CHAPTER 1

"Mommy!" Alicia complained, running into the kitchen where Keesha was trying to get dinner started after a long day at the office. "Kyle won't leave me alone."

"She started it!" Kyle yelled, as he, too, entered the kitchen.

"Okay, you two," Keesha said, turning to face them. "Stop this right now. Alicia, what's the problem?"

"I'm playing with my doll in my room. He keeps coming in and pulling her hair. Look at her, Mommy. Look what he did." She produced her doll for Keesha's inspection. She could tell parts of the doll's hair had been pulled and torn. Keesha took the doll from her daughter's hand and knelt in front of Kyle, showing it to him.

"Did you do this, Kyle?" she asked quietly.

He looked from the doll to his mother and nodded contritely.

"Didn't your daddy tell you about leaving Alicia's things alone?"

He nodded again.

"Then why would you do this?"

"Because she always talks to that stupid doll. She never talks to me!"

"I do so," Alicia said, coming to stand next to Keesha. "You never talk to me."

Keesha had a splitting headache, and this wasn't helping.

"Listen to me, both of you," she said firmly. "Kyle, I want you to go to your room, put away all your toys, and wash up for dinner. After dinner, you are going to take your bath and go straight to bed. No more playing, no watching TV. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Mommy. I'm sorry."

He reached out to hug his mother. Keesha put the doll down and took him in her arms. "I know you're sorry, Kyle. And I'm going to talk to your sister about playing with you more. But you have to learn that you can't break other people's things. Now, apologize to your sister and go clean up your room."

He looked at his sister. "Sorry, Ali," he said, calling her by the name he had given her when they were learning to talk, and he couldn't pronounce her full name.

She nodded, and he slowly left the room.

Keesha picked up the doll from the floor, and taking Alicia's hand in hers, she led her to the kitchen table where they both took a seat. After placing the doll on the table, Keesha looked at her daughter.

"I know you love playing with your dolls, Alicia, but I think your brother would like it if you played more with him."

Alicia sighed, sounding so grown up. "I don't like his stuff, Mommy. It's boring."

"Why don't you ask him to play with some of your toys?"

"He doesn't want to. I invite him to my tea parties with my dolls and stuffed animals, but he just makes faces at me."

Keesha wanted to laugh, but she knew she had to be serious with her daughter. "I'm sure there are other things you both like to do."

"Weelll," Alicia said, thinking about her mom's words. "I guess we could play school. But he never lets me be the teacher."

"What about playing outside? Throw the ball to each other, play on the swing set. You have that beautiful backyard. I think you and Kyle should start playing out there."

"All right," she nodded. "But he better not hit me with the ball on purpose or push me off the swing."

Keesha shook her head and sighed. "I want both of you to play nice."

"Tell Kyle that, too," Alicia told her mom, as she picked up her doll from the table.

"I will," Keesha said. "Go clean up and get ready for dinner. I'll call you both when it's ready."

"Okay, Mommy."

Clutching her doll, she jumped off the chair and ran out of the kitchen.

Keesha remained where she was and thought about her twins. They were a hand full, but, she thought, they were also a lot of fun and a great source of joy. When they weren't fighting, she amended.

They were six, and so full of energy and life. When she looked at Alicia, she saw A.J. She had his beautiful hazel eyes and skin tone. Her dark hair was curly and framed her face. She had Keesha's smile. She tended to be the more serious one, taking charge over her brother, even though he was older by twelve minutes. Keesha thought Alicia sometimes tried too hard to please. Especially her father. She was daddy's little girl, no doubt about that.

Kyle had more of Keesha's look and disposition. He was sometimes moody and wanted attention, but most times, he was content to let Alicia take center stage and control situations. Keesha had concerns about that, but A.J. assured her they were going through stages and that Kyle would assert himself when he felt the time was right. Keesha had agreed, but when he asserted himself by ruining Alicia's things, her concerns resurfaced.

Glancing at the clock, she realized she needed to get dinner on the table. The stew was cooking in the crock pot. She needed to finish the salad and heat up the dinner rolls.

Half an hour later, dinner was served. Alicia and Kyle entered the dining room to take their places at the table.

"Aren't we going to wait for Daddy?" Alicia asked, as she took her usual seat next to her father's.

"No, sweetheart. You two were up late last night waiting for him. You need to eat, take your baths, and get to bed." She looked at both of them and said, with her no nonsense tone of voice, "I think staying up so late last night is what caused the crankiness today."

Alicia and Kyle looked at each other as Keesha put stew and salad on their plates. They said grace and began to eat.

"Mommy?" Kyle asked, in between bites of his roll. "Are you going to tell Daddy what I did to Ali's doll?"

"That's a good question, Kyle. What do *you* think I should do?"

"Don't tell him. Please, Mommy. He'll be mad."

"And why will he be mad?" Keesha asked her son, wanting him to understand why what he had done was wrong.

Kyle looked at his food. "Because he told me not to do it."

"And you did it anyway."

"I know."

Alicia looked at her brother and then at Keesha. "It's okay, Mommy. I know Kyle's sorry for what he did. Don't tell Daddy on him."

