After cashews and chocolate--you had to be there--Kyaisha decided to dump water on Dad’s mouth. Of course, he woke up.

He then tromped to the kitchen to pour some Apple Jacks. It was around 1:00 a.m.
Kyaisha, Britt, and I wanted to spy on him while he was eating. We really couldn’t see in the kitchen because he was at a weird angle - - and the kitchen table was in the way.

So we ran outside to watch through the window. I scratched at the screen. He scanned around the room but didn’t know where we were the scratching noise was coming from. Britt and Kyaisha stood at the front door on the steps.

“Come over here,” they kept telling me.

“Okay, I will.”

I ducked and ran over. Britt scratched the front screen door. Kyaisha made noises that are to confusing to describe. My dad looked around a couple more times. After a few looks, we thought he saw us standing at the door. We ran hoping he didn’t get a look or would mistake us for shadows. We tried not to laugh too loudly. We all knew we couldn’t go back inside, or he would catch us. So we ran behind the back garage and then behind the club house.

Then we saw a yellow light coming down the road. It quickly turned into the drive way. We knew it was my mom. We booked it into the house and bolted through the door. We jumped out of our shoes and leapt for the bed. Britt and kyaisha ended up on the floor. The bed slowly rolled as they fell, just enough space for them to lie.

“Close the door,” my dad mumbled from by the wood stove just as my mom entered.

“Who are you talking to?”

We heard no reply from my dad. My mom checked the door to make sure it was closed. I saw her through the little space between my arm and head. Then she walked over to the doorway of the dog room, where I always sleep when friends are over. We tried not to laugh; we all just lay there pretending to sleep. I could hear her getting closer and closer and then the light shone. She knew I wasn’t sleeping; my coat and hat were still on, and I try to play the trick all the time.

“Mac, I know you aren’t sleeping.”

Finally we all sat up and laughed at our shenanigans.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Never mind,” we all said.

“Tell me.”

“Promise you won’t tell,” I asked her.

“I promise.”

We divulged. Even she had to laugh.

We still haven’t told my dad, though. I might save my butt and keep the secret until he’s too old to boil.