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  Billie stepped forward and put her hands on Cat's shoulders. "Let me take it from here," she said.

  Cat went to stand by Frannie and they both crossed their arms and glared at their daughters.

  Billie stood in front of the girls. "Look at me," she said.

  Both girls turned sad, tear-filled eyes toward Billie.

  "Do you know why you came home to empty houses?"

  "We were scared when no one was home at Missy's and at our house. We came here to wait for someone to come home," Skylark said.

  "Yes, but do you know why there was no one home?"

  "No," the girls said in unison.

  "Because everybody was out looking for you. The whole neighborhood was looking for you."

  The girls lowered their chins to their chests.

  "Skylar, Missy, you both have people who love you very much, and who would be heartbroken if anything bad happened to you. What you did today was very irresponsible and dangerous."

  Before Billie could say anything more, the kitchen door swung open, admitting Seth and Tara. They walked through the kitchen and into the living room and stopped in their tracks when they saw their younger sister, safe and sound.

  Tara immediately pounced on the younger girl. She sat atop of her and pinned her to the couch. "Don't you ever do that to me again, do you understand?" Tara shouted into her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

  Fearing bodily harm, Billie intervened and pulled Tara from the younger girl. She set her back onto her feet, enveloped the teenager in her arms, and held her close as she released pent up fear and emotions.

  "I'm sorry, Tare," Skylar said in a tiny voice.

  A much calmer Tara turned in Billie's arms and looked at her sister. "S'okay. Just don't do it again."

  "I won't. I promise," Skylar said.

  Seth grinned at his mothers. "See, I told you she was fine!"

  Cat crossed the room and embraced her son. "Yes, you did, honey."

  "All right—all three of you—time to hit the sheets. It's been a rough day," Billie ordered as the children headed for the stairs.

  "Ah, Tara?" Frannie said.

  Tara stopped her ascent up the stairs and turned to face their neighbor. "Yeah?" she replied.

  "Look, what I said earlier…I didn't mean it. I was scared and I was looking for someone to blame. I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me."

  Tara nodded and smiled. "Good night," she said to the three women and resumed her climb.

  Frannie extended the apology to Cat and Billie, gathered up Missy, and headed home.

  After seeing Frannie out, Cat returned to the living room and found Billie leaning against the mantel, her shoulders shaking as sobs racked her body. She wrapped her arms around Billie and laid her head between her shoulder blades. "I love you," she whispered.

  Billie turned around and folded Cat within the circle of her arms. "I love you too," she replied. "We should give Officer Sullivan and Jen a call, then go to bed ourselves. I'm exhausted."

  Cat waited patiently as Billie made the calls.

  Billie smiled as she hung up the phone after calling Jen.

  "What's that grin for?" Cat asked.

  "Jen. She really is a good friend, isn't she? She started crying as soon as I told her Sky was okay." Billie yawned loudly when she finished her sentence.

  "Come on, you. Time for bed," Cat said.

  Arm in arm, they walked toward the stairs. Their children were home and their family was intact once more. Life was good.

  CHAPTER 4

  "Seth! Dude, you'd better get up or you'll be late for work." Billie called to her son as she prepared to leave for work as well. Cat had already left, having shifted her summer hours to start and end earlier in the day so one of them was home with the children in the early morning and the other, later in the afternoon.

  Seth ambled sleepily down the stairs and stumbled to the kitchen table. "I'm beat!" he exclaimed. "Thanks to Skylar, I didn't get enough sleep last night."

  "Don't be too quick to blame it totally on your sister, big guy. You know you normally stay up until eleven or twelve on work nights," Billie commented. "Last night was no exception."

  "Yeah, I guess," Seth mumbled. "But I don't usually spend seven hours scouring the neighborhood before going to bed either."

  "Now that I can understand," Billie replied. She wrapped her arms around her son and placed a kiss on his head. "Thanks for not giving up on her, Scout. You were a big help last night. I'm proud of both you and Tara for pitching in to look for your sister."

  Seth grinned and nodded.

  Billie reached for a travel mug from the cupboard, and poured herself a coffee to go. "You must have been really busy at work yesterday." She looked over her shoulder at Seth.

