"Sandy, darling, you scared me!"
She let out a content yawn, stretching. Her pajamas were really cute. "Just searching the skies. Never know what you're gonna find," she said, grinning.
"Well, have a shower now, because I'm going to make pancakes and we'll have a nice, family breakfast for once." I was tired of us always eating separately or not at all, with the kids eating junk for meals. Even if we only had time for one family outing per month, it would be worth it. I just wanted my kids to bond with each other in a group, as a family.
I gently shook Buzz and Andy awake, telling them the same thing. When I went back to make my bed, I found Prince standing alert talking on his cellphone. "Yeah. Uh huh. Yes. Of course," Prince said, continuing with short answers and agreements. I watched him speak while I made the bed, trying to figure out who he was talking to. When he finally pressed 'End', he turned to me. "That was the doctor. They got the blood results back."
"And?" I fidgeted nervously, searching his face anxiously for answers.
"I'm all good! Perfectly healthy!" Prince said, his face cracking into a smile.
"That's wonderful, sweetie! You're going to live a long, full life," I said, giving him a congratulatory kiss. I returned to the boys' room to wake them up again, since I had known that they were going to fall back asleep. A little bit of water in their ears did the trick, and they were ready to go in a second.
I used my perfected recipe to cook the pancakes. There was no room for mistakes. It was a make or break day-one error to send any of my children into the realm of grumpiness and the day would be ruined. The exact amount of butter... The fruit to those who liked it, none for those that didn't. I realized I was spending too much time trying to get it perfect, and the kids would be quite hungry if I kept them waiting. Sandy, in fact, had just gotten out of the shower and I had only started mixing the ingredients. I knew that Buzz and Andy still had to shower, though, so it was alright.
I was proven correct when I heard Sandy grumbling, "When's breakfast going to be ready?"
A hungry teenager was not a happy teenager.
I stumbled into the dining room. Sandy was doing her homework, a sour expression on her face. "Oh, you're getting your homework over with? Good job, Sandy. By the time your brothers get down here the pancakes should be ready."
"It's so annoying having brothers," Sandy sighed.
"You love them anyway, though," I reminded her.
"Bleh."
As I flipped the pancakes in the pan, I heard some clattering noises-what I presumed to be Buzz fiddling with the shower in order to send out a trail of food colouring-and some clanking noises-which were undoubtedly Prince working out on weight lifting machine. His doctor had given him permission to resume his work-outs now that his stress levels were down and his body was alright with strenuous activities.
To my relief, the pancakes were cooked and the kids were all down at the same time, so we sat down to eat. Prince and I didn't want to exclude ourselves from the table, so instead of eating at the head of the table, Sandy sat across from Buzz, who I sat next to. I sat across from Andy, who Prince sat next to.
"It's nice to finally have a nice, family meal," I started as the kids dug in. "I think that we should open ourselves up to each other before I tell you guys something."
"Like cut each other open?" Buzz suggested, and mimed slicing Sandy down the middle with a knife.
I rolled my eyes. "Ask each other question, just find out things about each other. We should be very trusting of each other."
"Well, I dunno about you guys, but mom, I've always wanted to know," Sandy said, "Can you explain your tattoos?"
I exchanged a glance with Prince. That was one question I did not want to answer. He coughed and looked away, leaving me by myself. "Well, it was a moment of weak judgement, kids. Honestly, I don't regret them though. The one on my arm is a fish jumping out of water. Because when I was going through that... period of my life, I felt like two things. One, a fish out of water. But I also felt like exploring new things, brave, and like I could fly."
"And the one on the back of your neck?" Sandy waited for me to answer.
I sighed. "That was to represent all of the pain I had caused. All of the hearts I had broken. Everything which I had damaged. It was an apology, of sorts." I caught Prince's eye, and he looked down at his pancake. I didn't miss the tear which slipped out.
