Chapter 2 #2
She was happy enough to see things looking a whole lot more doable.
As she listened to the twins discuss their ice cream choices, she looked up at the menu and decided that, rather than ice cream, she would have some real food.
It might not be the best location for fresh food, but it would work for her.
She wasn’t a stickler for healthy eating, at least not all the time.
She was certainly aware that everybody functioned better if they had solid food in them.
Still, there was a limit to how much she could force on the twins on a day like today.
Not when everybody was so happy and settled in.
That didn’t seem fair to them. With their choices made, they had each used up their fifteen dollars, which she completely expected.
Kids being kids, they absolutely had to do that.
She laughed because it had been so predictable. She told them that she was having a burger, then watched as their faces fell as they realized she was getting real food. They turned to her in shock. She shrugged. “Hey, I’m hungry. I’ve been working hard.”
They frowned and nearly in unison claimed, “We have too.”
“Then change your order,” she suggested. “You can have food and then a dessert.”
They stared up at the menu for a moment, frowning. Then Tabby laughed. “Nope. I’ll stick with my original choice.” She grinned and added, “I can always get a sandwich at home.”
Devon didn’t say anything to that, since she still had to do some major grocery shopping. And she meant major because they had eaten up a lot of the food supplies they had had on hand before packing up, so she didn’t have to move it all. And now, of course, their kitchen cabinets were pretty empty.
Toby nudged his sister and reminded her that would not happen for a while because they didn’t have any groceries yet.
As Tabby fell into a brooding silence, Devon added, “You do have plenty of options to get both, you know?” She pointed up to the menu board and noted, “Check out the specials.”
At that, the twins went off on another heavy discussion as to how to make the most out of their spending limit. Devon chuckled and told them to hurry up and decide, as she walked up to the counter and placed her order.
The woman behind the counter shook her head. “Tough days, huh?”
“We just moved in,” she shared, “so we’re seriously exhausted.” With a wince, she continued. “Let’s just say the move emptied the bank account at the same time.”
The cashier laughed. “I don’t think you can move without emptying the bank account.”
Devon turned back to the twins and asked, “You guys ready to order yet?” As it was, Toby was interested in changing his order, but Tabby insisted on sticking to her first choice. With their orders placed, they headed over to find a seat just outside.
Devon enjoyed a few minutes of sunshine, just languishing in the spot and appreciating the fact that she didn’t really have to do anything at this moment.
There was plenty she could and likely should be doing right now, but she didn’t care about that right now.
These few minutes of respite and celebration were something she would enjoy.
There was just something about having peace and quiet, not the horrific laundry list of things that she had to do.
Those chores were still there, but maybe today she could get away with not doing as much.
She also hoped that none of her new neighbors were the nosy type, wanting a tour, asking tons of questions.
On the other hand, Devon didn’t want the mothering type who brought over food and wanted to stay to impart their wisdom either. Devon shook her head.
As soon as their order was called, Toby ran over and grabbed it all for them.
He came back outside and carefully distributed their orders, then proceeded to sit down with his sister and scarf up their food.
Devon ate a little slower, knowing it would have to last a little longer than she expected it to.
Yet somewhere along the line, today or certainly tomorrow, she would have to do some grocery shopping.
That would be unavoidable. She didn’t even want to think about what that would cost, but watching these kids thoroughly enjoy their treats, she realized it was all worth it.
Celebrate new beginnings. It was time to.
It seemed as if there hadn’t been a whole lot of enjoying life for the last few years for any of them, not with the twins’ mother passing on after an extended illness.
Yet Devon wasn’t sure that this move to a new place could even be counted as a legitimate start.
It was more of a sputter up to the starting gate, with no energy to kick off from the line.
Still, by the time the kids had finished eating, they also showed the same fatigue.
From the time they had seen that house and had been absolutely on fire about getting it, she had spent many hours on phone calls and paperwork to get approved for it. Now she had a mortgage, which was a very scary thought, except for the fact that it was cheaper than the rent she had been paying.