"I haven't decided yet if I am going to tell your father. But if I do tell him, Kyle, it's not to make him angry with you, it's so you will learn that you have to listen to what we tell you and do what we say."

"Okay, Mommy," Kyle said and nodded. He took a sip of his milk.

"So, what did you do with Auntie Emily today? Did you have fun?"

They nodded.

"She took us to the zoo and the park," Kyle said, happy his mother wasn't talking about him anymore.

"What animals did you see at the zoo?" Keesha asked.

They looked at each other and laughed. "We saw the monkeys, and the lions, and the elephants, and the giraffes."

"And we went to the petting zoo," Alicia added as Kyle nodded. They giggled again.

Keesha looked at them and smiled. "And what's so funny about going to the zoo? Why are you two giggling?"

"The goat came up behind Auntie Emily and hit her."

Keesha laughed. "And what did Auntie Emily do?"

"She shook her finger at the goat and said bad goat. It was funny, Mommy," Kyle told her.

"I'm sure it was. What was your favorite part of the zoo?"

"The lions," Kyle said and tried to roar like one.

Alicia looked at him and shook her head. She's gotten that from me, Keesha thought, and wanted to laugh.

"I liked the monkeys," she said, after taking a moment to think it over.

They had finished their meal. Keesha asked who wanted a bowl of ice cream, and they both held up their hands and said they did. She fixed them each a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream and watched as they ate and made a mess.

When they had finished, Keesha cleared the table and told them to get ready for their baths.

"It's my turn to run the bath water," Alicia told Kyle.

"No, it's not. It's my turn."

"Is not!"

"Is to!"

"Don't start this tonight, you two!" Keesha said, raising her voice. "I won't have it. If you two cannot keep track of who's turn it is, then I will run the bath water."

Kyle looked at Alicia. "Okay. It can be your turn."

"It always was my turn," she said, and ran away from him. He followed her.

Keesha sighed as she finished clearing the table. She tried A.J.'s private number at ELQ, but there was no answer. Maybe he's on his way home, she thought, but in case he wasn't, she didn't want to disturb him by calling on his cell phone. They'd decided she would only use that number in an emergency.

She checked on the twins and found they were ready to take their baths.

"Kyle, you're going first tonight. I want you in bed soon."

"Am I going to get a story, Mommy?" he asked, as they walked to the bathroom. Alicia played in her room until it was her turn.

"We'll see. I have to give Alicia her bath. If you're still awake, I'll read to both of you. But I want you in bed, trying to sleep."

Kyle nodded as he stepped into the bathtub.

While Alicia got ready for her bath, Keesha tucked Kyle into his bed and kissed him goodnight. She had turned on his nightlight and was about to step away from the bed when he reached out his arms to her for a hug.

"I love you, Mommy. I'm sorry I was mean to Alicia's doll."

"I love you, too, baby. I know you're sorry. You can forget about it now, okay? Just close your eyes and go to sleep."

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Kyle?"

"If I can forget about it, does that mean you're not telling Daddy?"

She smiled at her worried-looking son. "I won't tell Daddy. You apologized to me and to your sister. I believe you've learned a lesson tonight, right?"

"Right," he said, and smiled with relief. He got comfortable in his bed. "Tell Alicia and Daddy I love them. See you tomorrow, Mommy. I don't want a story tonight."

"Okay. I'll tell them. You have sweet dreams, my precious boy."

He smiled and closed his eyes.

One down, one to go, Keesha thought, as she made her way back to the bathroom where Alicia was waiting.

"Is Kyle asleep?"

"I think he will be soon."

"I'm tired, too, Mommy."

"I know. It's because you've been staying up too late. We have to get you and your brother back on your schedule."

Alicia stepped into the bathtub.

"But I don't like not seeing Daddy. Why hasn't he been having dinner with us?"

"He's been busy at work, sweetheart. Hopefully, it won't last much longer."

"I hope it doesn't. I miss him."

I do, too, Keesha thought, as her heart went out to her daughter. She so looked forward to seeing A.J. first thing in the morning and when he arrived home at night. But lately, because of Edward's heart attack, he'd had to take on more at ELQ and that meant longer hours, both in the morning and at night. The kids hardly got to spend any time with him. She tried to keep things as light and as on schedule as she could, but the strain was beginning to get to her, too.

When Alicia had climbed into her bed, Keesha asked her if she wanted a bedtime story. She nodded.

"Read me the one Daddy always reads me."

"Paddington Bear?"

"Yes."

As Alicia snuggled in her bed, Keesha sat next to her, and placing her arm around her shoulders, she drew her close and began to read the book. Halfway through, she looked at her daughter who was sound asleep. She placed the book on her nightstand and quietly slipped off the bed, so as not to disturb her. After gently kissing her daughter goodnight and telling her she loved her, she turned on her nightlight, and leaving the door open just a crack, she returned to the kitchen, where the dishes awaited her.

After cleaning up the kitchen, she looked through the day's mail, and then made her way to the living room with a cup of hot tea and a paperback novel. She decided she needed a nice quiet break.

Having fallen into a light sleep, she looked up when she heard the grandfather clock chime nine times. She stood up and made her way to the window to look out at the night.

"Where are you, A.J.?" she asked softly, out loud. "And why haven't you called?"


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