Blocked

Five

     "Ugh. Home, sweet home," I groaned, pulling into the driveway of my house. I cut the engine and got out of the car as quietly as I could, just knowing Izzy was still asleep. And I was right. Opening the back door, I saw her still sleeping peacefully in her car seat.

     Carefully, I unbuckled my sister and lifted her out of the car seat, quietly shutting the car door behind me and locking it with the remote.

     "Dad, I'm home," I called out as I entered the door, patting Izzy's back to make sure I hadn't waken her. "And your daughter's sleeping. What do I do with it?" I joked, slipping out of my coat and placing it on the hook next to the door.

     "Just lay her down on the couch. Ben fell out, too, a while ago," dad called from somewhere else in the house.

     "Alright then," I mumbled, walking over to the living room sofa and laying Izzy out on it, taking her jacket and shoes off of her.

     "You're too much, kid," I said to the sleeping toddler, sighing as I kicked my shoes off. "Mom really would've loved you."

     Just as I was finishing my sentence, dad walked into the room.

     "Did what you needed to do at the library?" he asked, walking up to me.

     "Yep. Why?" I asked, sitting down next to Izzy.

     "Need to make sure you have no plans later," he said, handing me a fifty dollar bill.

     "Uh, I don't. Why?" I asked, slowly taking the money.

     "Take your brother and sister out to eat later on," he said, stuffing his wallet into his back pocket.

     "Why? Dad!" I protested immediately.

     "Hailey, they need to eat."

     "Dad, I'm gonna look like a single mother. Everyone's gonna judge me," I yelled, sitting up.

     "Then let them judge. They don't know you, why should their judgments affect you? Your mother always told you this, Hailey."

     "I know. But still," I continued to protest. I tried my best not to interject and argue that I was stalked by a weird guy on my way home and that I needed rest.

     "Just do it. You're getting food out of it, too."

     I slumped back into the sofa and crossed my arms.

     "Whatever," I mumbled, picking at the fifty dollar bill.

     "Thank you," said dad, walking out of the living room. I sat up and leaned forward, picking up my bag to get out my wallet. Slipping the fifty dollar bill into my wallet, I noticed something wasn't right. After staring at my wallet for almost two minutes, I realized my driver's license was upside down.

     "That's weird," I mumbled, pulling it out and turning it back the way it should be. I heard quiet whimpers coming from behind me and turned around. I saw Izzy laying there, rubbing her now open eyes.

     "Well hello there, sleeping beauty," I chimed, standing up and reaching down to pick her up.

     "You missed so much while you were sleeping. Guess what. Daddy's making me take you and Ben out to dinner, all by ourselves," I said, sitting down on the couch with Izzy on my lap. Izzy just sat there, sleepily rubbing her other eye.

     "Awe, I'm not so excited, either. Don't worry, you're not alone," I said, standing back up.

     "Let's go wake up Ben and get something to eat," I said, carrying Izzy out of the living room and through the hallway leading to Ben's room. The entire house was completely quiet. I was pretty sure dad had already left to do whatever he was busy with. It was just me and the two kids, all by ourselves.