Buzz had already finished scarfing down his pancake, of course. He moved to get up, but I dragged him back. "Do your homework or something, Buzz." So he took out his homework and set to work on it. "To change the subject," I continued, "I've had something planned for a while. And then Sandy mentioned it and I knew that I had to follow through. None of you have plans, right?"
My kids and husband shook their heads. "What's up, mom?" Andy asked.
I couldn't help but smile. "So you know the new Festival park? The themed one with all sorts of activities? We're going to go to it as a family!"
Andy coughed on his food, and Prince had to slap him on the back roughly before he cleared his air passages. "Excuse me? You mean go to that little kids thing? With face painting and all sorts of dumb little cutesy activities?"
"Yes, actually. And they're not dumb little cutesy activities. I want to get our photo taken as a family, since we haven't done something like that for a while. I need something to send to our family. Becky included. And it's not a question, because we're all going, Andy. I thought you guys would be excited about it."
"Ooh, yes, yippee, wasting my whole afternoon with my family playing little games! I cannot wait! It sounds superb, mother dearest, my heartiest thanks for organizing this splendid adventure! I'm sure after this we'll be as tight as the Incredibles family, ooh, it just sounds-"
"That's enough, Buzz," I said calmly, ignoring his sarcastic hand clapping.
"Can't you guys just give it a chance?" Prince piped in sheepishly, realizing he was supposed to help.
"C'mon dad, I know that you'd rather watch golf than waste your afternoon waiting in line for little rides fit for three year olds. You're just saying that because of mom. Besides, I wanted you guys to meet Leon!"
"Then invite him! This would be a great opportunity for him to meet us!" I exclaimed.
"Yeah, 'cuz every guy wants to tag along on the family activities," Andy said, rolling his eyes.
"I for one think it's a great idea," Sandy said, setting her plate down and leaning forwards. "I've been there a few times, and it's really just a blast. I think you guys would benefit from relaxing a little and just having fun. Oh, and Buzz, guess what? There are concession stands filled with all sorts of greasy food that mom wouldn't let you have at home..."
Buzz shifted on his seat, licking his lips nervously. "I dunno..."
"There's a food-eating contest... whoever wins gets an month's supply of whatever food was in the food eating contest," Sandy added.
"Damn it, I'm in," Buzz said, grinning.
"Dude! You can't just abandon ship on me! Mom, I have work today, I can't go," Andy suddenly remembered, and smiled broadly. He, too, had taken out his homework to work on.
"Phone in and tell them that the queen is taking your family out for a special activity which simply cannot be missed. I'm sure they won't mind," I said.
Andy still wasn't convinced, and scratched his head skeptically. "Are we going to waste the whole day there?"
"You just don't get it, do you?" Sandy asked, raising an eyebrow at Andy. When he shook his head she just sighed. "Andy, I really don't want to offend you, but you're kind of selfish. Mom and dad work hard to keep up the reputation of this household, as well as feed and clothe us and keep a roof over your head. Buzz is your best friend, and he keeps attempting to make a potion for someone who we don't even know exists. And me? You don't even know what I like to do, Andy. I love playing the guitar and painting, but you wouldn't be able to tell because you're too caught up in your life. All we're asking is an opportunity to be able to bond as a family and get to know each other again." I was stunned by my little girl's speech, and couldn't hide the tiny sniffle of pride which escaped me.
"Oh, come on, Sandy, really? I think we can all think of better things to do," Andy sighed.
"Maybe I can think of better things to do, but I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing," Sandy replied.
"But-"
"Stop! Andy! We're going! So just stop!" Sandy cried, losing her patience.
"Your sister is correct, Andy," I said, "You're going, whether you like it or not. You're outvoted, anyway. Four against one."
In one last ditch effort, Andy blurted out, "I'll guard the house if you want!"
I rolled my eyes. "We don't need someone to guard the house, Andy."
"How do you know?" He raised an eyebrow at me. "The royal family-who's to say someone wouldn't want to rob us?"
"Fine, then," I chuckled, and left the room. "I'll call Bonehilda, then." I retrieved the skeleton key from its hiding spot in the bathroom and gave it a wave.
