We're a Family

(36) Ring! Ring!

Carli ties her boots tightly before standing up and jogging onto her training field in New Jersey. She has a few hours before her coach, James Galanis, comes to start her real practice. She runs through a few drills before deciding she needs to stop for a water break. The heat index for the day is extremely high so she has to keep hydrated. While she's drinking her Gatorade she pulls out her phone to check the time and notices she has seven text from Mallory. "How long does it take for FedEx to deliver a fish?" "I overnighted him but he's still not here. He's probably getting hungry." "Oh no! He's scared of the dark! Mama the box is dark!" "Mama this is an emergency! Your grandfish could die!" "Mama!" "Maaaaamaaaaa! Helllooo?" "How are you doing stuff at a time like this? Swimmy could've been fishnapped!" "Mama c'mon! This is important!" Carli stares at her screen perplexed.

"She overnighted a fish?" she thinks to herself. She clicks on Mal's name and selects the call button. It rings twice before being being answered.

Mallory's urgent sounding voice comes through the speaker, "Mama, Swimmy still isn't here and-"

"Mals shh for a second." interrupts Carli. She kicks up her ball with her right toe and starts to juggle it. "Did you ship that fish you got at camp to your house?"

"Uh huh." replies the girl twirling her hair between her pointer finger and thumb. In surprise, Carli taps the ball a little hard and it flies out in front of her. "It was cheaper than bringing him on the plane."

Car groans while walking the few steps to the ball. She pops it back up but this time catches in her free hand. She bounces it against the ground a few times. "Mals I'm sure Swimmer-"

"Swimmy!" corrects the teen.

"Swimmy," Carli rolls her eyes even though she knows she can't see her, "is just fine. You just got home last night baby. He's coming. You just need to be patient."

"But-"

"Honey I'm training right now. Swimman will be okay." sighs Carli starting to set up the cones for her next drill.

"Mama his name is Swimmy!"

"Alright alright!" says Carli pulling the phone away from her ear. "I love you. I gotta go. Bye baby."

"Bye-" Carli doesn't wait for her to finish. She just hangs up and tosses her phone back over by her bag.
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Hope laughs as her husband tries to get their dog, Onyx, to go back outside. He got Sasha out but Onyx was being stubborn. Her phone rings in the other room so she goes to pick it up. She clicks except without checking the caller I.D. "Hello?"

"Hope, Julie won't do the dishes and it's her turn." complains Christen sounding super annoyed. "She even made cupcakes and used like a hundred bowls and spoons and stuff and she won't wash them."

"Tell her I said to do them." instructs the older woman walking back to where Jerramy is. She laughs as she watches him try to push the dog out onto the back porch. "Jerr throw him a treat!" she suggest tossing a jar of bacon flavored biscuits at him.

"What's Jerramy doing?" wonders Chris while looking around her apartment for her sister. "Jules, Hope said to do the dishes!"

"You called Mom?!" shouts Julie. Hope can hear her loud and clear from her end of the conversation making her sigh heavily. They're about to fight. There's some scuffling on the other end of the telephone line before Julie speaks again. "Mommy Chris made me do all the dishes last time we were home and-"