Amazement

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

***

"My mom keeps whining about her low libido," Penelope complained.

Carlo, Penelope, and Maddie sat in Maddie's living room on Monday after school, watching Pitch Perfect and waiting for April and Mickey to show up.

"Uh, why are you telling me about Fran's low sex drive?" Maddie giggled.

Penelope shrugged. "Stacie was talking about how she has a lot of sex, so it got me thinking," she explained, gesturing to the screen.

"You're an idiot," Carlo told her.

A car pulled up outside.

"They're home!" Maddie yelled happily. She rushed outside to greet April and Mickey.

"Mom!" Maddie threw her arms around April, who was clearly exhausted. She wore sweats and her red hair was up in a ponytail.

"Hey, sweetie." April hugged her daughter back.

"So how is she?" Maddie asked as she opened up the backseat to get Mickey.

April sighed. "Sicker than we thought."

"I'll make sure to call her." Maddie stuck her head into the backseat and gently jostled a sleeping Mickey awake. His eyes fluttered open.

"Hi, Maddie," he whispered.

"Hi, Bubba," she whispered back. She unbuckled him from his carseat and carried him inside while Penelope and Carlo helped April with the bags.

Mickey was asleep again by the time Maddie got to his room. She changed him into his pajamas and placed him in his crib, tucking his sheets around him.

When Maddie got back downstairs, April was already starting dinner.

"Do you two want to stay for dinner?" April called to Penelope and Carlo.

"No, we have to get home," Carlo replied.

"But thanks for the offer, April," Penelope chimed in. The twins hugged April and Maddie goodbye and were gone.

"Mom, I can take care of dinner. Go take a nap."

April sighed. "Thank you so much."

Maddie smiled. "So what am I making?"

"Mickey really wanted garlic bread. And I was just getting the mashed potatoes ready. And I was thinking maybe tilapia?"

Maddie nodded. "Garlic bread, potatoes, tilapia. Got it."

April kissed Maddie's cheek. "I'm so lucky to have you," she told her. April grabbed her handbag and went upstairs.

The garlic bread and the mashed potatoes were the easy part. The garlic bread was already in the oven; all Maddie had to do was wait ten minutes before putting them on a plate. And who couldn't make mashed potatoes? What Maddie couldn't seem to get right was the tilapia. After two failed attempts, Maddie opened up the window and shut the door so that the smell of burnt fish wouldn't travel throughout the house. She finally settled on baking honey barbecue wings. She quickly tossed together a salad and set the table before taking the wings out if the oven and piling them high on a large plate.

Mickey came downstairs first, still wearing his pajamas.

"Maddie!"

He ran towards her on his short, wobbly legs and Maddie swooped him up. "Did you miss me, Bubba?"

Mickey nodded rapidly.

"Well, I'm going to get your highchair-"

Mickey cut her off. "I wanna sit in a big boy chair," he announced. "At Aunt Charlotte's house they let me sit in big chairs."