OS: Day Nine < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Eleven
The knock at the door while the kids were at school startled Marnie while she was in the middle of cleaning the house. Dropping the vacuum, she wearily went to see who it was.
"Yoo-hoo, Marnie?" she heard.
Confused, she opened the door to find the one, the only, Bella Goth. At the MALONE'S house?! Before Marnie could figure out what to say, Bella waltzed in, dressed to kill in that tight red dress of hers, and Marnie inwardly cringed.
"I was .. uh.. cleaning." Marnie stammered, indicating the vacuum next to a half-cleaned up dust pile.
"With all these kids of yours, I'm very sure you have to clean all the time! How about I help for a change. I'll get the dishes, if you want to finish vacuuming?" Bella didn't wait for a response, but simply started in on the mountain of dishes from the day before. Waspishly, Marnie wondered if she would chip a nail, but then decided to just buckle down and finish cleaning.
Once the kids got home from school (making more dishes), and Marnie had made some fruit salad for the kids, Bella apparently decided to join them for lunch.
Once Marnie actually sat down, Bella began slyly, "You and Myles are still coming to club today, right? I missed you last week."
"Oh! I was so busy cleaning, I sent Myles on his own. But with your help this morning, I should be able to get some time to myself for the evening."
"Great!" said Bella, "I have my car, I can drive us all back to Willow Creek, if you wouldn't mind riding the bus home after?"
"Actually - " Marnie began.... paused, then continued, "We can't leave until Bennie gets home from work. Someone has to watch the twins, you know."
Bella looked around, surprised, "Where's your oldest?" she asked.
"Benji? Oh, he moved out this past weekend. He and his friends moved to the city."
"Oh dear. You poor thing. How are you holding up without his help? I don't know what I'd do without Cassandra." Bella said, conspiratorially.
"I'm doing fine." Marnie said , looking out the window at the kids playing on the monkey bars. "Bennie even got a promotion lately."
Outside, Jaz was working off her lunch on the monkey bars, and trying to get all the way across them three times.
Success!! Jaz finished her aspiration, and just hung out on the bars, wondering why Bella Goth was at their house talking to Marnie, of all people. It seemed an unlikely match.
Once Bennie arrived home, Marnie brushed past him, ignoring his bluster about there being some fancy car in his parking spot (as if there weren't other spots in front of their house...) - and called Myles.
The ride to Willow Creek was completed in a lovely heated car, and Marnie and Bella talked about World Peace, discovering they shared the "Good" trait.
Once arriving at the library, they played a couple rounds of chess, while all the kids did their homework without being asked, and played in the kid's room at the library. Marnie felt like pinching herself to find out if she was still real.
Myles managed to get another point of Mental skill, but, more importantly, became good friends with Alexander. They practiced with their void critters for a while, finished their homework together, and obediently went to get their winter gear as soon as their mothers called them. It was late by the time the bus stopped near home, but the meeting had been so much fun. Myles didn't bother to ask if it was bed time, and simply went in to clean up for bed.
Shaking her head, Marnie went in to find all the other kids in bed, and Bennie sound asleep. The table was filled with dishes again, but at least the floor was still clean.. mostly. Shrugging in bemusement, she went and got her night clothes and crawled into bed. 'What a weird day,' she thought to herself, and quickly drifted off to sleep.
OS: Day Nine < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Eleven
Wow! Bella is kind!
Seems so... 🙂