John's Revenge
To the Zoo
*Liv’s POV*
It had been a week since Jakob had been diagnosed with meningitis, and we hadn’t heard from Billie or Adie since I had dropped him off at the hospital. Addy and Joey were missing their parents, but were having fun with Mona and Alyss. I hadn’t sent them to nursery for the rest of the week because I thought Adie or Billie might call or even come round to get them.
Frank and I had decided to take the kids to the zoo to take their minds off everything, not that they really understood that anything was wrong. We all piled into the car and began to drive.
“So, what’s everyone’s favourite animal?”
“Tigers!” Joey roared.
“Giraffes!” Mona chirped.
“Penguins!” Addy grinned.
“Kitties!” Alyss smiled.
“You can’t see kitties at the zoo,” frowned Joey.
“You can!” pouted Alyss. “The big kitties!”
Sensing an argument, Frank hastily changed the subject.
“When we get to the zoo, everyone has to stick together, OK? We’re going to buy everybody a balloon, and we’re going to tie it onto your wrist so we can see you if you get lost, all right?”
The kids all nodded. They chattered excitedly about all the animals they were going to see for the rest of the journey.
We were walking to the tickets kiosk when my mobile started ringing.
“Hello, Olivia Wright speaking.”
“Hey Liv, it’s Adie.”
“Adrienne! How are you? How’s Jakob? Can we do anything for you?”
“Whoa, slow down! The doctor’s say Jakob is past the worst, he should be able to come home in a couple of days.”
“Oh, sweetie, that’s fantastic, I’m so happy for you!”
“I know, it’s just such a relief. Words cannot describe how unbelievably relived and ecstatic we are.”
“I’ll bet. Would you like to talk the Joey and Addy?”
“Oh, could I? Thanks, Liv. For everything. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“Hey, hey, there’s no need to thank me. I’ll just pass you over, bye,” I handed the phone to Joey. “Mommy’s on the phone.”
Joey practically fell over in excitement; he hadn’t seen or heard from Adie in a week. He gabbled happily down the phone to her, then Addy did too as we bought the tickets. We bought four balloons and tied around the kids watches. Then, Frank decided he wanted a balloon too, so we got one each and tied them to our watches.
“’Kay kids, the idea is that if anyone gets lost, look for the idiots with balloons tied to them, got it?” Frank grinned, tickling Alyss.
“What if they go “pop!”?” frowned Mona.
Frank stared blankly back at her for a moment, then retorted, “Well, we’ll just cross that bridge when we come to it. Now, let’s go!”
“Where’s a bridge, Daddy?” chirped Alyss.
***
When we got home, all of the kids were asleep. One by one, we carried them upstairs and tucked them in.
Frank collapsed on the sofa. “Never again, never again,” he groaned, hands over his face.
“Aw, it wasn’t that bad.” I sat next to him and hugged him.
“Meh, you’re right. Tomorrow let’s go to Disneyworld!”
“Tomorrow, I’m going to go and tidy Billie and Adie’s house, ready for when they get back. There’ll be dust everywhere.”
“Psh, that’s so boring!”
“Shh, you’re going to wake them up!”
“Fine, then. If you’re going to be like that, I’m going to bed.” He jumped up from the sofa and flounced upstairs.
“So long as you’re quiet, you can do anything you want,” I grinned after him.
“Hmmm….”
I went into the kitchen and turned the dishwasher on. As I began to walk upstairs, I heard yelling.
“Fire! Fire! Everybody out! Fire! Fire! For God’s sake hurry!”
Joey and Frank were running up and down the corridor screaming together. I ran upstairs and picked up Joey. I put him back in bed.
‘Right, no matter what Uncle Tré says, stay in bed, OK?” he nodded, grinning. “Uncle Tré is in BIG trouble.”
I walked back outside and saw Alyss, Mona and Addy running down the stairs screaming with their teddies in their hands. I spun round and glared at Tré. He ran into our room and slammed the door. I grabbed the girls and put them back to bed, calming them down and convincing them that there was no fire. I went into our bedroom. Tré was sitting on the bed, watching TV.
“Ever pull a stunt like that again, and I will personally make sure you can’t have more children.”
His eyes went wide with fear. I went and sat next to him and kissed him.
“However, it seems like you’re going to be stuck with at least three.”
He suddenly looked confused. He muttered under his breath, “Mona, 1, Alyss, 2….”
He jumped off the bed, and my head hit the mattress.
“You’re pregnant?” He screamed. “Oh my God!!”
“Sssh! You’ll wake the kids up!” I giggled as he swung me around.
He put me back down and looked suddenly thoughtful.
