Sleeping Beauty by Judy Baer

tonight, thats all. Were going to be fine, fine, fine.
    And if I believe that, I have some swampland in Florida Id like to sell myself.
    Mickey and Jeff arrived at seven-thirty with the boys, who smelled of soap and mens aftershave.
    I turned my back and they dumped the whole bottle on themselves, Jeff admitted. It almost gags me, but they dont seem to mind how they smell. I suppose it will wear off eventually.
    Dont worry about it, they are washable. Having my house smell like the mens cologne department at Macys is the least of my problems.
    But we have washed them.
    Oh. Good thing I like Jean Paul Gaultier.
    Mickey barely let me say hello to the little guys. She held them so tightly she reminded me of a benevolent boa constrictor so I stayed out of her way.
    When the boys were tucked in and sound asleep, she came into the kitchen with tears running down her cheeks.
    How am I going to feel without them?
    Relieved? But I didnt say it out loud.
    Think of the new baby, of the wonderful family youll have.
    Mickey snuffled like an elephant with a head cold and threw her arms around me.
    Take care of them, Suze? Just like I would? You are my sister and they love you almost as much as they love me.
    Okay, good. Put even more responsibility on my shoulders.
    You know it, sis.
    After several minutes of emotional blubbering, Jeff was able to pry my sister off me and shoo her out the door. I could see her sobbing as they drove away.
    I paced the floor after they left, the full weight of responsibility lying heavy on my shoulders.
    Frankly, without backup, I realized that I didnt dare go to sleep. What ifWhat if.
    I couldnt let my sister down.
    Therefore, I baked more cookies, painted the other wooden chair with a rhinoceross gaping maw on the seat of this one, made a shadow box of my grandfathers shaving equipment and stored away the rest, and finished every bit of office work I could do on my computer. I also purchased new pots and pans and a collectible porcelain doll on QVC.
    It was with huge relief when I heard Tommy and Terry padding from their room into the kitchen the next morning. They, at least, had survived the night.
    Whats more, they were even cuter than when theyd gone to sleep. Both boys covered my face with wet, delighted-to-see-you kisses, ate toast with peanut butter and jalapeño jelly, a combination theyd discovered by accident at my mothers house, and went happily to the babysitter where they would stay during the day.
    I, on the other had, was not cute at all. My eyes were bloodshot, my hair stringy because I ran out of time getting the boys ready and couldnt shower and my exhaustion was as apparent as my pathetic hairdo.
    I fell asleep twice in my office, once over the top of my computer, somehow deleting most of the work Id done. The other time, I dozed off in my chair but woke up on the floor under my desk. Fortunately, everyone whod come looking for me had not looked down and assumed I was out doing company business.
    Five oclock came far too soon, however. I had to pick up the boys and make it through the evening on those two brief naps.
    Fortunately, Darla arrived at my door just at dinnertime to find the twins blowing bubbles in their soup with straws and me just plain foaming at the mouth.

Chapter Eleven
    I ve always scoffed at the idea of zombies and the hocus-pocus about the walking dead those misguided fans of horror movies seem to relish. That was, however, before I became one myself.
    I havent cleaned my bathroom in a week. That was when Darla returned to Chicago to wrap things up there and left me alone with the twins again. Whats the use? The tidal wave that hits it every night when the boys take their bath will undo any polishing or scrubbing I might attempt. I dont know how, but the twins have managed to get water spots and soap scum not only on the ceiling but also inside closets and the medicine cabinet.
    One evening, before Id run their bathwater, I dashed to the laundry room to get clean