The Walls Caved In

I sniffed the air. What? I sniffed again, completely confused. I set aside the shirt I was folding, and hurried down the stairs into the kitchen. Alli wasn't home, and I didn't have an explanation for the smell coming from downstairs. Something was cooking, or burning.

I was more than ready to run for the fire extinguisher under the kitchen sink, but not for what I saw. "Mom?"

"Oh, hey, honey," she said, smiling at me before continuing to stir whatever was on the stove.

"What are you doing home?" I asked. Usually, she would be at work by now.

"I wanted to wait until Allison got home to tell. Can't now, I guess. I finally got my hours changed to nine to five." She smiled, and I smiled too. This was great news.

"That's great, mom," I said. She nodded, putting down the big wooden spoon and hugging me.

"I know. It took nine years, but I'll finally get to see you guys again."

She continued to hug me tighter.

I knew this was good news, but I couldn't help but think about how weird and possibly disastrous this might be. With my parents both working nights, they both came home and slept during the day. Of course, that was upsetting for Alli and I, but it was one thing that kept their marriage steady. They were never alone when they slept.

Now, with this schedule change, things would be different. I'd always had Alli, and Alli had always had me. Now, my parents seemed to have no one.