When I didn't hear anything, I went to the backyard to investigate. After a few moments, I knocked on the coffin door, and jumped back as it swung open with an ominous creak. Bonehilda strutted out cockily, and I swear, her pose read 'It's Bonehilda, bitches!' I quickly got over my shock and assured Andy that the house would be taken care of by Bonehilda-he had nothing to worry about.
The kids piled into the car, and I took my seat next to Prince. The twins were in the far back seat, and they kept glancing at each other, grinning, and looking away, like they had their own little secret or something. Sandy tapped Andy's shoulder repeatedly. Andy rolled his eyes, ignoring her. "Sandy, stop," he finally said.
"Stop what?" She continued poking Andy.
"Mom, make Sandy stop," Andy whined.
"Sandy, stop poking your brother."
The normalness and rarity of the situation made everyone smile-with the exception of Andy, who scowled in his seat, sulking.
When we finally pulled up to the park, we let the kids out so Prince and I could go find a parking spot. "I'll race you there!" Sandy shrieked with pleasure, sprinting off past Buzz.
"No fair! You got a head start!" he laughed, running after her. Andy walked after them with his hands in his pockets. After Prince and I parked, we walked down to the park hand in hand. It was a date day for the two of us, too. When we walked down the winding path and finally reached the main fun area, Andy was no where to be seen. The twins, however, were throwing water balloons at each other. I remembered when Sandy threw water balloons at Becky. She was a little more experienced in the art of it. Buzz soon found this out when he buckled over, holding his crotch. "Not the family jewels!" Sandy grabbed her stomach as she laughed at Buzz's attempt to recover, but waited before throwing anymore water balloons.
"Watch out, 'cuz here comes another one!" Sandy cried, whipping a blue water balloon at Buzz. He dodged this one and it exploded on the ground behind him. I was amazed at Sandy's strength, considering she had no muscle and weighed practically nothing. Buzz threw a few back, but most of them didn't even go past Sandy's purple plastic shield.
A few minutes later, my jaw almost unhinged itself as I caught sight of Andy. He was dressed in his work outfit-but besides the peculiarity of that, he had gotten his face painted. "Andy, what were you saying about dumb little cutesy activities like getting your face painted?" I said smugly, marching up to him.
He lowered his face. "I'm doing what you said, alright? It doesn't seem half bad, then. Do you think it's cool?" He eagerly showed me the little drawing of a silhouette surfing the waves.
"It's alright, I guess. They did a good job of it, though. Go join the twins; they're having a water balloon fight!"
"Prince," I cooed softly into his ear, "Lets go roller skating. It'll be so romantic..."
Prince strutted forward to the food booth and asked for two pairs of roller skates. After confirming our foot sizes, Prince got suited up in a pair of black skates with red wheels, and I got white skates with pink wheels. "I'll teach you how to skate," he said, leading me onto the roller rink. That wasn't the case, though. We were twirling around on the rink, holding hands, when Prince lost his balance and started to fall...
Because of this, I, too, tumbled onto the ground, face first. Prince sat on his bum while I lay spread eagle. We started to get up, and fell again. We looked at each other and cracked a smile. "We'll get the hang of it," I chuckled, helping Prince up.
"I blame myself. I remember our first dance-we were so clumsy."
"Ah, but when we were young..." We thought about our first meeting for a few minutes, about young love and being naive.
"I love you, Prince," I whispered as we twirled around slowly, in a circle, holding hands.
"I love you, Cinderella," he whispered back. "I remember how mad I was that my dad made me have a ball to find someone. I thought the idea of finding love in someone I meet at a ball, like an arranged marriage, was complete bull. I didn't want to have to go through the tyranny of a typical royal wedding."
"So instead you married me, the step-daughter so often mistaken as a maid, and as replaceable as a rag."
"I don't know who you're talking about. My Cinderella is irreplaceable."
"When I married you, I left the old Cinderella behind."
"You brought the real Cinderella out."
"Actually, you did."
