Florida - Part 3

Good morning,

It looks like today is the day. We got a call from my brother around 4:00 this morning asking us to come pick up the kids. Now 6 of the 7 kids (oldest niece gets to stay home and help) are sleeping here. Not sure how much longer they will sleep, but . . . Then we wait for the phone call to say my newest niece has arrived.

Spring has really come. Yesterday it was in the upper 80s and last night only got down into the 60s.

My sister, best friend, and I did two days of Operation Clean Up the Neighborhood. We just did the 8 blocks or so in our little area, but we filled about 5 trash bags.

Three of the nephews are up. Enjoy your story today.

Florida
Part 3

    “Okay, okay!” And Ria shoved her way through her eager classmates. “But if Florida dies because he ate the wrong thing tonight, it’s your fault.”

    Most of the ninth grade students tagged along as Ria started for her home. All were curious about this exotic creature from Florida. Ria thought in amusement that this had to be one of the few times her classmates knew something before the gang did. But they would know soon enough. Chris would tell Walt and Dave, Ray, and Al–if he was there–either at school or at ROTC tomorrow. After that it was only a matter of time before everyone would be crowding into the Mitchelll home to see her new pet.

    Upon arrival, she didn’t see any lights and guessed she was the first one home. After pulling the key from under the mat, she reached to unlock the door, but it swung open at her touch. Had she forgotten to lock it?

    “Florida? Are you still here?” she called into the silent house.

    “Do you think it ran away?” one of the boys teased.

    “Maybe she just imagined she got an alligator in the mail,” another chimed in.

    Ignoring them, Ria led the way to the kitchen and flipped on the light. There in the pail where she had left him was Florida.

    “Do your parents know about him?” one of the few girls who had come along asked.

    Ria shook her head. “No, Mom’s been gone and Dad’s at work. Chris doesn’t even know.”

    “Well, I’m glad I’m not in your shoes. My mother would have a fit. What are you going to feed it? There is a war going on you know.”

    “Of course she knows, Jane,” Mike retorted. “She has brothers and cousins serving, even if you don’t.”

    Jane had no reply, for her brother was still in college and hadn’t been drafted. At least not yet.”

    It was a relief to Ria when everyone departed leaving her alone with the alligator. Sitting at the table, her books stacked beside her, she stared at her new pet and thought. What was she going to do with an alligator? What would it eat, and how much would it eat? “I wonder how fast you are going to grow, Florida,” she murmured. “If you just stay little you probably won’t cost much to feed, but I think alligators like you grow really big.”

    Florida opened its mouth wide, but Ria didn’t know if it was a yawn or if he was hungry.

    She was still sitting at the table when her parents and Chris returned home.

    “Ria,” her mom called, stepping through the front door, “we’re home.”

    “So are we,” Ria called back. She heard the screen door slam. Probably Chris coming in last.

    Bustling into the kitchen, Emma Mitchelll set down her purse and asked, “Have you gotten your homework done already?”

    Ria shook her head but said nothing.

    “Who is with you?” Mr. Mitchelll questioned, setting his briefcase on the chair near the door.

    “Florida.”

    Mrs. Mitchelll stopped in the act of putting on her apron. “Who? And why on earth do you have that old milking pail in here?”

    “Yowie!” Chris, still in his ROTC uniform, had stopped before running up to his room to look into the tub. “Is that what I think it is?”

    “Uh huh.” Ria’s excitement over her pet had diminished greatly since the time of its arrival. “Tom sent me an alligator from Florida.”

    “A what?”

    “An alligator.”

    Mr. and Mrs. Mitchelll hurried over to stare at the pail’s newly acquired resident. Mrs. Mitchelll gave shudder and backed away quickly, much like Lydia had. “It’s like a snake with legs,” she murmured. “Only worse. And it has teeth!”

    Chris and his dad were more interested. The creature was lifted out and examined, commented upon, and finally returned to his rock and water home.

    “How did it get here?” Chris asked, watching the baby alligator.

    “Mr. Jones brought it in a cigar box with the mail.” She pointed to the box which still sat on the table. “He and Lydia were with me when I opened it.” Ria shook her head. I’m probably the only girl in the whole country who gets an alligator in the mail from a cousin during a war! Why couldn’t he have sent me something–I don’t know–more normal?”

    At that Chris burst into a hearty laugh. “Tom send something normal?”

    “What are you going to do with it, Ria?” Mr. Mitchelll asked, crossing the kitchen to wash his hands at the sink.

    “I don’t know. I don’t even know what alligators eat!” She sighed and propped her elbows on the table and looked down at her new pet. “Why do you suppose Tom sent the alligator to me?”

    “That’s easy,” Chris laughed again before he turned and started up the stairs two at a time.

    Springing up, Ria raced after him. “Why? Chris, don’t you dare run off and not tell me!” His door was shut by the time she reached it, and Ria tried to frown, but it was hard when thinking of Tom’s twinkling eyes and his mischievous grin. “Why’d he send it, Chris?” she asked again through the closed door.

    “So you wouldn’t be lonely.”

    “An alligator is supposed to keep me from being lonely?”

    “Sure.” The door opened, and Chris appeared buttoning his everyday shirt. It always amazed Ria how quickly her brothers could change. “When word gets out that you have a pet alligator, the gang will be over, the kids from school will come see it, why you might even get your name in the paper if it gets mentioned to the right people.”