Your Time

Chapter 33

{May 2029}

"Mom!"

"Yeah Emma?" Carrie asked, turning around to see her daughter standing behind the couch, her laptop in hand.

"Can you help me with this?"

Before her mom could answer, Emma was already on the couch next to her, placing her laptop on Carrie's lap. It was one of the constructed response examples on the STAAR biology exam she would be taking the following week.

"Emma, you're putting to much pressure on yourself."

The last few days, Emma had locked herself in her room for hours at a time, studying for her exams. "But mom I need to know how to do this! It could be on the test!"

Carrie sighed. "After I show you how to do this will you take a break from studying?"

Emma was quiet for a minute. "I guess, but I don't want to."

"Emma, you've been in your room the last few days with your face in a book. You're being too hard on yourself. I'm not saying you shouldn't study, but as weird as it may sound, you're studying too much. I know you're going to easily pass with advanced."

"How do you know mom?"

"Because I was a teacher when you were really little. I know good study habits when I see them. But Emma, you're very smart. You put a lot of effort into preparing yourself for this test. You're going to do great."

"Okay."

"And you have a game tonight."

That was true. Her softball team made it very deep in the playoffs this year. They were only 2 games away from the state championship. And Emma, as a freshman proved herself to be the starting catcher. She was doing very well.

After considering what Carrie said, Emma made a deal with her mom. "If you help me with this, I won't do anymore studying until tomorrow."

"Okay."

It only took Carrie a few minutes to explain the constructed response question to her daughter. It was about the water cycle, the carbon cycle, and the nitrogen cycle.

"Make sense now?"

"Yeah mom! Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Now you better promise me, no looking at this stuff the rest of the day."

She smiled. "I won't."

After Emma ran upstairs with her laptop, Ben walked across the living room to his mother. "Mommy?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"I want to play with daddy."

Carrie looked across the living room at Harrison sleeping on the other couch. "Daddy's sleeping."

"Can I wake him up?"

She considered. Harrison had been sleeping a lot lately. "Ben I have an idea."

"What's that?"

"Can you run in the kitchen and grab me the whip cream?"

Ben did as asked. He came back with the whip cream in hand and a huge smile across his face. "What are we going to do to daddy?"

"You'll see."

The two of them quietly made their way across the living room and to where Harrison was sleeping on the couch. She gently shook the bottle of whip cream before giving her husband a fluffy white beard, mustache, and sideburns. Beside her, Ben giggled, forcing her to hold a finger to her lips to keep him from waking Harrison.

His hand lay rested against the couch, his palm wide open. Carrie put more whip cream on his hand then tickled under his nose, getting him to open his eyes. Feeling the tips of her fingers just under his nose, Harrison tried to itch it, but ended up smearing whip cream all over his face.

"You monsters!" He shouted.

Both Carrie and Ben backed up as he sat up. "Someone wanted to play with his dad."

Ignoring what his wife just stated, he continued to try and stare angrily at her. "I was sleeping."

"Well it's time you get up and do something."

Harrison stood up, wiping some of the whip cream off his face and attempting to smear it on her face. Carrie was able to back away even more.

"Ben was this your idea?"

His glances went back and forth between his parents, before he confessed. "It was mommy!"

"Thanks Ben."

Harrison came at her again, now chasing his wife with a handful of whip cream. They ran through the house until Harrison caught Carrie, tackling her in the living room. "Now it's your turn."

He had her pinned and was just about to smear the whip cream in her face when Ben pulled at the back of Harrison's shirt and sprayed some whip cream down it. "Ben!"

Carrie laughed, pushing her husband off her. "Ben I'm going to get you!"

Ben ran through the house with his father on his heels as they boys left Carrie to get up.

•••

Later that afternoon, they were at Emma's game. It was the bottom of the fourth with the game tied at 0. They were playing a very good team from southern Texas at the University of Texas' field.

The other team had the bases loaded with two outs, and their best hitter was up. Based on the scouting report they received from other teams, she wasn't a good low ball hitter. So Emma called a lot of low fastballs and drop balls.

The batter had two strikes, giving Emma the opportunity to call a drop. The ball bounced well in front of the plate and rolled back to the pitcher after bounced of her gear. It was a huge stop. The very next pitch, the girl stuck out.

The first three girls on Emma's team got on base in the top of the fifth so she was getting up with the bases loaded.

Emma took two balls, then a strike before finding the pitch she wanted to drive. The ball rocketed into the gap between the right and center fielders. Reaching first base, the coach sent her to second and was waved to third as another runner scored.

After the play, three runs scored with Emma's team leading by three. She was on third, and after the catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher, she stole home for the teams fourth run of the game.

Emma's team ended up winning 4-0 and advanced to the semifinal. After the game, Harrison and Carrie both gave their daughter a hug. "Nice job Emma!"

"Thanks dad."