"I'm home!" I yelled, shutting the front door behind me and tossing my bag onto the floor.
"Hi, Sweetie," my mom's voice came from the door leading down to the garage. A second later, she emerged holding a beige laundry basket filled with a pile of clothes. "How was work?" she asked, closing the door with her foot and bringing the basket over to the dining room table.
"It was okay," I said mechanically, shifting my weight onto the other foot. I figured there was no point in mentioning the whipped-cream incident to her. She had always been one of those "vengeance is not the answer," mothers. I don't think she would have been too happy with the "I nearly got fired" thing, either.
My mother nodded as she folded a white shirt, placing it on the table beside the basket. "Do you have anything you need washed, Andrea?" she asked.
I shook my head. "Nah, I have enough clothes to last me through the week. I'll wash them next weekend." I felt bad dumping all my laundry on my mom. Sunday was one of the only days she had off, and yet she was stuck doing laundry and going grocery shopping.
"Oh! I meant to ask you this morning, but I was on a business call when you left..." she said. "I have to go back into work next Friday night for a meeting, so I need you to watch Danny for me."
"Mom, I can't. I have plans..."
"Please, Andrea..." she said sternly, smoothing out a dress of hers and putting it on a hanger. "I hardly ever ask you to do things. You can reschedule your plans for another day. You'll have the whole weekend to do what you want."
"But Moommm," I whined. "I already said I could! Why can't you just get Jaime to baby-sit him?"
My mother raised an eyebrow and stared at me firmly. "Because, Andrea, you don't force Danny to be your personal butler for the night."
I sighed. So maybe having Jaime watch Danny wasn't the best idea. But still; I had a date!
...I think.
"Aw, c'mon!" I begged her with my eyes. "Please, mom?"
She sighed and, after a few seconds of debating it, nodded slowly. "Fine. I'll try to get someone else to watch him. But if I can't find anyone, your plans are canceled, do you understand me?"
I nodded quickly and beamed.
My mom picked up the basket, now filled with folded clothes, and began climbing the stairs. "Oh... And Julie called before. I said you'd call back when you got home."
"Julie!" I murmured to myself, scurrying to the phone. I couldn't wait to hear how it went with Tompy. Maybe he had finally gotten the guts to make a move.
I grabbed the phone and jumped onto the couch, landing on my back on top of the cushions Dialing her number, I waited for her to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Julie! It's me."
"Hi, Andy," she greeted.
"So...?" I asked slowly. "How was it?" referring to her date (or so I had decided to deem it) with Tompy.
"Eh, it was good," she answered. Her voice was casual. "I got the chicken parmesan. The sauce at that place is incredible."
