Lisa Simpson's New Friend

Chapter 30

"Hi, there my Piccola principessa." He said to me as he opened his car door. "Hi Papa, how was your day?" I asked him. "Good and yours?" he asks. "Fantastic, Bart donated all the money that was raised to fix his arm to create an Animal Sanctuary in Lisa's name!" I said happily. "That is fantastic. Why don't you tell me more about that, while I help you make dinner?" He said. "You want to help me make dinner, are you sure?" I asked skeptically because he usually never wants to help with dinner. "Of course, I do. Plus, if I help, we'll get to eat faster." He said. "Ok if that's what you want," I said as we made it to our driveway. I headed upstairs to my room to change out of my clothes, so they wouldn't get dirty. I put on a black T-shirt that had a picture of Queen on the front and a pair of blue jeans. I also put on a red hair tie so that my hair could stay out of my face because it was starting to get a little long. Once I got downstairs, I saw that Papa had changed clothes too.

Instead of his usual outfit, he had a blue polo shirt and black jeans. When he saw me coming down, he smiled and said, "You tied your hair back?" "Yeah, it's starting to get a little long and I don't want to risk it getting into the food," I explained. "I see. It's a good look for you." He complimented me. "You really think so?" I asked, looking at myself in the reflection of our fridge. "I know so." He said kissing my cheek.

"So, what are you thinking of making for dinner?" he asked. "Well, what are you in the mood for?" I asked him. "How about some spaghetti and meatballs?" he suggested. "That sounds delicious. But first things first, we must wash our hands and put on our aprons." I said to him as I walked over to the sink with him following behind me.

After we washed our hands, we each got our aprons from the closet where we kept the brooms and mops. Once we put them on, I looked at the recipe from what I saw online on my phone and listed the ingredients as Papa checked if we had them.

"We're gonna need 1 pound of ground beef," I said.

"Check," Papa said.

"2 links of Italian sausage."

"Check."

"Diced Onion."

"Check"

"Minced garlic."

"Check."

"Parmesan cheese."

"Check.

"Italian-style Breadcrumbs."

"Check and is there any other kind?" he joked, making me laugh.

"One egg."

"Check."

"Salt and Pepper."

"Check."

"Extra virgin olive oil."

"Check."
"A Jar of Pasta Sauce."

"Uh-oh. We're out." He spoke. "What, how?" I asked. "Remember when you made lasagna for Johnny, Louie, and Legs as a thank you when I got home from the hospital?" he asked. "Oh, yeah." I sighed remembering all the pasta sauce I used. "I guess we have to go shopping now," I said. "Looks like it, but fortunately we only need one thing so it should be quick," Papa said getting his car keys.

We went outside and walked over to his white Station Wagon car and climbed in. As Papa turned the key to the ignition he asked, "So how did that Animal Sanctuary come to be?" "Oh, yeah! Well after Bart got his arm bitten by one of the animals that Lisa was keeping safe, he decided to hold a benefit concert to raise money to fix it. But Bart decided that the money should be used to create 'The Lisa Simpson Home for Abandoned Animals'." I explained. "Wow! That was a very generous thing Bart did for his sister." He said. "Yes, it was. But I feel like he should get his arm fixed as well. Mainly so that he won't be in so much pain. Do you think we can give him the extra money he needs to get the surgery?" I asked him. "Of course, I'd be more than happy to. I'll let Mrs. Simpson know that her son's surgery will be covered by me as soon as we're done shopping."