I woke up with a quiet announcement from Dad saying that our school district is having a teacher development day which means there's no school today.
Me and Ricky both sighed of relief. "That means y'all Grandma Vynette is gonna watch y'all until your Mom gets off of work."
"Oh." I quietly sighed. Dad closed the door and Ricky reached over to his mini bookshelf to read a book. "I don't know how you can read something this early in the morning." I said.
"I don't know either." Ricky said. "I guess it's just something I like to do."
"Sounds like a Ricky thing to say."
Ricky gave me a middle finger and I gave two back. I decided to lay under my covers and think about......life I guess.
"We don't have school today guys." I heard a high pitched voice announce and I immediately knew who it was.
"We know, get out." I heard Ricky say.
"Okay you don't have to be so mean about it." JD said.
"I'm not being mean, I'm just telling you that we already know the news and that you can go and leave us alone."
Here they go with this little fight again.
"But that's still being mean."
"No it's not JD."
"Yes it is."
"No the hell it's not."
"Stop cussing or Imma tell Mommy."
"Imma tell Mom that you're over here bugging us."
I peeped from under my covers and witnessing my two little brothers looking angrily at each other. I chuckled quietly at them. They always argue about something every now and then and it just be hilarious to watch.
"I only just came over here to tell you that we don't have school today and you're over here being mean."
"For the last freakin time I'm not being mean."
"Yes you are."
Mom came in tiredly while holding Lucille. "What's the problem?"
"Ricky's being mean and he also said the H E double hockey stick word." JD told Mom.
"JD kept bothering us even though I told him a million times to get out." Ricky said.
Mom looked at my direction and shook her head. "Ricky don't be mean and don't say bad words. JD stop bothering your brothers."
JD blew raspberries at Ricky and shut the door. "Ugh, thank you." Ricky grumbled and picked up his book.
I got up to change into my stay-at-home clothes. "You coming down to eat breakfast with me?"
"Sure." Ricky shrugged.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Good morning everyone." Grandma Vynette greeted walking in.
"Good morning Grandma Vynette!" JD quickly got up from the table and hugged her.
"Oh, you seem happy today." Grandma said.
"Well he's always happy." Mom teased.
"I believe it. Where's my little baby Lucille?"
"She's sitting in her high chair in the kitchen." JD pointed to Lucille in the kitchen by the dinner table where we were sitting.
"Oh my Lucille how have you been?" Grandma picked up the giggling baby. "Oh look at you, you're getting so big. You're growing too fast for your grandma, stop growing on me."
"As you can see, they're eating breakfast right now. You can make them sandwiches or you can order something for lunch. Lucille can take a nap after that. Around 3 or so is when I'll be back home." Mom instructed as she opened the front door.
"Okay then, have fun at work." Grandma waved.
"You know I won't. Be good boys." Mom left.
"I wanna do something fun." JD blurted out. "Please Grandma? Pleeeaaaasse?"
Grandma chuckled. "It seems like a good day to go outside for a while. We can probably take a little stroll at the park."
"Yay!"
"After breakfast first though. Oh, Richard I heard about your football team yesterday. Congratulations."
Ricky cringed at being called his actual name and forced a smile and nodded. "Thanks."
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I was stuck putting Lucille's stroller in the trunk while Grandma placed her car seat in her car. "Ya'll two got enough room over there?" She asked.
"Yeah." Ricky putted his seatbelt on.
"Yes we're good." JD said.
"Okay then. Dwayne, is the stroller in the trunk?"
I finally closed her trunk and stretched my arms. "Yes." We got in the front seat of her car and pulled out of our driveway.
"Do you know any good parks around here?" Grandma asked me.
"There is this one 15 minutes away from here and they a have a little mini field with a bunch of trees and benches under them to sit in the shade. And has a nice lake to look at." I answered reminiscing from last month.
"Oh that sounds nice. Do you know how to get there?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While Ricky and JD were catching a football together, me, Lucille and Grandma sat in one of the near by benches under a really big tree. It was nice way to spend a Thursday off of school.
I took my walkman out of my back pocket and began listening to one of my favorite Three Days Grace albums. I began to stare off into space looking at the direction of the lake. Everything seemed to be moving to the beat of the song, which is oddly satisfying.
Closing my eyes, forgetting everything in my head and everything around me; I love it to pieces. I all of a sudden felt a tap on my leg and noticed Grandma getting up.
"I'm gonna go back to the car and change Lucille real quick."
"Are you sure you don't want me to do it?" I asked. "I don't want you to throw out your back after bending down for a long time."
"Oh that's so sweet of you." Grandma handed me my sister. "Her diaper bag should be somewhere in the backseat."
I nodded and walked to the parking lot. I opened the passenger door and lay Lucille down on the seat. She began to bawl and I quickly gave her a pacifier.
Changing babies is no big deal for me. Back in Pennsylvania, my baby cousin will come over often and I help change his diaper. It's really easy; the only challenging parts are if he keeps moving his legs or if he pooped a lot.
After changing Lucille, I found hand sanitizer and put some on and walked back to the park. I watched Ricky and JD with the football while I was walking back to the bench.
JD threw the ball a little too far and off Ricky's direction and the football landed in the middle of the lake. I gasped quietly at what I witnessed and heard Ricky yell, "Noooo!"
I quickly went to Grandma. "Go check on the boys and see if they're okay." Grandma told me. I ran up to them and saw Ricky crying and JD looking guilty.
"C'mon guys." I said quietly and walked them back to Grandma.
"J-JD threw the b-ball t-too hard a-and it went in t-the l-lake." Ricky said through tears and sat down with Grandma.
"It's okay Richard, we'll stop by a Walmart on our way back home and buy you a new one." Grandma rubber his back. "JD did you tell him you're sorry?"
"Sorry for accidentally throwing the ball in the water." JD apologized quietly. Ricky didn't say anything back but just looked at the ground with tears still falling.
We began to head back to the car to go and find lunch.