Two Seconds and Counting

Ring. Ring. Ring. The muffled groans came from the bedside next to the nightstand with the ringing phone. He tried to ignore it, but it kept ringing until he couldn’t take it anymore and decided to get up and switch it off. He rubbed the sleep off of his eyes, trying to regain focus of his surroundings as he glanced over his room. He yawned, back against the headboard as he looked over his room again. I need to clean it up, he thought tiredly as he grabbed his phone off of the nightstand. It was a Saturday morning and he didn’t set an alarm for Saturday’s so he was shocked at why it rang. He looked at the reason in capital letters “RETURN LIBRARY BOOK” it read. The library closes at five, and it only just hit nine a.m so he  shrugged it off, thinking he had plenty of time.

Before he could even register it, his door was swing open by his mother, hair in a high ponytail looking lovely and ready to go somewhere. “Hey kiddo, I have to go out, watch the kids and please don’t forget to go check on Mrs Cooper’s dogs. They eat around four and you need to water her plants for me around three. Stay home until I get back, watch Lisa, you know what happened last time I left her unsupervised.”

“Mom, I have something really important to do at five.” He argues back as he gets off his bed, stretching for a moment.

“Well, now you don’t. If I get back home and you aren’t here, there will be hell to pay, understood?” She cocks her head to the side, brow raised as she waited for him to agree. “Yes mam.” He answers hesitantly. “Good. Breakfast is in the kitchen, and the money is on the counter, get Lisa some ice cream after her nap.” She quickly reminds him before she hurries off to her destination.  Tristen looked over his room, and walked off into the bathroom to take a shower. After his shower, slow and steady as he went he began to clean his room, headphones in and all. An hour or so into cleaning his room he felt a tug on his shirt, he turned to find his little sister looking up at him with red eyes from all the crying. She had just woken up from her nap, and no one was there to greet her so she cried all the way to Tristen’s room.

“Oh hey Lisa. Why the long face, Huh? Want some ice cream?” Tristen knelt down to her height as she hugged his neck. He hoisted her up and balanced her on his hip as he took her down stairs for some ice cream. He got into the kitchen to find the money his mom left and the “breakfast” which was just a bottle of milk and a box of cereal. “Your mother is a trip.” He mumbled to Lisa as he placed her on the counter. He made her some cereal as well as for himself. They both ate in silence, Lisa occasionally messing on herself. “No, no you put it in your mouth, not on your clothes.” Tristen tried to tell but Lisa let the food fall on her shirt, laughing afterwards. Tristen couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, that’s enough cereal for you.” He said sliding the vowel away, but Lisa instantly burst out crying. Tristen slid the bowel back to her and she kept quiet, grabbing for her spoon to begin eating again. “Wow, you are so spoilt.” He laughs as he, finished with his food, takes his bowel to the sink and rinses it before leaving it to dry. He turns around to go back to Lisa only to find the bowel of cereal on top of her head like a hat, milk and cereal bits in her hair, with the biggest grin on her face. He couldn’t hide his laughter as he picked her up, taking her to go wash the mess off.

After cleaning her up, and in some fresh new clothes, he let her watch TV whilst he tidied up around the house. Once done he grabbed a hold of Lisa’s hand, locking the house to only go to his neighbors house. He quickly unlocked it, letting Lisa in first with her little bag with some stuff for her. “Okay listen Lisa, I want you to sit down and draw, I’m going to go and water these plants and feed the dogs, okay.” Tristen asks and she nods. He pulls out her drawing book and some crayons and leaves her to it. He checks his phone, 3:30pm. He sighs as he hurried off to the back yard looking for the watering can. He filled it up and went back inside to water all the plants in the house. Headphones in he went to the kitchen to find Lisa playing with the dogs who left a mud trail all the way to her. He couldn’t believe his eyes. “Lisa, I said draw, what are these dogs doing in here? Oh my gosh, this is going to take forever to clean! Go sit on the sofa, and stay there okay?” Lisa with poked out lips went off to sit on the sofa as Tristen tried to get rid of the dogs and take them back outside. Once he fed them, he tried to quickly clean up the mess they made, which took him close to forty five minutes.

“Finally done.” He sighs in relief as he looks at Lisa who was watching him the whole time. He gets her and her bag and locks the door of the neighbors house. He checks his phone and notices it’s 4:30pm. The library is a ten minute walk away, so he still had time. He took Lisa to the ice cream shop first, since he hadn’t bought her any. Inside the ice cream parlor, whilst in line Jessica Paler walked in. Tristen hadn’t notice her until Lisa shouted out her name. “Jessy!” Tristen, curious turned back and saw her. Her long red beach waves looking as flawless as ever, green eyes that could snatch your soul and her smile that seemed to make his heart melt. “Jess. What are you doing?” He asked once she was only a foot or so away from him. “Getting some ice cream. Hey Lisa how you been?” She asks and Lisa smiles before answering “good” and looking up at Tristen. “Hey Tristen, wanna hang out today later? At the beach? It’ll be really cool to have you there.” She says, eyes smiling up at him. He smiled back, all mushy inside. “Sure. What time?” He asks. “Around five, six.” She answered. “Um I’ll see if I can make it, I’ve got something  to do.” He says quickly. Finally it was his turn to order and he order the two of the some Oreo ice cream. Once they had got their orders, Tristen gave Lisa her ice cream to eat. “I’ll see you later, hopefully.” Jessica says and Tristen nods. “Yeah hopefully.” 

He was a block away with some time to spare. “Tris I want my bag.” Lisa says and Tristen hands it to her, as they continued walking. He quickly double checked his phone 4:55p.m time was running out, so he decided to give Lisa a piggy back ride, to hurry to their destination. 

The librarian was already putting on the locks on the doors when Tristen showed up, breathing heavily as he looked at her with pleading eyes. “I’m so sorry I’m late, please take the book, or else my library card will be suspended.” He says out of breath. The librarian looked at him with annoyance before putting out her hand waiting for the book. Tristen quickly put Lisa down and grabbed her bag, ready to pull out the library book, but the inside of the bag was wet inside, and so was the book. He looked into the bag to find Lisa’s Oreo ice cream melted inside the bag. 

“What the actual fudge! Lisa how can you put ice cream inside your bag?” He asked the poor little girl frustratedly as he pulled out the soggy book. Lisa looked at it, “I was tired of holding the ice cream so I put it in my bag.” She answers back innocently. “You must be out of your mind if you think I’ll take that book in that condition. That’s a fine right there, and I’m sorry but your library card will have to be revoked as well. But listen I don’t have time to do that right now, I have to go home, but I’m going to need your name.” Tristen saddened looked at Lisa, and the red hair reminded him.

“My name is Julia Thompson.” He says. The librarian looked at him flatly. “I swear, ask her.” Lisa nods. “Fine, whatever I don’t care.” She says writing it down before leaving. Lisa and Tristen began their walk home. “Tris why did you give that old lady mommy’s name?”

“Don’t worry about that Lisa.”