9.
Z ANE
I was pleasantly surprised when the burgers were mouthwatering and even more pleasantly surprised when the kids got up and cleaned the kitchen after dinner.
It was obvious that each one had a specific task, with Alana standing on a stool in front of the sink so she could wash the dishes and Leo standing next to her to load them into the dishwasher.
Dawson sprayed the table with cleaner so Beau could wipe it down before he turned and attacked the counters while Dayton carried out the trash.
By the time Beau was done with the table, Alana and Leo were finished with the dishes. Dawson rearranged the dishwasher and added detergent before he got it going and then started some music on his phone. The second the rock tune came through the speaker on the counter, the kids sprinted away.
I could hear their footsteps going up and down the stairs and their squeals and laughter as they talked to each other over the music.
Dayton disappeared, but Dawson leaned against the counter as he watched the chaos flow through the house.
As soon as the music stopped, I heard both little boys and Alana yell, “Done!” and then watched Dawson high-five them as they trailed into the kitchen.
“Y’all are the best kids in the world,” Courtney praised as they gave her kisses and hugs. “You can go watch something until it’s shower time, okay?”
“Can we have ice cream for dessert?” Alana asked.
“There’s some waiting in the freezer just for you,” Courtney assured them.
“Hey, Court,” Dawson said as he swung around the corner, barely missing the kids who were leaving the room at breakneck speed. “Romi’s here to get me. I’m gonna hang at his house tonight.”
“Are you staying over?” Courtney asked.
“Nah. I’ll be home later. Dayton asked if he could come.”
“He did?” Dawson nodded and Courtney asked, “Can he?”
Dawson shrugged before he said, “It’s better than the alternative, right?”
“You don’t mind?”
“It’s all good. See you later, sister-bear.”
“Bye, Daw. Love you!”
“Love you too!”
Suddenly, there was peace and quiet, and even that sounded loud to me after the constant whirlwind of kids and conversation that had been going ever since the dance party in the front yard.
The chaos and craziness of having so many people in the house reminded me of the homes of my extended families - most especially Bird and Summer’s.
For years, there wasn’t a quiet moment to be had in that place, and it was awesome .
Apparently, so was living with Courtney.
“Your kids make a great team. That kitchen cleanup was flawless.”
“Mostly,” Courtney grinned as she flicked a crumb off the table. “I’ll spot clean tonight when I prep my coffeemaker, but they work very well together when they’ve each got their own chores.”
“What was the music and running about?”
“The younger ones are known for strewing their toys from one end of the house to the other, so we pick a song that’s about four minutes long, and they run around picking things up and putting them away while it’s playing.
We do that a few times a day and tackle small messes rather than waiting until the end of the day when the house is a wreck and we’re all tired. ”
“That’s a great idea.”
“I worked in a daycare while I was going to college. We did that every so often and sang a song about cleaning up. My kids are more metal, though, so rock gets them motivated even more.”
“What do you usually do while they’re entertained before it’s time to start their bedtime routine?”
“Yard work and laundry.”
“Well, I’m pretty good at yard work, so point me towards what you need done, and I’ll get to it while you put in the first load.”
“I’m not going to ask you to work in my yard!”
“Why not? I ate your food and slept on your couch. It seems to me that everyone has their assignments, and since I’m here, I need my own too.”
“You’re crazy. You know that, right?”
“Probably a little, but it works.”
“Are you serious?”
“Absolutely. We’ll knock out your chores together and then hopefully have a few minutes to hang out alone.”
“Alone time in a house with this many kids is virtually impossible.”
“I’ve noticed that, but luckily, your kids are awesome, so it works out in the end.”
“I’ll need a few minutes, but I should be done by the time you get the mower out of the garage.”
“Speaking of the garage, I was going to ask if it would be okay for us to tow that car to my friend Dahlia’s garage. She’d have more time than I do to work with Dawson and even Dayton if they’re interested in learning about engines.”
“Your friend owns a garage?”
“Honey, my family owns a garage.”
“I thought they owned a towing company.”
“And a retrieval company too.”
“Wow. And all of you work together?”
“Some of the cousins work with us, but not all of them,” I explained.
“Dahlia Forrester owns a large warehouse outside of town and has bays you can rent out to work on your own vehicle if you don’t have the space at home.
