Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (158 page)

“Huh?”

“Just
watch
him.
I’ll
be
right
back.”

Just
out
of
sight
and
earshot,
Aggie
dialed
Libby’s
number.
“Ian
is
freaking
out.
He
threw
his
soup
and
his
sippy
cup
across
the
kitchen
and
now
he’s
demanding
to
get
down.
Am
I
crazy
to
think
that
letting
him
down
now
will
just
let
him
think—something.
I
don’t
even
know
what
he’d
think
,
but
it
seems
like
it’s
crazy
to
let
him
down
now…”

“You’re
right.
He’s
too
little
to
help
clean
it,
so
he
can
sit
there
until
you’re
done.”

“Earlier
he
pulled
every
school
book
off
the
shelves
in
the
basement
and
shredded
two.
He
also
threw
a
fit
when
I
changed
him.
I
think
I
have
a
bruise
on
my
chin
where
he
kicked
me.”

“Sounds
like
he’s
asserting
his
independence
a
little
early.
Just
keep
making
it
fail.”

“Making
what
fail?”

“Whatever
he
does
to
get
his
way
that
you
don’t
like
or
is
dangerous,
don’t
let
him
have
his
way.
It
teaches
him
that
ugly
behavior
gets
him
what
he
wants.”
Libby’s
voice
was
soothing
,
but
her
next
words
nearly
made
Aggie
cry.
“You’re
going
to
have
to
keep
him
with
you
at
all
times
for
a
while.”

“At
all
times?”

“Do
you
remember
how
you
described
those
first
weeks
with
Cari
and
Lorna?”

“No.
I
have
chosen
to
forget
those
days,”
she
protested.

“Very
funny.
They
wouldn’t
have
been
as
crazy
if
you
had
simply
kept
them
near
you
,
so
you
could
stop
things
before
they
got
started.”

“That
house
was
huge!
This
house
is
much
smaller
and
it’s
huge!
How
am
I
supposed
to
keep
them
close?
The
y
disappear
if
I
blink.”

“Then
don’t
blink.”
Libby’s
voice
softened.
“Look,
it’s
not
easy
at
first,
but
you
won’t
regret
it.
The
trouble
Cari
and
Lorna
still
get
into
probably
means
they
should
be
with
you
as
well.”

“How
do
I
go
to
the
bathroom?
I
can’t
take
them
in
there
with
me!”

“It
always
amazes
me
that
moms
latch
onto
the
two
minutes
a
day
that
they
must
be
alone
as
a
reason
not
to
take
charge
of
the
other
several
hundred
minutes.”

“That
doesn’t
solve
the
bathroom
thing.”
Aggie
held
onto
the
idea
tenaciously.

“Have
one
of
the
others
keep
them
corralled
or
something.”

“That
was
much
too
easy.
Don’t
you
think
you
need
to
think
about
it
for
a
few
weeks?”

“Aggie,
you
don’t
have
to
do
it.
You
asked
for
help.
You
asked
me
what
I
would
do.
I
told
you.”