  Seth frowned. "No, not really. Why do you say that?"

  "Hmmm. When Skylar turned up missing, Tara called looking for you and your boss told her you were too busy to come to the phone. Now why would he say something like that?"

  Seth shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me," he replied. He really didn't want to tell his mother he had been reprimanded at work for the number of phone calls he had been receiving from girls.

  "Oh well. Damn, I'm going to be late for my nine o'clock meeting if I don't get moving," Billie exclaimed. She kissed Seth on the cheek. "I guess I'll see you tonight, sweetie."

  "Okay, Mom. Have a good day."

  Seth rose from his seat at the table and pulled open the refrigerator door. He stood there for several minutes with the door wide open until he finally settled on the orange juice, which he retrieved and drank directly from the carton before putting it back. Next, he grabbed the milk, closed the refrigerator door and set the carton on the table before going to the pantry to decide on which cereal he wanted for breakfast. Just then, his cell phone rang.

  "Hello?" Seth answered in his man-boy voice.

  "Hey, Seth. Steve here. Are your moms gone yet?"

  "Yeah, finally!"

  "Cool! Are you ready for Friday night?" Steve asked.

  "I...I suppose so."

  "You're not going to chicken out on us, are you, Seth?" Steve warned.

  "No, I guess not," Seth replied after a short pause. "You know, our parents are going to kill us."

  "If we get caught. Are you forgetting they're supposed to go out together Friday night?"

  "Yeah, I remember. Did Timmy get the stuff?" Seth asked.

  "His older brother is getting it for him. We're supposed to meet him in the graveyard on Friday around seven."

  "Okay. Look, man, I'm gonna be late for work. I gotta go. I'll talk to you later, all right?" Seth said.

  "Sounds good! Catcha later!" Steve answered and then hung up.

  Seth ended the call and stared at his phone for long moments. His conscience was getting the best of him. You are such a mama's boy! A voice nagged at him. Furrowing his brow, he shook the offending intruder off and nodded his head. "We'll see about that," he said out loud. "We'll just see."

  ***

  "Tare? Tare, wake up." Skylar shook her sister awake.

  "Go away!" Tara swat at the hands that were prodding her into awareness.

  "Come on, Tara. It's almost ten o'clock. It's Wednesday. We always go to the mall on Wednesdays," Skylar whined.

  Tara rolled over and looked at her little sister. "You are a real pain in the ass, you know that?"

  "I'm telling Mama you said ass," Sky replied.

  "Well, so did you," Tara pointed out then rolled over and pulled the covers over her head once more.

  "Yeah, but you said it first!"

  Tara sat up quickly, threw her covers off and grabbed the front of Skylar's shirt. She pulled their faces close together. "So what?" she challenged. "Ass! There, I said it again. Ass, ass, ass, ass, ass!" Tara released her sister and flung herself back down onto the bed. "Ahh! Why did God make little kids anyway?" she shouted.

  Undaunted, Skylar continued to beg. "Come on, Tara. I wanna go to the mall."

 
; Tara continued to ignore her.

  "I bet 'Rissa's up and ready to go," Skylar said.

  Tara threw her hands up. "All right! I'll get up. You're gonna nag me all morning if I don't, aren't you?"

  "Yep," Sky replied.

  "Ugh. I hate mornings." Tara hung her legs over the side of the bed. She looked at Skylar. "Go make yourself useful and call 'Rissa. Tell her we'll be ready in about twenty minutes."

  Happy to do her idol's bidding, Skylar scampered off to the living room to make the call while Tara dragged herself out of bed. She walked over to the full-length mirror on her closet door, and took in her appearance. She shook her head side to side. Why do I have to be so ugly? Look at me! My hair sucks, my skin sucks, my body sucks! Christ! I even have boobs! I hate them! Why couldn't I be a guy? They've got it made!

  Tara chose from her usual preference of baggy jeans and T-shirt and carried her clothes to the bathroom where she planned to put them on after taking her shower. She stood up after using the toilet, and glanced into the bowl. Her eyes widened with surprise and disgust. "Shit!" she exclaimed. "Shit! Shit! Shit! This is just what I need!" She dreaded this day, and hoped it would never come. At fourteen, she was well behind most of her friends, and just assumed that it would never happen.

