHmm and what else?" Gabby waved her arms as her tiny voice got louder. "See, that's what I was thinking, but you know how extra she is." Gabby sighed. "I know, girl. I know. Now think, you've only known her for some months. I dealt with that for years." Gabby bounced and shouted. "It was hard. She just being so over the top. Just crying, 'Mother! Mother!' It was so much." Gabby leaned forward and laid on Katherine's shoulder. "Thank you. I don't know how I got through it." She looked up at Janet, who now stood with her arms folded.
"You're not funny." Katherine chuckled to herself.
"I'm very funny." She sat Gabby in the middle of the table with her toys and went to Janet. "But you are overreacting. If something bad had happened, we would know."
"You think?"
"I know. You forget that your father used to be involved in some serious stuff. This was a regular thing for me. But I knew he'd be fine and you have to trust that Toni is fine."
"I'm trying, but...." Janet looked at Gabby. "What if she's not and that was the last time I see her?"
"It won't be. They're not in any direct danger."
"Mother, how do you know?"
"Because your father would never put himself or Toni or any of his children in a situation that could harm them." Janet rubbed her head. She knew what her mother was saying was true, but she was still nervous. Toni got out of the streets to avoid any more danger. They have a daughter and another child on the way and life was good. It would be sad for something to happen. But she knew she was overreacting. Her father wouldn't let anything bad happen. She knew that.
"You're right. You're right."
"Of course I am. Now sit down and finish decoding everything."
"I already did. I finished that in like twenty minutes." She sat down and rubbed her legs.
"MaMa." Gabby crawled over to Janet.
"Hi, sweetie."
"Hi." Gabby spoke in her small voice. "Juu."
"No juice right now, sweetie." Gabby hit her hand on the table. "Stop it." She began to whine. Janet looked at her with a blank face. Gabby continued to fake her cries. When she realized Janet wasn't reacting, she stopped. "That's what I thought." Gabby poked her lips out and folded her arms.
"Oh no she didn't." Katherine spoke.
"Yeah, she's been having a really bad attitude lately. We haven't been spending as much time with her and I think it's affecting her."
"You have to make sure to carve out time when the new baby comes."
"I know." She pulled Gabby onto her lap. "That's why I'm going to be online after the new baby comes. That way I can be right there." Katherine sat next to Janet and looked at her.
"Are you guys still thinking about moving out?" Janet sighed and nodded.
"Yeah, Toni's worried about us overstaying our welcome."
