I was watching a musical called 'Annie'. I really like how Annie was brave enough to go through all the pain she suffered in the hands of her evil caretaker and still be happy. I was about to take another bite of my pizza when Coco began barking.
"What is it girl?"I asked
As I picked her up to know what the problem,I saw Owen drenched in water.
"What happened?"I said trying not to laugh at him
"I went to Yvonne's house and her crazy maid poured water on me"he explained, cleaning his face with a tissue
"And then what?"I said, sipping my soda
"She chased me with a mop stick and I landed on..."he paused
"You landed on what exactly?"I said
"On dog poop"he said a bit embarrassed
"You fell on dog poop"I chuckled
"Yeah,I said it. Don't need to a big deal out of it"he said trying to pet Coco
Coco didn't like his awful smell and declined any form of affection from him.
"I need a bath"Owen said
"Yeah,you do"I replied
"Promise me you won't tell Mom or Dad about it"Owen begged me
"I promise"I pledged
"Good, let's pretend this never happened"Owen saud, going upstairs
"Okay,poop boy"I teased
Owen turned and gave me an avengeful look.
"Fine"I said, avoiding to look at him
He went to upstairs, wore a towel around, came downstairs to freshen up. He took his dirty clothes to the laundry room and brought it outside to dry. When he was done,he bounced on the couch and stole a slice of my pizza.
"Hey! What gives?"I complained
"Sorry,I'm hungry"he said with his mouth full
He took my soda and drank it all. He threw the empty tin on the floor which disturbed Coco who was fast asleep.
"Ever heard of recycling?"O said, picking up the empty tin
"Nope, doesn't ring a bell"he denied
I heard my mom's car. She came out of the car, carrying baby Chole in her arm
"Mom's home"I said, going to give her a hug
"How are you dear?"my Mom said
"I'm good"I replied
"Hi Chole"I waved to my sister which made her giggle
"Hi Mom"Owen said
"How are you?"she asked
"I'm good"he said, turning the TV channels till he found he a sport channel
"Umm... Jocelyn,can you help me get the groceries from the car while I put Chloe down for her nap"she said, handing me the keys to her car
"Okay"I replied
"Oh,I almost forgot;the plumber came earlier today and fixed the clog. So you guys can use the upstairs bathroom"she informed
"Yes!"Owen shouted
"Finally,I don't have to share a bathroom with Owen anymore"I said with relief
"Get the groceries from the car,so we can make dinner before your dad gets home"she said
"Okay,I will"I said
I opened the trunk of the car and brought out the groceries. I kept them to the kitchen counter. I began to remove them from the bag and keep them where they should be. The milk, plain yogurt, butter,meat, cheese, mayonnaise in the refrigerator while the cereals,sugar,flour,salt, powdered pepper and a box of cookies in the cabinet. I was about to leave,my mom walked in.
"Sorry for taking so long but Chloe won't give in to my lullaby. So, where were we?"she said, showing her hands in the kitchen sink
"What are we making for dinner?"I asked
"We're... making your dad's favorite,beef stew and cupcakes for dessert. Just the way he likes it"she said
"Okay, Jocelyn?"she said
"Yes Mom"I replied
"I need you to wash the tomatoes and blend it"she instructed
"Okay"I replied and did as she instructed
"Also,I need you to stew the beef"she added
I did exactly as she instructed. I also had to diced the bell pepper and onions and added it to the stewed meat. Then I added the blended tomatoes to the pot and stirred for about three minutes. I added a pinch of salt,a tablespoon of powdered pepper,half a cube of seasoning and a teaspoon of ginger to give it that spicy taste. I took the wooden spoon and tasted the stew. It was perfect. I turned off the cooker and focused on baking the cupcakes. I poured the flour, butter,sugar, milk and baking powder and mixed with a whip. I whipped so hard that it made my arm sore. I poured the batter in a cup-shaped tray and put it in the oven. I set the oven to about 200° and a timer to notify me when the cupcakes were ready. My mom was parboiling the rice and left me in charge of getting the cupcakes out of the oven. I snuck out of the kitchen and decided to know what Owen was up to. I saw at the same spot I had left him. He was giggling and smiling at his phone. I wanted to sneak in and get a good view of what he's doing. I crawled behind the couch and popped my head a little to see what the slippery snake was up to.
"Jocelyn,I know you're there"Owen said
"Wait? How did you...?"I said surprised
"You're breathing too loud"he said
"Oh!"I said
"Owen dear?"my Mom called
"Yes Mom"he replied
"Could you help me set the table?"she asked
"Yeah, sure"he said, turning of his cellphone
Damn it! So close. When he was done,I helped my mom carry the food to the dinning table.
"Finally,I'm starving. I haven't eaten anything this afternoon"Owen said, placing his napkin on his lap
"Honey,I'm home"My Dad said as he entered the living room
"How are you?"she said with a peck on his cheek
"I'm good. Mmm... what smells good?"my Dad said removing his neck tie and coat
"Dinner. Wash your hands first and we'll eat"my mom said
"Okay"my Dad replied and went to the kitchen sink and washed his hands
"So, what's for my dinner?"my Dad said rubbing his palms together
"Your favorite;beef stew with rice and cupcakes,just the way you like it"my Mom said
"Let's eat"my Dad said, getting his cutlery ready
"First,grace. Jocelyn, would you do the honour?"my Mom said
"Okay. Dear Lord;we thank you for the food you've provided for us tonight and ask that your love never depart from us, Amen!"I prayed
"Amen!"we chorused
"Let's eat"my Dad said
My Mom served my Dad first, then Owen,then me and lastly, herself. Owen almost spilled his food because he was busy texting Yvonne and giggling about it.
"Owen,no cellphone at the table"my Dad reminded him
"Sorry Dad"Owen said remorsefully
"Jocelyn?"he called
"Yes Dad"I replied
"How was school?"he asked
"It was good"I replied
"Did you make any friends?"he asked
"Yeah, only one"I admitted
"Wow! That's great"he congratulated
"Maybe she's more nerdier than you"Owen teased
"Well, that's nice. I'm proud of you"he complimented
"And how about you? How was your day Owen?"he asked
"It was nice"Owen said
"Looks like I'm full. Thanks for dinner, dear. It was delicious"he said
"What about the cupcakes? Won't you have any?"my Mom said
"Maybe tommorow"he said, carrying his tie and coat and climbing the stairs
"Okay. Jocelyn dear,why don't you keep the dirty dishes in the sink while Owen do the dishes?"My Mom said
"Wait! What? Why do I have to do the dishes?"Owen disapproved
"Jocelyn needs to rest. Today might have been hectic for her"my Mom said leaving the dinning room
"Yeah,it was hectic"I said
I did as I was instructed and went to my room. I changed in to my PJ's and decided to visit my social life for a minute or two. My post got about a hundred thumbs and hearts and amazing replies which were from my friends,relatives especially from my Aunt Regina. I went to my messages and saw that Angela left me with a ton of voice notes. I didn't have time to listen to them but I did leave her a good night sticker. I turned off my plate and set my alarm clock for tomorrow morning.