  Skylar ran into the room. "Tare, 'Rissa will be over in about ten minutes." Skylar followed her sister's gaze into the bowl. "Ahhhhh," she screamed. "Tara, you're bleeding! Call Mama, quick before you die!"

  Why are little kids so dumb? Tara wondered. She shook her head. "Sky. Sky, will you calm down? I'm not going to die!"

  "But there's blood in there!" Skylar pointed to the bowl.

  "Yeah. Lucky me. Now I'm gonna have to walk around all day feeling like I'm wearing a diaper." She rummaged through the supplies under the bathroom sink. "Where are they?" she asked out loud.

  "Where are what?" Skylar asked.

  "The pads."

  "You mean like the pads of paper we use for school?"

  Tara stopped in her tracks and stared at her sister in disbelief before returning to her search. After long unsuccessful moments, she gave up and paged Cat at work. "Ma? This is Tara," she spoke into the phone when Cat returned the page.

  "Hi, honey. Is everything all right? Your sister didn't run off again, did she?" Cat asked.

  "No, she's right here. Ma, I've got a problem. I need some help finding..." Tara began.

  "What is it sweetheart? Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine. Ma, I need some pads," Tara explained.

  Several seconds of silence passed before Cat responded. "Pads? As in sanitary napkins?"

  "Yes," Tara answered. She was humiliated beyond belief.

  "You started your period?" Cat asked excitedly.

  "Say it a little louder, Ma. I don't think they heard you in the ER," Tara exclaimed.

  "Oh, my God! My little girl is growing up," Cat gushed.

  "Ma…Ma, the pads?" Tara asked impatiently.

  "Of course. There's a box under the sink in my bathroom. Help yourself, honey."

  "Thanks," Tara said, in a hurry to get off the phone before her mother embarrassed her even more. "Look, Ma, 'Rissa and I are taking Sky to..." Tara started.

  "Do you feel all right, honey? Do you want me to come home?" Cat asked. "I mean, do you have cramps or anything? Maybe you should take a couple of Tylenol before they set in," she recommended.

  "Ma, I'm fine—really. All I need is a pad."

  "Well, maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones and not have cramps," Cat continued.

  "Ma, I gotta go. 'Rissa is waiting for us to go to the mall."

  "Okay. Well then, have a good day, and take care of your sister, okay? Oh, and Tara, now that you're becoming a young lady, Mom and I need to have a talk with you some time soon, all right?"

  Oh groan!!! Tara agonized internally. "Okay, Ma. I'll see you when you get home. Bye!"

  Tara quickly hung up the phone before Cat could say anything else then ran into her mothers' bathroom to get what she needed. On her way back to the common bathroom, her phone rang once more.

  "Hello?" Tara said into the phone.

  "Hi, sweetheart, it's Mom," Billie replied. "Mama just called. I understand you have some news for me?"

  "Mom! Christ! Has she called the TV and radio stations about it too? I started my period. It's no big deal!"

  Billie chuckled. "She is just a bit enthusiastic about it, isn't she?"

  "Mom, this is humiliating. I really hate this," she whined.

  Well, get used to it, sweetling. You've got about forty or so years to put up with it."

  "Well that sure makes me feel better!" Tara exclaimed. She could hear Billie chuckling on the other end of the line.

  "Did Mama tell you to take some Tylenol for the cramps?"

  "Yes, Mom, she did, but I feel fine."

  "Well take some anyway. Sometimes the cramps don't start right away."

  "Mom, Mama said something about a talk. Do we have to?"

  "Yeah, we do. Honey, you need to know how to be smart and safe. I promise we'll make it short, okay?"

  "Oh, all right. Look, 'Rissa and I are taking the runt to the mall, so I gotta jump in the shower. I'll see you when you get home, okay?"

  "Okay sweetheart, and by the way—congratulations!"

  "For what? Becoming a routine blood donor? If I wanted to do that, I'd visit the Red Cross." Tara laughed at her own joke. "Bye, Mom," she said then hung up the phone.

  ***

  "Jen? What are you cooking for dinner?" Fred asked from his recliner.

  "Nothing," Jen replied.

