Izzy, Not Isabelle

Meet the Parents

"Izzy, honey?" Jake's mom's voice cuts through my thoughts, jarring me back to the present, and I look up from my blue cup.

"Ma'am?" I ask.

"Are you staying for dinner?"

"Not today. Mom's cooking enchiladas." I grin. Enchiladas are my favorite food---Mom's are, that is. I don't really like the ones at Mexican restaurants. Too much sour cream.

I glance at Jake. He's scowling, but he still manages to look hopeful. He loves my mom's homemade enchiladas nearly as much as I do. He looks at his mom, but she levels him with the 'ain't happening' look that we both know all too well. Jake looks down in defeat.

"Well, Izzy, you ought to go before your mom comes looking for you," Ms. Roberts suggests. I nod and finish off my lemonade. Then, after grabbing my towel and drying off some, I run upstairs to Jake's room with him on my heels. I grab a T-shirt and shorts. He has a drawer in my room, and I have one in his. I jog to the bathroom and change, making a mental note to bring more T-shirts to his house. This is my last one.

After changing, I grab my phone and text my mom that I'm coming home. I dash back downstairs, waving goodbye to Jake on the way out.

I have a song stuck in my head---I almost always do---so I hum it as I'm crossing the street, adding a twirl once I reach my mailbox.
As I'm spinning, I see Jake watching me. He whistles - you know, the two-note whistle men do in movies when they're checking a girl out. I fight to suppress a giggle, instead electing to stick my tongue out at him. I've always wanted to be able to whistle, but I just can't. On the other hand, Jake can whistle just fine. I'm so jealous!

I walk straight to the door, not even sparing Jake a backwards glance. As soon as I step inside my house, the scent of freshly cooked enchiladas greets me. Mom is just now taking them out of the oven. I rush over and hug her, smiling.

"Hey, Mama."

She turns to look at me and envelops me in her arms.

"Hey, sweetie! Why don't you go grab some plates for me?"

"Sure!" I grab three plates from the cabinet to the left of the microwave---one for me, one for Mom, and one for Dad, who'll be home any second.

Just then, Dad walks in through the front door. He ruffles my hair and kisses Mom.

"How was work today?" Mom asks, our typical routine. Dad sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. He's a mechanic at a 24/7 auto parts shop - he had the misfortune of being one of the Sunday employees - and often gets vehicles that are nearly beyond repair.

"These people brought in a jeep that cranked every time at the shop, but they swear it only sometimes starts. I guess I'll replace the starter and see if that helps. If that doesn't work, it could be the starter cylinder or the alternator. Who knows, it could be the ignition coil or clogged fuel filter."

"Wow. Sounds complicated," Mom mutters. "Glad I don't have to do that."

"Well, I don't have to deal with students not wanting to read the material," he says, referencing a boy that came to Mom for help because he didn't feel like reading the passage.
Mom rolls her eyes. We were all stuck between being frustrated and amused at the student. On one hand, how lazy can you be? On the other, it's kind of funny to see how far he'll go to get out of work. Apparently, according to his excuses, all eleven of his grandmas have died in the last month. Either his family is scarily complicated, or he really needs to find a new excuse. I mean, if you're not using your energy on classwork, at least use some creativity to get out of it.

Mom serves the enchiladas, dumping huge scoops on each of our plates. It seems like a lot, but she does that so that we won't need seconds or thirds. We thank her and dig in. The enchiladas are delicious, just like Mom's always are. It might be odd, but we don't talk at all while we're eating. Mom says that's the best compliment a chef can get: total silence. It means that the food is so good that everyone is enjoying it too much to speak.

"So, Izz, how was your day?" My dad turns to me.

"Good. I went swimming with Jake. He pushed me into the pool, so I pulled him in with me."

"There's my girl!" My dad laughs. Mom and I join in. Dad's jovial laugh is contagious, always has been. No matter what happens, Dad can be counted on to make me laugh.

After we finish eating, I run to the freezer to grab ice cream, my all-time favorite dessert. I grab the cookies 'n' creme ice cream and a cup, since all of the bowls have long since been broken, save for a few cereal bowls we got at a garage sale.

I scoop the delicious substance into my cup, pushing it down to ensure that I eat the maximum amount of ice cream.

After finishing my dessert, I carry it to the sink. I rinse it out, along with the rest of the dishes soaking in soapy water.

Once the kitchen is clean, the three of us crowd together on our tan leather couch to prepare for Rogers Family Movie Night, which we do every Sunday night and consists of one member of the family picking out a movie they want to watch. Today is Mom's day, so she pulls out a disk and slips it into the DVD player.

She skips through the ads until the menu pops up. We're watching "Taken." The main character, Bryan Mills, lets his daughter go on vacation with her friend and her family, but it turns out to just be the two girls at a hotel. Bryan's daughter is kidnapped, and he has to find her before she's auctioned off by the kidnappers.

At the conclusion of the movie, when almost everything is resolved, we get up to shower, put on pajamas, brush teeth, and get in bed. Mom and Dad hug me goodnight, and I fall asleep almost immediately.

A/N
So here you get to meet Izzy's family. Her mom's students are partially based off actual students MY mom's friend had.

There was one girl who said she couldn't take her test because she found out her fiancé was cheating on her so she was burning his things in a huge bonfire.

My mom's friend decided that either she should be able to retake because that's awful or she should be able to retake because that took a hell of a lot of imagination to come up with.

Anyways, love ya!! Tell me what you think!!