I walked over to the kids and watched them have their little water balloon fight. The boys were on one side, Sandy on the other. Buzz was holding a red balloon and Andy was holding a green one. "On three, okay? One, two, three!" They released the balloons and Sandy squealed as she dived to avoid them. Normally it would seem as if the boys had an unfair advantage, but it seemed as if in this case, Sandy still had the upper hand.
"Nana nana boo boo! You can't catch!" Sandy taunted, sidestepping more balloons that went sailing past her. She didn't even bother reloading on balloons. She was just having a blast avoiding them!
"Watch out, Sandy, 'cuz here comes another one!" Andy launched a blue water balloon into the air, but it was light enough for Sandy to actually catch it and absorb the impact without it popping. She grinned mischievously at the boys before sending it back. She seemed to have good aim, as she hit Andy's genitals right on target. He grabbed his groin and started cursing. And not just normal cursing, either, but loud, vulgar words.
I pulled him to the side, appalled by his language. "Andrew Casmin! I can't believe that you would say such rude things!"
"Calm down mom, I-"
"I will not calm down! Do you realize that this is a public park, where people can hear what you're saying? We do not taint the royal image with despicable words and crude notions! I'm ashamed of you right now, Andy. I thought you knew better. You have to smarten up. I don't care that you've been a foul mood all day. Snap out of it! This is a family outing which you shouldn't be ruining! I thought I raised you better than this." I was absolutely fuming, and the words that came pouring out of my mouth were like venom. I knew that I had to say it. Sometimes I was just too easy on my kids. But I didn't like saying it that way.
Andy's face scrunched up for a second, and he looked like he was about to cry. "I'm sorry, mom. I won't do it again," he said, his voice breaking. I knew I got my message across. It took everything in me to not give Andy a big hug. Luckily, I didn't have to worry about it as Sandy wrapped her arms around Andy in a hug.
"Mom is right, Andy," she said, "Don't feel bad. It's okay."
I mouthed the words 'thank you' to Sandy. She really was my lifesaver that day, and I appreciated it so much. I knew that she wanted the day to be a success just as much as I did.
"Buzz, what are you doing?" I asked caught off guard as Buzz picked up a lighter and lit the fuse on one of fireworks. He grabbed my arm and pulled me away from it.
"They're controlled fireworks. We're allowed to light them, but we need to stay at least twenty meters away from it. C'mon, guys!" Buzz tugged on Andy's jacket and I grabbed Sandy's hand and pulled her away. Once we were at a safe distance, I glanced at Buzz.
"Nothing's happening," I noted.
"Just wait. It takes a few moments. Oh, and..."
"And what?"
"Cover your ears!"
I clapped my hands over my ears just in time, as the light burst out of the little container in high pitched screams. In the air, they started bursting into a form, which I recognized as-"An ice cream cone!"
Buzz grinned at me. There were pink sparkles for the ice cream part, and brown ones for the cone. "Wicked," Andy said, awestruck. The little balls of light then burst and showered down on our little neighbourhood in multicoloured flames.
"Where are you going?" Buzz asked as I walked away.
"I've got a craving for ice cream!" There was a little snow cone machine (admittedly not the same thing as ice cream) in the park that I was going to take full advantage of. I put my dollar into the machine and took the paper cone, slid open the glass door, and added a scoop of shaved ice to the paper cone.
I debated on which flavour to get, and finally settled on several different kinds. Rainbow! I used every flavour (and every colour) for my snow cone, determined to make the best of my buck.
By the time I turned around again, the rest of my family had entered themselves in the hot dog eating contest. There were four large plates of hot dogs with buns on them, and three drinks between each plate. They stood with their hands above the plate, waiting for the ding of the bell. When someone finally rang it, they attacked their plates as if it was the first meal they had seen in months. I stood nearby to watch, wondering who would come out on top. I had my guesses, but underdogs were known to pull out in surprise victories, so I wouldn't be making any bets.