That was something she still didn’t really understand but was hugely grateful for it. After factoring in all the different utilities, it looked as if she could still save a few hundred dollars a month. Not that she was saving anything, since it and more would go into the food budget.
And that’s where it needed to go because these kids were growing at a rate she couldn’t really control, nor did she want to. With a smile, she hopped to her feet. “Now how about we go home and relax? Maybe take a little bit of time and just chill for a change.”
They jumped up agreeably.
Tummies full, instead of racing back home, they walked at a much calmer pace. When they finally made it back to the house, the twins ran upstairs, with Tabby announcing that she would work on her room. Toby added that he would go work on his room as well.
Meanwhile, Devon headed into the kitchen to see if she could pull together something for dinner and avoid going shopping today, if such a thing were possible.
As she rummaged through the kitchen, she heard the kids upstairs, yelling and hollering at each other.
She called out, “That better not be fighting. We’re all too tired for that today. ”
They stopped, then Toby called back down, “It’s all good.”
She frowned at that.
She was still learning how to handle having them permanently with her, though she’d known them since birth.
Because of their mother’s illness, Devon had spent plenty of time babysitting them over the years as well.
Yet that wasn’t at all the same as being responsible for who they were long-term as people.
She went back to digging through the kitchen, looking for something to eat. Slamming a door shut in frustration because she struggled to find anything other than toast for dinner, she heard a laugh.
She turned, startled, finding someone who she didn’t recognize standing in front of her.
She frowned, taking a step closer, and asked, “Who are you?” She glanced at the back door to the kitchen, which was closed.
She glanced at the windows, which were also all closed.
She knew she had shut and locked the front door as well.
She needed to remember to do that for sure now, but her gaze was locked on the stranger standing in front of her.
Only the stranger was no longer there.
Devon raced through the kitchen into the living room, calling out, “Hey, who are you?”
The twins ran downstairs, both asking, “What’s the matter?”
“I thought I saw somebody here.”
They stared at her and shrugged. Tabby declared, “I doubt it.”
Devon frowned at them. “But you didn’t see him, so you wouldn’t know.” Neither of them seemed at all interested in logic, something she had discovered recently about these kids.
If they couldn’t find a way to win an argument, they just walked away from it because it wasn’t worth recognizing or even acknowledging a different point of view.
She found it both frustrating and amusing because life wasn’t quite so easy, at least not for adults.
There were lots of times when you had to understand or to at least agree to somebody else’s point of view, even if you really didn’t want to.
Still, there was no sign of the man she had seen. Frowning, she headed back to the kitchen, and the kids once again disappeared upstairs.
She groaned. As she returned her attention to rummaging up some food, her phone rang.
She glanced down but didn’t recognize the number.
Frowning, she answered it, but nobody was on the other end.
She sighed and called out to the universe in frustration, “Okay, great. I don’t need spam callers right now too,” she muttered.
“Unless, of course, you are delivering free food. In that case, please bring all the food you can.”
She chuckled as she noted the few eggs in her fridge, along with the bread. She could do French toast. The kids would absolutely love it, but her own stomach would heave at the thought of more carbs that wouldn’t serve her system very well.
So she texted both twins upstairs and asked them if they were okay with that meal choice for dinner.
With two enthusiastic replies but both adding how they weren’t hungry yet, Devon headed up to her room to sort out more of the mess there.
She didn’t have very many clothes, just mostly her work scrubs, which she basically lived in Monday to Friday.
That was another very strange change in her world.
She had been on odd shifts for a very long time, but now being the almost-legal parent to the twins, this had prompted a really good change at work for her, and she appreciated it.
She had made a point of thanking anybody at the office who had worked together to get her the schedule where she could care for these kids, even going so far as voluntarily changing shifts with her.
She had very sincerely shown her appreciation many times over.