“We’re here; no need to shout, Mom.” Claude rolled his eyes as he sat in his designated spot. Molly plopped down across from him. Miles heard Claude huff as Molly kicked him. Molly tried to keep him on track as she liked to say, ‘since she was older, it was her responsibility’—mind you, they were only two minutes apart.
“Oh, come on, now. Don’t you love when I do that?” Miles’ mother joked as she poked Claude in the rib. Miles watched as Claude moved away as fast as he could, but Miles saw the smirk spread on Claude’s face. “Alright, let’s dig in. The food isn’t going to disappear by itself, you know!” They all took turns scooping out their portion of the meal, wanting to eat as much as they could. Spaghetti night was a loved tradition and usually held once a month. Miles’ ears picked up the slurps and heard the silverware twirl on everyone’s plates as they engulfed the delicious meal. The sweetness of the spaghetti sauce hit the right taste buds.
“So, how are everybody’s lives going?” Miles’ mother asked, starting out the weekly discussion of catch up. Since she could not see everyone every day, this was the time to ask.
“I got an A on my art project, the one I showed you the other day. He said my work was excellent,” Molly recited, as art is her favorite class. Miles knew if she wanted to, she could make something of herself one day with her work. Anytime he sees anything she does, he thinks it should go into an art museum. The dedication he sees from her is outstanding sometimes.
“Very nice, Molly! I am so proud of you,” Miles’ mother smiled as she was always proud of her kids. “How about your other classes, though? I don’t want you to fall behind on anything. Art is just as important as your other subjects.”
“They are doing good,” Molly nodded. “I am having a little trouble with science, but I am not failing at least.”
“What are you having a hard time with? Maybe Claude can help you.”
“Hey,” Claude piped in as his name came up. “Don’t volunteer me! Just because I like science, doesn’t mean I know everything!”
“Of course, honey, I just thought since you like it so much, you could help out. Especially after Molly helped you with your art project….”
“But Molly gave me no choice! She volunteered!”
“It was still helping out… and you received an A….”
“Alright, fine,” Claude huffed as he knew he was outdone. “What’s the project?”
“Well, I need help writing up what happened in the experiment we did today.”
“We’ll look at it after dinner.” Claude nodded as he spooned some more dinner in his mouth.
“What about you, Miles?” Miles’ mother questioned as she looked across the table. “You’ve been quiet over there.”
“Well, school is doing good and so is working at Telsaan,” Miles reported as the attention as turned on to him. “I got asked out to prom.”
“Oh, that’s so great, baby! Who is it?” Miles’ mother excitement was evident in her voice. “My first baby is going to prom!”
“Isn’t the boy supposed to ask the girl, not the other way around?” Claude thought out loud before he huffed as Molly kicked him once again, Miles assumed.
"Her name is Wanda; Wanda Dressinger,” Miles reported before eating some more.
“How did she ask? I want to know everything,” Miles’ mother asked as she stared him down. Miles knew she wanted every detail then.
“Well, Wanda is a regular at Telsaan, so when she came in today, she ordered her drink as usual. Once she grabbed the tin she wanted, she asked me if I was going. At first, I responded with a no, but I hadn’t thought of going. So, once she knew that, she thought it over and then asked if I would be interested in going with her.”
“Awe, my baby boy is all growing up,” Miles’ mother cooed before eating some more spaghetti. “We have a lot of things needing to be done. We have to get you a suit, teach you how to dance properly, make arrangements for transportation….”
“Evelyn said I can borrow her car that night,” Miles admitted after he stopped chewing the last spoonful of spaghetti on his plate.
“We’ll have to have you practice in my car then. We haven’t done that for a while,” Miles’ mother looked shamefully to the side, probably thinking of how much she is working.
“That’s ok, Mom. It just gives me more time at Telsaan, anyways.” Miles smiled at her reassuringly, not feeling bad in the process.
“By the way, how long is it until prom?” Miles’ mother asked, looking over at the calendar just in case it was on the sheet.
“I think it is next Saturday,” Miles pondered, trying to remember as he hadn’t paid much attention.
“Next Saturday! We have so much to do, and not much time to do it!” Miles’ mother fretted as she went to get a pen and notepad. Once she came back to her seat, she started tallying the points she wanted to make.
“Mom, we have time. Don’t worry about it,” Miles reminded her to calm down. He did not think it was such a big deal.
“Honey, trust me, for a girl, prom is everything. We need to make sure to make her night special, so you need to practice dancing and driving the car.”
“Alright, alright,” Miles sighed. “But first, can we all finish eating?” Miles looked around the table to see he was the only one finished.
“Of course, dear.” Miles’ mother started slurping up the rest of her food on her plate. Miles knew he was in for a whirlwind this week. Once everyone was done, they all worked to clear off the table, and it was Claude’s job to do the dishes. They worked as a team to get things done, just as Miles had always known.