  Fred's head snapped around. "What do you mean nothing? Did you order pizza?"

  "Nope."

  "Take out?"

  "No. I'm on strike," Jen explained.

  Fred rose from his chair and walked toward the kitchen. He leaned against the door frame separating the kitchen from the living room and crossed his arms. "You're joking, right?"

  "No, I'm not."

  "Jen, do you feel all right? It's not like you to act this way."

  "Well, Fred, just how am I supposed to act? Am I supposed to fix your meals, wash your clothes, clean your house and see to your every need? Is that how I'm supposed to act?"

  "Well...yeah," he replied. "Isn't that how you've always acted?"

  Jen nodded. "I suppose it is, but you know what—I'm tired of taking care of everyone and not being appreciated for it."

  "What do you mean? We appreciate you," Fred replied.

  "Maybe in your own way you do, but more than ever, I feel like I'm being taken for granted. I mean, look at your reaction just a few moments ago when I said I wasn't cooking dinner. You almost became unhinged. Honey, life has fallen into a mundane pattern of you going to work every day and me staying home and being the good little housewife. It's expected that I will take care of everyone and never complain. I'm tired of it. Fred, I want to get a job."

  Fred raised his eyebrows. "A job?" he asked incredulously.

  "Yes, a job."

  "And just what kind of job do you think you can get?" he asked.

  Indignation kicked in. Jen placed her hands on her hips and looked her husband square in the face. "You say that as if I have no skills at all. Are you forgetting that I did go to college? Are you forgetting that I have a degree in elementary education? Look, Fred. I've already checked with the school, and they are willing to hire me on as a full-time, paid, teacher's aide. After I re-certify, I could even be promoted to teacher as soon as there's an opening," she explained.

  Panic began to set in. "Jen, be reasonable about this. Who will take care of us if you go to work?" Fred asked.

  "We all will, Fred. Don't you see? Steve and Karissa are both in high school. They don't need me to be home for them after school any more. We could all pitch in to keep the house clean, do the laundry and make the meals. Fred, with today's economy, most households require two incomes. A two income family is more the norm in today's society than not—especially when there a
re no small kids to stay home for."

  "But Jen, you don't have to work. I make enough to support all of us," Fred tried to reason.

  Jen approached her husband and took his face between her hands. She kissed him gently. "Honey, this isn't about your ability to support us. You've done a wonderful job at that. This is about me feeling fulfilled, about feeling like I'm independent. Can't you understand that?"

  "But...but..." he stammered.

  "Look, Fred, put yourself in my shoes. Your wife works all day, pays all the bills, takes care of everyone financially, while you stay home, clean, cook and then sit around doing nothing for the rest of the day while the kids are at school and all your friends are at work. Your wife comes home at night. You wait on her hand and foot, cook her meals, do her dishes and iron her clothes for work the next day. Now consider doing that day after day for nearly twenty years. Think about it Fred. Do you think you'd be ready for a change?" Jen asked.

  Fred's brow furrowed with thought. "Has it really been that bad, Jen?"

  Jen smiled. "No. It's hasn't been bad at all. But the kids are both teenagers now. They don't need a full time nanny. It's time they start learning how to take care of themselves. I want to feel more productive, Fred. I'm going to accept the position at the school."

  Fred held her gaze for several moments. Finally, he nodded and said, "Okay. I'll support you in this. Yeah. We can give it a trial run. It's going to be very different, but I can see how much this means to you."

  "A trial run?" Jen said hotly. "Fred, there's something you don't understand. This is my decision—not yours. There is nothing trial about it. I really appreciate your willingness to be supportive Fred, but don't patronize me by pretending to go along with it, thinking you'll make the final decision on how permanent this becomes."

  "Well excuse me, Miss Career Woman!" Fred retorted sarcastically. "Don't let me stand in your way!"

  "Look Fred, I know this upsets you, but you'll see in time that it's a good thing. It's something I really need to do for myself."

  "All right. All right, Jen. I'll do what I can to support you." Fred tried hard to make peace with his wife. He grinned ear to ear and squinted mischievously. "Well, I think I'm going to need some cooking lessons if you expect me to help with dinner from now on. Maybe I can even get one up on Billie at our next cookout."