She also has tools you can borrow, and she’s almost always available to answer questions. ”
“That’s freakin’ amazing.”
“Our dads used to teach a free class for people to show them how to do routine maintenance, and Dahlia took that idea and ran with it.”
“I’ve gotta get another vehicle sooner rather than later. I can’t keep waiting for the cops to find my SUV.”
“Honey, your SUV probably isn’t even in this state anymore. If it is, then it’s been pieced out.”
“You really think so?”
“A car thief isn’t going to sit on it for long. My guess is she knew someone with a chop shop and sold it.”
“That bitch,” Courtney hissed. “Either way, I have to figure out the logistics of getting the kids where they need to be tomorrow and then getting them back home in the afternoon.”
“I can help with that.”
Courtney frowned before she said, “That’s a little above and beyond, don’t you think?”
“I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t willing.” I glanced over my shoulder at the backyard and said, “Same thing with mowing the yard. Can I go ahead and start?”
“Give me a minute,” Courtney said as she got up from her chair and went to the doorway.
She called the three younger kids, and I was reminded of just how old this house was when their footsteps thundered above me and then down the stairs.
Once they were all standing in front of her, she said, “Clean the yard, please. Anything that doesn’t get picked up is going to get eaten by the lawn mower. ”
“Yes, ma’am,” they chorused before they took off through the sunroom and then out the back door.
I watched the kids go and said, “It’s funny that they’re outside pissing off the neighbors one minute and so well-mannered the next.”
“That old bat has it coming.”
“And you do that every evening?”
“Almost.”
“Why?”
“She had beef with my grandma years ago over a rose bush, of all things, and then she was shitty when we were kids and came to live here for a while. Things were peaceful for a long time, as far as I know, but when I moved in to raise the kids and Grandma went to the nursing home, she started her bullshit with me.”
“How so?”
“The first time the police showed up was because someone had reported that Alana, who was only six at the time, was a burgeoning graffiti artist that must be stopped.”
“What?”
“Sidewalk chalk.”
“You’re joking.”
“Nope. And it just got worse from there. When they didn’t do anything about the graffiti , she started calling the cops all the time about the kids being too loud when they’re outside.”
“What a bitch. Kids are supposed to be loud and crazy while they’re outside so they can chill out while they’re inside.”
“Exactly. She also called to report a million and one things about all of the other neighbors too. And if the kids happened to be outside when she walked her dog in the evening, she’d call in to report excessive noise.
Finally, one of the cops that showed up gave her a ticket for misusing 911 and making false reports.
He also explained the city noise ordinance to me.
Once I knew what was allowed and what wasn’t, I decided to teach my children music appreciation every evening when she just so happens to be walking her dog. ”
Through my laughter, I said, “That’s fucking great.”
“You think that’s funny? You’ll never guess why there are so many lights outside.”
“She reported your lights?”
“No. When the time changes in the fall, it gets dark earlier, so the kids and I carried flashlights while we had our music appreciation sessions. We walked outside one night to find about a dozen solar lights had been set up around the yard. The neighbors who enjoyed the show had taken it upon themselves to give us some better lighting.”
“They even give you a nice round of applause after your performance!”
“Of course. They also make requests now and then too.”
“So, she quit calling to report noise violations, but by then, it was the point of the matter, wasn’t it?”
“Absolutely.”
“The women in my family are going to love you.”
“You think so?”
“I know they will. You’re pretty fucking cool, Courtney.”
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
◆◆◆
COURTNEY
Somebody needs to check your brain, Courtney! There’s a smoking hot guy at your house for hours while your children aren’t home, and what do you do? Nap? Really? And then you send him out to mow the damn lawn?
No wonder you’re single.
My phone rang, and I grabbed for it, instantly worried that something had happened with Dawson or Dayton. I was both relieved and pleasantly surprised to see that it was my neighbor and longtime friend, Leticia, calling. She’d been away on vacation for a few weeks.
“Hey! What’s . . .”
“There’s a hot tattooed guy mowing your lawn,” Leticia interrupted.
“I know that. How do you know that?”
“I heard the mower start and thought I’d catch your attention to let you know I was home.”
“And?”
“Now, I’m watching . . . Oh. He just took his shirt off!”