The Surefire Recipe

The Surefire Recipe

Her mother yelled at her, “Susanna! Why can’t you be a good little girl? You know your brother is such a good little boy always.” She shook her head and began wiping the milk from the floor.

Susanna hid in her princess tent next to the television in the living room. She hated it when Mommy yelled at her, which was often lately. It was always because of what Charlie did, but it made it look like Susanna had done it by the time Mommy looked or noticed.

“Mommy, what does it take to be a good little boy or girl?” Susanna asked while she peeked out from her tent. She’d scrambled into it after she knocked over a pitcher of milk when her twin brother kicked her in the ankle and then ran.

“I’ll be there to deal with you in a minute, little Missy,” her mother said. Susanna gasped and pulled her princess sleeping bag over her head. Maybe Mommy won’t see me under here, she thought.

Charlie giggled and came to his mother’s side. “I help you, Momma?” He kissed her cheek and pushed her long hair strands out of her face. He felt how hot and sweaty it was. “Ew, you are yucky skin today, Momma.”

“Thanks, Char. I know. Momma’s skin gets this way when she starts laundry at 6 am and makes Daddy and you kids breakfast so we can eat together before Daddy goes to work. And then we have a break to watch our favourite show so Momma can make the beds and clean up the bathroom.”

“You did? I didn’t know that.” His scrunched lips showed his late baby tooth was missing from the bottom teeth, making him look so cute, she thought.

“Yes, Momma did. Maybe tomorrow you can help Momma. What do you think? You’ve done a wonderful job helping me with the milk your sister spilled.”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

Charlie took off with the pitcher in the sink and all the milk cleaned up to find his sister. It was time to aggravate her again before Momma saw him. He wanted Momma to like him better than Susanna. So far, it was working.

But Charlie didn’t know Momma was watching everything he was doing. She followed him with her eyes. She saw him enter the tent, pull the sleeping bag off his sister, and jam his fist into her back. Then he pulled her hair and tried to drag her out of the tent. The tent came down, and Charlie ran.

Momma stepped out and in front of him. “What do you think you’re doing, Charlie? And where do you think you’re going?”

“Well, she started it.”

“Char, I saw the entire thing. Susanna did nothing wrong.” Momma grabbed Susanna and held her in the rocking chair on Momma’s lap. Charlie’s bottom lip puffed out like a bee had stung him there.

“What’s the matter with you, Charlie?”

“I sit there, too.”

Susanna had her head on her mommy’s chest and was crying. Mother thought she heaved and cried more than she should have for Charlie's treatment. Susanna tried to suck her thumb, something she hadn’t done in a long time.

“Susanna, what’s going on?” Mommy asked her.

“Mommy, what makes a good little girl good and a good little boy good? Is it like the cookies we made yesterday? Is there a recipe?”

“Haha. No honey. There’s no recipe. Just like there’s not a recipe for a good parent either.”

“There isn’t?”

“Nope.”

“You are good parent, Momma,” Charlie said and hugged her tightly.

“What do you think, Susanna? Has Charlie been a good little boy? Has Mommy been a good parent?”

“No. Both of you are not good.”

“Oh? Can you explain why not?”

“Charlie does things to me, and I get into trouble, but you never see Charlie do what he does first to me.”

“Like what instance? Did something happen today?”

“Yup, with the milk pitcher. He kicked me in the ankle, and it made me drop the pitcher on the floor.”

“Charlie, is that true?”

“No. I didn’t.” He looked away and tried to get down off his mother’s lap. He wanted to get away fast. But his mother had a firm hold on him with her one arm.

“I’m going to share a secret about your uncle Raymond and me with both of you.”

“Huh, okay,” Charlie perked up. “What is it?”

“Yeah, I want to know, too,” Susanna said.

“We’re twins, just like you two. We weren't close or friendly when we were kids near your age. Uncle Raymond was playing on the stairs, and I kicked him, and he fell every step to the bottom. He lay there awhile because he couldn’t get up alone.”

“What happened to him, Mommy?”

“Did he hurt?”

“Yes, he was very hurt. He had to go to the hospital. And we lied about how he fell. Because we were scared about what our parents would do to both of us since we weren’t supposed to be playing on the stairs,” Momma said.

“Did he stay there?”

“In hospital?”

“Yes. He had a broken leg. He had to stay there for two weeks before they allowed him to come home. I cried every night for him. I missed him and felt bad.”

“What did you do when he came home?”

“Yeah, Momma?”

“I slept in his bed with him until he was better. I got whatever he wanted, and we talked and talked all the time. We became best friends. And we still are to this day.”

“So you do know the recipe.”

“Yeah, Momma, you do know the recipe.”

“It’s a simple one. You have to add love to everything you do and say to the people in your family, and that’s how you will have a surefire recipe for a great family life and future life. Do you two think you can do that when you have to do things together or for Mommy and Daddy?”

Charlie nodded his head and hugged his sister. Susanna did, too. They learned true love is unconditional and not expressed toward one child or person.

The rest of the day went smoothly, and when Daddy got home, he sensed a change in the atmosphere. He said he felt more loved than ever, and it warmed his heart, especially since Uncle Raymond had come to visit and have supper.