“Whoa, we don’t waste much time,” he grinned creepily.
It had been a week since Jakob had been diagnosed with meningitis, and we hadn’t heard from Billie or Adie since I had dropped him off at the hospital. Addy and Joey were missing their parents, but were having fun with Mona and Alyss. I hadn’t sent them to nursery for the rest of the week because I thought Adie or Billie might call or even come round to get them.
Frank and I had decided to take the kids to the zoo to take their minds off everything, not that they really understood that anything was wrong. We all piled into the car and began to drive.
“So, what’s everyone’s favourite animal?”
“Tigers!” Joey roared.
“Giraffes!” Mona chirped.
“Penguins!” Addy grinned.
“Kitties!” Alyss smiled.
“You can’t see kitties at the zoo,” frowned Joey.
“You can!” pouted Alyss. “The big kitties!”
Sensing an argument, Frank hastily changed the subject.
“When we get to the zoo, everyone has to stick together, OK? We’re going to buy everybody a balloon, and we’re going to tie it onto your wrist so we can see you if you get lost, all right?”
The kids all nodded. They chattered excitedly about all the animals they were going to see for the rest of the journey.
We were walking to the tickets kiosk when my mobile started ringing.
“Hello, Olivia Wright speaking.”
“Hey Liv, it’s Adie.”
“Adrienne! How are you? How’s Jakob? Can we do anything for you?”
“Whoa, slow down! The doctor’s say Jakob is past the worst, he should be able to come home in a couple of days.”
“Oh, sweetie, that’s fantastic, I’m so happy for you!”
“I know, it’s just such a relief. Words cannot describe how unbelievably relived and ecstatic we are.”
“I’ll bet. Would you like to talk the Joey and Addy?”
“Oh, could I? Thanks, Liv. For everything. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“Hey, hey, there’s no need to thank me. I’ll just pass you over, bye,” I handed the phone to Joey. “Mommy’s on the phone.”
Joey practically fell over in excitement; he hadn’t seen or heard from Adie in a week. He gabbled happily down the phone to her, then Addy did too as we bought the tickets. We bought four balloons and tied around the kids watches. Then, Frank decided he wanted a balloon too, so we got one each and tied them to our watches.
“’Kay kids, the idea is that if anyone gets lost, look for the idiots with balloons tied to them, got it?” Frank grinned, tickling Alyss.
“What if they go “pop!”?” frowned Mona.
Frank stared blankly back at her for a moment, then retorted, “Well, we’ll just cross that bridge when we come to it. Now, let’s go!”
“Where’s a bridge, Daddy?” chirped Alyss.
***
When we got home, all of the kids were asleep. One by one, we carried them upstairs and tucked them in.
Frank collapsed on the sofa. “Never again, never again,” he groaned, hands over his face.
“Aw, it wasn’t that bad.” I sat next to him and hugged him.
“Meh, you’re right. Tomorrow let’s go to Disneyworld!”
“Tomorrow, I’m going to go and tidy Billie and Adie’s house, ready for when they get back. There’ll be dust everywhere.”
“Psh, that’s so boring!”
“Shh, you’re going to wake them up!”
“Fine, then. If you’re going to be like that, I’m going to bed.” He jumped up from the sofa and flounced upstairs.
“So long as you’re quiet, you can do anything you want,” I grinned after him.
“Hmmm….”
I went into the kitchen and turned the dishwasher on. As I began to walk upstairs, I heard yelling.
“Fire! Fire! Everybody out! Fire! Fire! For God’s sake hurry!”
Joey and Frank were running up and down the corridor screaming together. I ran upstairs and picked up Joey. I put him back in bed.
‘Right, no matter what Uncle Tré says, stay in bed, OK?” he nodded, grinning. “Uncle Tré is in BIG trouble.”
I walked back outside and saw Alyss, Mona and Addy running down the stairs screaming with their teddies in their hands. I spun round and glared at Tré. He ran into our room and slammed the door. I grabbed the girls and put them back to bed, calming them down and convincing them that there was no fire. I went into our bedroom. Tré was sitting on the bed, watching TV.
“Ever pull a stunt like that again, and I will personally make sure you can’t have more children.”
His eyes went wide with fear. I went and sat next to him and kissed him.
“However, it seems like you’re going to be stuck with at least three.”
He suddenly looked confused. He muttered under his breath, “Mona, 1, Alyss, 2….”
He jumped off the bed, and my head hit the mattress.
“You’re pregnant?” He screamed. “Oh my God!!”
“Sssh! You’ll wake the kids up!” I giggled as he swung me around.
He put me back down and looked suddenly thoughtful.
“Whoa, we don’t waste much time,” he grinned creepily.