"Andy, tell Adam that he missed a spot," I yell to Andy. He looks over to Adam and yells to him and points at the spot. Adam shakes his head and rolls his eyes.
I was washing the dishes as I looked out the window. Adam was mowing the lawn and Andy was swimming in the pool with my sister and brother. Adam and Andy were our neighbors, well now they live with us. Their mom, Katie, wasn't paying her rent on time, so they got kicked out. Katie was pregnant at the time with her third child. My mom, being the nice person she is, let them live with us. We live in a large house. Some people call it a mansion, I call it a home.
Our moms were working at the moment and I was babysitting. I have been told many times that I am the more responsible one of the kids. I am 22 and I am back home for the summer. I go to college, but since its summer I needed a break. I have to watch all of them, even though Adam is 16 years old. He is old enough to watch himself, but Katie says otherwise. Andy is 14 and their little sister, Allie, is only 15 months old. My sister, Chelsea, is 11 years old and my brother, Jimmy, is 15 years old.
Our dads aren't in our lives. Jimmy, Chelsea, and my father died in a car accident about 5 years ago. He was on his way home from a long day at work and a drunk driver hit him. The paramedics say that he died on impact. It was very traumatic and hard for us. It took us a long time to recover. Adam, Andy, and Allie's father is an alcoholic, so they don't see him. Katie divorced him and she doesn't let him see the kids. Their father is in rehab, but he isn't doing well. He hasn't made any progress since he entered rehab.
I hear Allie cry from the other room. At the same time, I get a text from my friend and my mother. I dry my hands off and open the texts.
Alice: Wanna hang out tonight? Go to the bar?
Mother: Do you have any plans tonight? I might have something for you to do tonight.
I walk up the stairs to Katie's room and pick up Allie. I change her diaper and I go back downstairs. I answer Alice's text first.
Me: I think I might already have plans. Sorry, babe.
I then answer my mother's text.
Me: I might have plans with Alice, but I can cancel them. I haven't agreed to go out with her tonight.
I set Allie in her highchair and give her some Cheerios. I continue to rinse the dishes of soap. I look out the window and see Adam jump into the pool. I laugh at how much I love this makeshift family. I was listening to the radio station and they were giving away Green Day tickets. Green Day was doing like a reunion tour. This was going to be their last tour. I had a feeling that they were going to do at least one more tour in the future. I know that I wouldn't win the tickets, so I don't even try to call in. I listen closely to hear the winner of the tickets. I hear a name and a voice that makes me drop the glass cup. The cup shatters into pieces on the floor.
"Congratulations, Carla! You have won two Green Day front row tickets plus two backstage passes!" Robert, the radio man says. It can't be, that's my mom. "Who are you going to take with you?"
"I have someone in mind, but I know that they are listening so I can't say. They have been waiting for tickets for like ages," my mom says. I have been hinting at wanting tickets for this concert since I knew that they were coming to my state. I can't believe that she won tickets.
I sweep up the broken cup and mop the floor. I clean up Allie and wash her highchair. I walk out to the backyard. I stand on the porch, "It's time for you guys to come inside. My mom is on her way home. I'm going to take a shower. Please, watch Allie for me."
