By Vicki Scott
Last week, my husband Alan and I went to church at First Baptist Reeltown. One of the church members made a mistake by asking how we were doing. We were exhausted and felt the need to explain the reason why.
The night before the church service, we spent the night at our daughter and son-in-law’s home in Millbrook. They were going to participate in a fishing tournament and asked us to watch our grandchildren. Of course, we jumped at the opportunity. We soon were met by two beautiful little ones running toward us with open arms.
We played for a little while waiting for our supper to be delivered. When it arrived, everyone headed upstairs to eat except for five-year old Saylor Rhea. She wanted to eat downstairs, and Tyler Kate, her three-year-old sister, wanted to go upstairs. After some discussion, Saylor was persuaded to eat upstairs with us.
Saylor Rhea and Tyler Kate’s parents live on the Alabama River in Millbrook, and their home is set on stilts. Our son-in-law has a man cave located under the house that could be moved into. Our “grands” love to hang out and play in there since they do not have to keep everything spotless, and it seems like a more relaxed atmosphere for them. Under the house is also a perfect spot for bicycle and scooter riding.
Once upstairs in the house, I fix the children’s plate. They soon showed where some chocolate was located. I bargained with them, and we made a deal that they could eat one piece of candy when they finished their food. They ate their food, and I gave them each a piece of chocolate. Saylor Rhea got another piece, so Tyler Kate wanted another piece, so there was not anymore chocolate left in the refrigerator.
Tyler Kate started a blood-curdling screaming fit that had to have been heard across several counties. I think the walls vibrated! I asked Saylor if there was any more chocolate anywhere. I also asked her how many pieces of chocolate she ate. “One,” she told me. That did not make sense, because I knew there were three. I asked Saylor again, explaining that I saw three pieces of chocolate and could have halved one of them where they both would have had the same amount of chocolate. She replied that she just had one piece of chocolate, and when she finished that one, she’d had another one.
“So, you had two pieces of chocolate?” I asked her. She stuck with her story of just having one piece and then another one. She even counted on her fingers. Then her face lit up.
“Actually, we have some candy in the pantry,” she said, explaining how she did not understand why she did not think of it before. The only chocolate we found were M&M’s. I was excited because normally Tyler Kate would love some “Emmys” but unfortunately, they did not do the trick this time.
Tyler Kate naturally was upset. I then I heard someone say, “Actually…”
Saylor had remembered that her mother had some chocolate in her car and knew where the keys were. With keys in hand, we checked the car and found some chocolate, making Tyler Kate very happy. She grabbed the candy, halved it, and gave a piece to Saylor Rhea.
Noting how her sister was sharing, Saylor said, “Actually,” and followed with an explanation of how she ate the other piece of candy earlier because she knew her mom had some more in the car. Then she told me to make sure I put her mom’s keys back where I got them so her mother would not miss them in the morning. That child does keep me on my toes.
The kiddies played for a little while longer, and bedtime did not come too soon. Alan and I went to bed soon after they did, but we could not sleep. We had to kept alert for the grands, and it did not helped that the guest bed iss not comfortable.
I crashed after returning home to Dadeville, but it did not help us not to be exhausted at church. After explaining the above events, one of the attendees shared how he was babysitting one of his children and gave her a sippy cup full of his Mountain Dew. She was, of course, awake that whole night. He learned his lesson.