I grinned and took a lick of my snow cone. Man, it was delicious! I watched my family scarf down the hot dogs as I took tentative tastes of my treat. Seeing them eat that quickly really made me want to savour my own treat.
Buzz was way ahead of everyone else. He didn't even seem to chew as he jammed the hot dogs in his mouth, nearly swallowing whole. Prince on the other hand seemed to be choking on every other hot dog, constantly taking gulps of his drink. Andy seemed near vomiting, but he wasn't too far behind Buzz. Sandy was taking small bites, and kept looking down at her food in dismay. Behind them was the paparazzi-some woman who visited our house way too often. She was carrying a camera and kept flashing it at my family.
A few minutes later, Buzz had finished all of his hot dogs. He look a wee bit queasy, and actually grabbed his stomach and put his hand over his mouth to stop himself from vomiting, but had won nonetheless. Sandy and Prince had full plates left, and Andy had about seven hot dogs left.
"You get a month's supply of hot dogs," the park proprietor drawled, coming up behind Buzz and tapping him on the shoulder. "Congratulations on your win."
While Buzz sorted out the details, I pulled Prince over to the photo booth. "This looks fun! Ten bucks for four large photos. Seems like a good deal."
In the photo booth, we pressed the button to take a picture. When nothing happened, Prince turned to me. "Well, now that I have you all to myself, I guess I can kiss you without embarrassing the kids," Prince said, kissing me. A flash went off and we laughed as the camera caught us in our romantic moment.
"Look, the screen here tells us what to do. It says Pose 2, counting down from ten..."
After we finished getting our photos taken, it deposited a glossy piece of paper with the pictures on it. I made a mental note to frame it.
I then decided to go roller skating again. Prince and I headed to the roller rink, where Sandy was as well. Sandy was having a hard time skating around, and I had to grab her hands to keep her upright. "I'm having a blast, mom," she said happily, smiling. It made me so pleased to see her this happy.
"I'm glad to hear, sweetie. Do you know how your brothers feel about it?"
"Buzz is having a good time, too. I think Andy is so-so about the whole ordeal."
Prince nearly crashed into the two of us, so I had to let Sandy go and chase after him. I was getting really skilled on the skates by this point. I caught up with Prince and pushed him near his daughter. "Spend some time with her," I whispered. They practically never did father-daughter bonding time. I couldn't hear what they were saying from where I was, but when they both burst out laughing I knew that my plan was a success.
I was skating backwards (and getting the hang of it!) when I noticed Andy sulking off to the side. "Andy, grab some skates and join us!" I laughed, ushering him forwards. He smiled and ran to get a pair of skates. Next to me, Sandy and Prince were racing each other.
I looked around for my other son to convince him to join us. "Buzz? Buzz! Where are you?" Buzz suddenly appeared walking out of the tanning booth. "Buzz? You weren't getting a fake tan were you?"
Buzz stared at me and then started laughing. "No, mom. Don't be ridiculous. I don't need one. I'd probably just look silly."
"Come join us, Buzz. It's a load of fun!" He glanced at me skeptically.
"Only if you get a fake tan."
"What? Well, okay, I guess. It wouldn't hurt..." I had no idea what the repercussions of getting one fake tan were, but I didn't really care. I was extremely healthy. One fake tan would be fine.
When Buzz finally got on the roller rink, I did my part of the deal and left to get a tan. "Guys, be careful!" I shouted as Sandy accidentally skated into Andy, sending him flying on his rear end.
"Sorry!" Sandy called, and my three kids erupted in laughter.
I stripped down to my underwear and grabbed a towel to cover myself. As I stepped into the circular machine, I tossed my towel to the side so it wouldn't get sprayed. The experience of getting my tattoos flashed through my mind. The door closed and I listened to the instructions, following the guide on a little screen. It provided me with an elastic to pull my hair back, and scanned my skin colour to see what shade it needed to spray for optimal affect, as well as took one strand of my hair to make sure I wouldn't have clashing colours. I started to get a little excited for it, honestly. "Please close your eyes, as the spraying will commence in five seconds," a woman's robotic voice echoed around me. The feeling was quite odd, but not entirely unpleasant. When the process was done, I stepped out of the machine, eager to see how I looked in the faint lighting. I stuck one arm out and looked at it. Wow, not too bad-I looked at the part which had light on it. Oh. My. God. I was striped orange and yellow! So that was why Buzz wanted to get me to get a spray tan. I quickly dressed, blushing furiously. Thank goodness it was dark out, so it would be difficult to see how I looked.
