Monday (a teacher workday so no school yay!) at Katelin’s house
Katelin stirred the batter for her cupcakes. She was busy baking them for her cousin Jane’s family, who were not having the best of luck right now.
She was also using this as an excuse to experiment with this particular cupcake recipe. “Instead of adding chocolate chips, what if I put just a half a teaspoon of cinnamon?” she asked no one in particular; though, for some reason, everyone felt the right to answer.
“I don’t care what you do, as long as you never offer me one of those nasty things.” Jane answered.
“Since i’m not allowed to eat cupcakes, I’m gonna have to go with the beast on this one.” Katelin’s st. Bernard named Handsome added.
“I’m the Beast!?” Jane yelled. “You're a dog idiot!”
Handsome was Katelin’s dog. he had bitten into a lettuce and started to talk about two days ago, and he didn’t like Jane as much as Katelin didn’t.
Katelin rolled her eyes. She was trying not to pop off at Jane, since she was her cousin and it must suck to have to stay at your cousins house because of your parents job complications. See, Jane’s parents were both police officers, but worked at different departments. As Jane’s mother had just been transferred to the city’s other police station, she had gotten the same shift Jane’s father did-the night shift. Since no adult was going to be at home at night-and they deemed it unsafe for Jane and her little brother Jerrel to be home alone at night, they had been dropped off at Katelin’s house until at least one of them could get their schedules changed.
Katelin was now pouring her cupcake batter into a muffin tin lined with cupcake-liners while thinking of her own situation.
If she was going to fundraise Mr. and Mrs. Olgay’s shop with her treats, she needed to think about what type of treats she was going to make. A lemon cake sounded nice, but should she go with blueberry muffins or sugar topped? Or both? None? Uh!
Then she remembered something important. “Guys? Does the kitchen look inspection-ready?”
Handsome thought for a second. “Yes. no. what inspection?”
“The kitchen safety inspection! Remember!? If I’m going to be able to cook and sell stuff from home, the Kitchen safety inspector is coming today to see if this kitchen is fit enough to cook and sell food to others from here, and if I fail, the fundraiser is canceled!” Katelin panicked. Her mom and dad were supposed to be home from work anytime soon, and they we’re supposed to help her clean up the kitchen for inspection.
This was also the time that she was planning to tell her parents that their family dog, Handsome, could talk. She hadn’t told them all weekend, and she told Handsome to hush up whenever they were around. She hadn’t told them since she figured her mother would faint and her father would sell him to the government so they could experiment on him. Even if she had watched too many alien movies, she had a talking dog! How would her parents react?
Jane glared at her cousin. “Do you really have to cook for that old couple’s plant shop? Shouldn’t they just retire and be done with it?”
With all her nervous pressure, Katelin was on the brink of being extremely rude to her cousin. “You get flowers from them every week!”
“Yeah, well there flowers are nice! I’m not saying their business is bad, I’m just saying if you have to go through all this pressure with getting inspections and licences and everything in between, then why bother?”
Katelin eased up a bit. “So you have been listening to what I’ve been doing! And you care if I work too hard!” Katelin was surprised. Jane had told Katelin multiple times how if the weren’t family, she would have slugged her super hard all the time for all the dumb things Katelin does a millon times over the years. But seeing as her cousin did actually care that Katelin might be overworking herself for the gardening shop made her feel happier.
Jane rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I care all that much. I just don’t like how you're the one having to work hard and cook well to get money for their own shop. Seems a bit like their using you.”
Katelin smiled. “They aren’t. I volunteered to help them save their shop. Plus, I’m too far deep to stop now. Tomeka’s already at the shop setting up a stand in front of the gardening shop as we speak.
Tomeka wasn’t angry. She was used to having to bring at least one of her siblings wherever she went. After all, she had eleven. But on today of all days, a Monday when she didn’t have to go to school, she had to bring Willow and Noah with her to set up a food stand.
Willow is 11 and the nosey-ist person Tomeka had ever come across, and Noah is 3 and VERY easy to lose.
