Episode 605: Home

It hadn’t been so great being around her mom for the last half hour or so. She had that pinched look. Her dad recognized it right away. After hugging Tansy back and ruffling her hair, he moved closer to her mom and took her hand. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, and turned to the cabinet where they kept the plates. "I’ll set the table. Thanks for picking up dinner, Quent." Her voice was very, very pinched at that last part.

Her dad looked at Tansy, silently asking her to help him solve the mystery. She hesitated since it was her speaking that had started it, but the more she thought it over, the more she remembered her dad usually made things better. That was one of the things that made him so easy to love. What kid wouldn’t want to be around someone who made things better?

"I told Grandma we were going to have takeout burgers and fries for dinner. I only told her because I like eating them so much and I was excited, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it." It was right when her mom came to pick her up. "Grandma told mom she should make us a better dinner, not feed us junk."

Tansy’s mom slammed the plates on the table and for a moment Tansy thought maybe she shouldn’t have said anything, but then her dad said, "I’m with you Tans, I happen to love these burgers. There’s nothing wrong with that."

Finally, her mom’s face relaxed and she smiled. "So how was your day, Quent?"

After Tansy’s dad told them the super great news that the man from the shelter came into work, they settled down to dinner and dad asked about her mom’s day.

"Actually, it’s really exciting," her mom said, though she looked like she wasn’t sure if dad would think so, or even if she did. "I kind of was promoted today."

Tansy’s dad rose from his chair and gave her mom a congratulatory hug. He told her he was proud of her and you could tell he meant it, but you could tell he was worried, too.

Episode 606: Here For The Party