"What happened to you?" Prince asked in surprise once he saw me.
"Don't ask," I snapped.
"Aw, does someone need some cheering up?" Prince cupped my face in his hands. "I know just the thing..."
"Prince, what do you have planned?! Where are we going?" My question was answered a few moments later when Prince pulled me into the photo booth. It was risky, yes, but worth it. When we stepped out, I noticed that the machine was spitting out a glossy sheet. "Prince? What's this?" He just snickered from behind me. I picked up the sheet-Oh my! I quickly tore up the scandalous images, giving Prince the dirty eye for inserting money into the photo booth. "You dirty man, you planned this!"
He just chuckled.
I decided to keep rollerskating while I was there. Sandy and Andy had given up and were on the side, just talking. There was a man nearby taking pictures with a bright flash. The paparazzi. It didn't matter where we were, they would never leave us alone. I skated nearby to eavesdrop on their conversation and make sure that they weren't discussing anything too bad to hear about from the paparazzi's viewpoint.
"Any thoughts of university?" Andy was asking Sandy.
"I'd love to go for the arts, quite frankly. Learning that would be sweet, but I think I'd really just want to go for the experience." That was my biggest fear. That Sandy would just want to go to party and drink. Apparently, Andy was following my train of thought.
"Really? You'd spend all that money just to party?" He said with disapproval in his tone.
"What? I mean, I'd party there, obviously, but no, I would go to university for the experience of living on my own or just away from my parents and being self-reliant. Partying isn't my main concern, Andy. What are your thoughts for university?"
"I think it'd be awesome to learn about, I dunno, physical education or something? Technology? I want a degree that will be best suited for my dreams," Andy replied.
"What are your dreams?"
"I want to be a top notch private investigator. It'd be a blast. Imagine, a prince rooting out secrets about everyone! Oh, I'm kidding-can you leave us alone, please?" Andy snapped, twirling around to face the paparazzi. I skated away before they could see that I had been listening in.
I proceeded to skate around, doing twirls and getting much more comfortable on my feet. Eventually, I could do all sorts of spins that you would see on television. I could spread my arms and skate on one foot, feeling like I was flying. I could skate on one foot while stretching back to touch my foot... I felt free.
So, Sandy wanted to go into the arts... While it wasn't a realistic or ideal goal, I knew that Sandy loved painting and had stressed that she wanted guitar of her own. Prince and I were planning on buying one for her shortly and getting her set up with guitar lessons. Painting was a little more expensive of a hobby, but she actually sold her paintings to youth arts groups and was getting quite a bit for them, depending on how nice they looked.
And Andy? Private investigator? It seemed more trouble than it was worth, with quite a few risks, but I couldn't and wouldn't deny him of his dreams. I had always noticed that he was a bit perceptive for a guy, noticing things like new haircuts, piercings, right off the bat, and less obvious things like how someone was feeling. He could go far.
I was shaken from my thoughts by Sandy's voice. "What's that?" she yelled. I turned. She was standing on the other side of soccer field staring up at... What the hell? Was that a UFO? I slid out of my skates and tossed them to the side, sprinting to save my daughter... But it was too late. The UFO was sucking her up. "Mom, help!" Sandy cried, flailing in the air.
"Sandy!" I yelled back, running as fast as I could. The next moment, Sandy was gone. Taken by the aliens. What would they do? Would they give her back? Bring her back to wherever they lived? I went back to my family, putting on my regular shoes. No one else had seen it happen. None of them would believe me. Quite frankly, I wasn't believing it, but someone had taken Sandy and that was all that mattered.
