The Story

The Story

“What happened!!” came Mom’s voice from the kitchen.

Randy ran in, “What?” he asked, looking around.

“When I went outside, this kitchen was clean! What happened?”

“What part?” Randy asked.

“What do you mean ‘what part’” Mom said, in a little lower, but somewhat stiffer voice.

“Um,” Randy said, looking around, then starting to realize Mom was not very happy about the condition of the whole kitchen. “Well, I know who did it. Should I tell you?”

“Among other things…” Mom said.

Randy asked, “What does among mean? Is it some kind of a mug, I didn’t get mugs out!”

“No,” Mom said, they had been correcting Randy’s vocabulary lately, then realizing that was funny, quickly got her angry face back. “What happened here?”

“Well,” Randy said, looking around, “I wanted some milk, and so I got a cup, but the other ones fell out, but I’d gotten the milk out so I poured it quick, before the cat came in, you told me not to give the cat milk. But then the cat saw me and I tried to pour it faster and spilled some, but I put the milk back and then the cat started licking the milk on the floor but he was standing in it so his feet were milky. So I put him in the sink to wash his feet, but he jumped out, so I drank my milk and went to find the cat.”

“Did you find the cat?”

“Yes, he’s outside.”

“And you went to your room…”

“Yes.”

“Were you going to clean up the milk?”

“I forgot.”

“OK, go back to your room,” Mom said, hoping she could keep a straight face for as long as it took for him to get out of the kitchen.

She did, but only by seconds.