Dubbie had a great first day of school. As soon as he arrives home – he gives his mom a big hug, prepared to tell her all about it. But he gets a bit distracted.
Wade: Why is your belly so big? Did you eat one of daddy’s watermelons?
Melisa: No, I didn’t eat any watermelon. My belly is big for a different reason.
Wade: Did you eat the rest of my birthday cake?
Melisa: No, nothing like that. My belly is big because there is a baby inside. You’re going to have another brother or sister.
Me-Me tries to anticipate what Dubbie will ask next. Surely, he’ll want to know how the baby got there. What he says instead surprises her.
Wade: But I don’t need one. I already have one. You can take it back; I’d rather have a new toy.
Melisa: That’s not the way it works. You can’t take a baby back once it’s growing.
Wade: Well, okay. But I won’t have to share my stuff, will I?
Me-Me decides to change the subject.
Melisa: We’ll see. Grab your homework; there’s someplace we need to go.
Dubbie does as his mother says. After Dubbie leaves the room-
Melisa: That didn’t go the way I thought it would.
Prosperity: *chuckles* Wade’s a different type of child. What do you have planned?
Melisa: I wanted to head to the Church on the Hill to see if they need any volunteers.
Prosperity: With Pastor Eleanor? I want to go with you if you don’t mind.
Melisa: Sure. We’ll head out in a few minutes.
Me-Me pulls out her phone and sends Kai a text to let him know where they’re going before they leave. They arrive at the church moments later.
It’s drizzling when they get there. Me-Me tells Dubbie to take Mase inside while she talks to Pastor Eleanor, who Me-Me hasn’t seen since she officiated her wedding.
Melisa: It’s good to see you again.
Pastor Eleanor: The pleasure is all mine. *glances at Me-Me’s protruding belly* I’m guessing that you and Kai are doing well.
Melisa: We are. This baby will be our third.
Pastor Eleanor: Very good. I’d love to see you and your family here on Sunday for services.
Melisa: We’ll consider trying one out, but I’m here today to see if you need help with anything around here. I’m looking to teach my boys the value of volunteering.
Pastor Eleanor: We can always use some help on these old grounds. Sometimes I think it’s only the goodness of the Watcher holding this place together.
Melisa: Okay. Where can I start?
Pastor Eleanor: If you can manage, I have some seeds you can sow for me.
Melisa: Sure, show me where you need them.
Pastor Eleanor gives Me-Me what she needs to complete the task, and Me-Me gets to work immediately.
The church’s back room is a small community area where people come to fellowship. Peri entertains Mase with some flashcards while Dubbie hurries through his homework – anxious to get a chance to try out some of the activities in the community room.
Me-Me helps out as much as she can before she needs to take a bathroom break. And it turns out she’s not the only pregnant woman here volunteering, desperately needing a break.
After completing his homework, Dubbie decides to do a puppet shows for Mase. So he crawls into the back of the puppet theater and puts two puppets on his hands.
Wade: *narrates* Welcome to my show. It’s all about going to school.
Me-Me leaves the bathroom and walks over just in time to watch Dubbie’s show. He is in the middle of a scene, and Me-Me is shocked to hear the subject of Dubbie’s play.
Wade: *in a mock high pitch voice* And as soon as I saw him, I was in love. *in a second voice* You can’t be in love with him because he’s my boyfriend! *in the first voice* Well, it’s too late. We’re going to get married and have watermelon babies.
Dubbie ends his show and steps over to Me-Me.
Wade: Did you like my show, mommy?
Melisa: It was – entertaining. But I have a few questions.
Wade: Okay
Melisa: If your play was about school, why didn’t you talk about what you learned? Why was it only about girlfriends and boyfriends?
Wade: Because my play was about recess.
Melisa: Is that all the kids talked about at recess?
Wade: No, but a girl told me she wanted me to be her boyfriend because I’m cute and have pretty eyes.
Melisa: What did you say?
Wade: That I’d think about it because I like somebody else.
Me-Me can’t believe this sort of talk starts with young kids.
I’m in the kitchen, staring at the few selections still available in the refrigerator when the rest of the family returns home. The only thing I can manage to put together for dinner is grilled cheese sandwiches. So it’s past time to place a new grocery order.
Me-Me takes Mase upstairs and gets him ready for bed while I call the local grocer and place my order. While we wait for the delivery to arrive, I pull out a book to read for Dub before he goes to bed. Ma is sitting on the couch working on her knitting, but she seems to be just as interested in the story as Dub is.
I send Dub to bed, and soon after, the groceries arrive. The delivery guy has his hand out for a tip before I even get an opportunity to thank him. I guess coin is the only thanks he needs
(Generation 3 Chapter Summaries)
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