What to do, what to do... "Andy, can you go over to that soccer field and keep an eye out for your sister? I think she got lost that way. Just be there if she comes back," I said, directing Andy where Sandy was sucked up. I couldn't tell him the truth. I needed his help, and that was the only way I was going to get it.
"Awesome, I'll go play soccer, then. Let me get changed really quickly," Andy said, and before I could stop him, he tore off to the washrooms to get changed.
"Hmm... I want to play too," Buzz said, coming up behind me.
"Buzz, you don't even have something to wear!" I protested.
"No problem. I'll just go in my undies." In a flash, Buzz had left too.
"Buzz, get over here!" Andy called from the field. He had ear-buds in, and was wearing a hoodie and shorts. He was standing with one foot atop a soccer ball.
"Coming!" Buzz said, running over. I nearly fainted. There was one paparazzi man over at the field, and he was taking a lot of photos and Buzz clad in nothing more than his underwear. I would have none of it.
"You should be ashamed of yourself! Taking pictures of a teenage boy-a prince, too! If I ever see you again, I'll send laws flying your way so quickly that you won't know what hit you," I snarled, "Don't cross with the king and queen. Now, if I hear a word about this day's event, you can rest assured that jail will seem like a nice little resting place compared to where I'll send you."
The man dropped his camera in fright and fled from my sight. I picked up the camera and deleted every photo of us on it. "Would you like some ice for that burn?" Buzz shouted at the man as he ran. He gave Buzz the finger. Buzz and Andy collapsed on each other in a fit of laughter.
While the boys were busy laughing, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. Sandy! It appeared that the alien had landed with Sandy. Oh. So that's why the man ran away as fast as his legs could carry him...
I sprinted over to Sandy once more. By the time I got there, the alien had returned in his-its-UFO and had sped off. "Sandy, darling, are you alright?"
Sandy blinked at me and hugged me. "I think so. I can't remember quite what happened, but I think they just took some blood. I think I'll be alright."
I frowned. She looked okay, just a little dazed. "Normally I would schedule an appointment with a therapist and take you to the hospital, but we both know that there's no way they would believe us."
"Not a chance."
"But I'm getting you in for a check-up and blood test to make sure that you weren't infected or anything."
"So... I'm not dreaming, then? I really was taken by aliens?"
"Yes. You're not crazy. I saw it too. And a paparazzi, apparently. We're going to be okay, though. We'll just forget it and move on."
"Can we go home now?"
"Of course, sweetheart."
Buzz and Andy insisted on staying later, so Prince stayed with them while I drove Sandy home. After a bowl of soup, Sandy's colour returned and I tucked her into bed. "Despite the fact that I was abducted by aliens, I had fun," Sandy whispered to me.
"I'm glad to hear, hun. You did give me a heart attack. Next time, don't go investigating aliens, alright?"
Sandy laughed softly. "Promise."
"Night, sweetheart."
"Good-night, mom."
I stayed with her until she fell asleep, and gave her a quick peck on the forehead.
About an hour later, Prince and the boys were dropped off in a taxi. Buzz strutted inside the house grinning. "Did you bring your clothes back?" I asked, filling him a cup of warm milk.
"Dad brought it in."
"What's got you so pleased?"
Buzz blushed and looked down. "I saw Char at the park..."
"Char? Oh, that's the girl you like, right, Charmaine Chamberlain?"
Buzz blushed again. "Yeah..."
"So she's already seen you nearly naked. Nice one, Buzz."
"She didn't seem to mind," Buzz said, looking up and grinning mischievously.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "You'd better watch out, Buzz. I don't want any kind of nonsense going on, no matter how much you like this girl. You're to stay a virgin until you marry, you hear me?"
"Yes, mom, and I understand. I don't think Char is like that anyway..." Maybe she wasn't such a bad girl, then.
"I can't wait to meet her one day," I chirped, "Now off to bed."
And thus concluded our family outing.