Mrs. Olgay came out as soon as she saw the trio. “Oh Tomeka! You're already here to set up shop! I’ve got a table I think you and Katelin will think is just about sturdy enough to use.”
Mrs. Olgay went back into the shop, going to retrieve the table.
This made Tomeka happy. Finally, she would help the Olgay’s save their shop! And then their will still be a venus fly trap to buy when I work up enough money to get one! She thought happily.
She turned to her left to see Willow, who was doodling in her notebook.
Willow noticed and started to talk. “Remember that gang of guys who stole from the gas station?”
Tomeka had to think a bit before she could remember. William Heap was the first name that popped in her head as she thought about it. William Heap was Tasaline’s father. Tasaline was a friend of Tomeka’s so it brought the whole situation close to home when it was found out her father was a part of the robbery. Especially for Tasaline’s best friend Jessaline, who had been to Tasaline’s house so much it was like her summer home.
Willow, who was outside of Tomeka’s thought process contemplated that her sister was just staring into space since she couldn’t remember the situation, so she thought if she reminded her about how one of her friend’s family was involved, it might jog her memory.
“Remember? Your friend’s dad took part in it too?”
Tomeka took this reminder as Willow just showing off that she knew the gossip.
Tomeka glared at her. “Yeah, what about it?”
“Do you know what they were stealing?” Willow asked, now smiling.
Tomeka guessed. “Money?”
“Nope! Pet food!” Willow laughed out loud. “Thing’s people will do for their pets. Does Tasaline even have a pet?”
“No.” this fact made Tomeka think deeper into the heist. “Why would her dad steal pet food if their family has no pet?”
Willow shrugged. “Don’t know. Maybe it’s an insane group society thing. You know, live for the group, die for the group?”
“He wasn’t in a group.” Tomeka answered.
She glanced to her right, expecting to see Noah but saw empty sidewalk instead.
“Noah!” Tomekah yelled, looking for the toddler.
She found him behind the bush that was on a platform connected to the wall.
“Noah, get down!” Tomeka shouted while lifting Noah down from the platform.
“Orange cat talked to me.” Noah said solemnly.
“What?” Tomeka said, confused. But when Noah just laughed and tried to take off one of his crocs, Tomeka let go of his baby talk. Noah was not the type of toddler to speak nonsense, but if he did, she had to believe he was only being three.
Mrs.Olgay came back, cheerfully gripping the wooden table. “I can’t wait for Katelin to come back with those yummy treats. When Mr. Olgay tried her cookies, his eyes we’re closed for so long I thought he fell asleep chewing!” Mrs. Olgay gushed.
Tomeka smiled. “I know. Katelin’s good at her craft. She’ll come over to see how the set-up looks in about an hour and a half, after she gets her kitchen inspected.”
“Oh, the kitchen inspection!” Mrs. Olgay looked surprised. “All that to cook for this shop, to keep me and Mr. Olgay’s dream alive. you girls do too much for little old us. I’ll have to repay you two somehow, especially Katelin.”
“Technically, you're repaying us already.” Tomeka said. “Remember? School fundraiser project? We have to fund a worthy cause and give a speech about it for a passing grade?”
“Oh right! Your school project! How’s that going right now?” Mrs. Olgay asked, but before Tomeka could answer, Jessaline was barreling down the sidewalk yelling her name.
“Tomeka! Tomeka!” Jessaline yelled, holding a cat.
“See? The talking orange cat.” Noah said pointing at it.
Tomeka wasn’t sure whether to listen to Noah or ignore him. Anyhow, she looked at Jessaline. Jessaline was lazy when it came to clothes. She wore anything that she could slip on quickly, and today that was short-shorts with a thick grey jacket and some flip-flops. It was spring, so how that made any sense was beyond her. “What’s up?” Tomeka eventually asked.
“This.” Jessaline held her cat out.
Noah smiled. “Hi talking cat.”
“Smart boy.” the orange cat purred. “Hello yourself.”
It was so quiet around them you could hear a pen drop. Tomeka knew because soon after the cat talked Willow dropped her pen.
TO BE CONTINUED
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