Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
As for the rest of me, I still appeared gaunt, too skinny, and looked old, but not as bad as before.
“Daddy! We’re home. Paw got us pizza as a treat,” Ava called from across the house, her flat-footed run clomping toward me. Duke and Dixie’s claws clicked on the tile floor keeping stride with her.
“We got cheese pizza for us,” Mia yelled louder. “And pepperoni for everyone else.”
The level of excitement meant this pizza dinner, which Beau had contrived with no pushing from me, was really something special. Finally, he understood the excitement of breaking the rules now and then.
“And apple juice boxes,” Livie shouted, probably with the most excited voice of all three. “Paw said you talked him into giving us treats every so often and I believe our parade is often.”
West tossed out incoherent babble, not to be outdone by his sisters. Ava met me at the bedroom door, still in her brightly-colored costume, her face beaming at me. “Do you want to watch the performance in your room, or the living room? Paw said we can eat in here with you if we sit still and not spill,” she explained. “Gigi’s gonna give West a bath. He spilled down his shirt. Abuela’s gonna watch her shows.”
What was happening inside this home? Beau never allowed meals outside of the kitchen. Ava read me like a book, shrugging. “Paw’s being different. At the end of the show, Paw gave us a bunch of flowers from you and him, and you weren’t there to hear thank you.”
Joy filled my heart with her reasoning. “That’s nice. I’m glad we did that for y’all,” I said, gripping onto the doorframe. My legs wobbled. “Y’all can come in here. That’ll be fun.”
She dashed away, squealing at the top of her lungs. “Paw! He said yes.”
As I started for the bed, I heard the pounding of their tennis shoes, a flat-footed run from across the house. I climbed in, readying myself for the onslaught.
“Paw, bring the pizza.”
Within seconds, Ava’s shoes were flung to the side, and she sat crisscrossed in the middle of the bed.
“I have the plates and napkins!” Mia hollered as she burst into the bedroom like a whirlwind.
“Mia, get a big towel for the bed,” I said, settling into my place on the mattress. Tonight, it felt good to be off my feet. She bounded onto the bed, left the plates and napkins in Ava’s care, and rolled off the other side, disappearing inside the bathroom.
Everyone else entered the room at the same time. Beau held pizza boxes, napkins, and a six pack of apple juice boxes. We never had apple juice, because Beau worried about their teeth. Mia tossed the towel at me as she climbed on the bed, kicking her shoes off. They flew in different directions. Livie still wore her head gear, flowers, apples, and corn stalks popped out the top of the headband.
“They’re eating on the bed?” I asked, tossing out the towel. They had their seats before the towel fully floated down.
“With lots of rules,” Beau teased, not giving me the hundred percent win. He placed the pizza boxes on the dresser as he listed the conditions. One finger popped out to indicate the first. “They have to act like regular human bein’s or we’re done.”
No argument from me. Joyful laughter erupted from the girls.
A second finger popped up. “No roughhousin’.” That sounded reasonable.
A third finger followed. “Drinks stay on the nightstand. If you want a drink, ask quietly so your dad can hear everything you said.”
Wow, three out of three. Beau and I were in sync again.
“We don’t roughhouse,” Livie said, her happiness laced with a tinge of her Paw being ridiculous. “We’re girls.”
“Really?” Beau asked, giving her a silly obvious look, and pointed to Ava. “I think y’all could show boys how to roughhouse properly.”
“Paw’s funny.”
Beau went through the process of opening all the juice boxes, allowing everyone to take a sip before they went to his nightstand. I got to keep mine on my side. Plates and napkins were distributed, and small sliced pizza was passed around. He gave me two slices of pepperoni.
I realized Beau’s plan of attack for my health was to parent me. How had I not figured that out before? And I acted like a child. Oh my god, we were dysfunctional. Thoughts of Daddy spanking me just turned yuck.
When everyone had what they needed, Beau plugged his cell phone into the television’s input panel and navigated the touch screen until the still video of a crowded pre-school auditorium filled the screen.
“Daddy, we come in on the right,” Ava said, staring at the screen.
Livie instantly corrected her. “The left.”
“We look the same though,” Mia interjected. “Nobody could tell us apart.” Yeah, that was going to be a real problem someday too. Beau took his place in a side chair close to me. “I sometimes tell people I’m Mia and they don’t know I’m not. Livie won’t do it, but me and Mia change bows too. Nobody knows.”