"Follow me," Dad says, leading you away from the stairs and into the open. "We'll hide under the couch and proceed from there."
As you both make your way to the couch, you see your mom in the dining room, dialing numbers on her cell phone. She then puts it to her ear and waits for an answer on the other line.
"Do you have your phone with you, Dad?" you ask.
Before he can answer, you both hear the ringtone on his phone playing from up ahead. Then, you see that your mom has heard it as well, and she has already began walking toward the couch, where the phone is laying on a cushion.
"Dad! Watch out!" you shout.
You both instinctively drop down as your mom moves toward you. At the end of her long, soaring leg, her foot (still in her sandals) plants itself into the carpet mere inches from you and your dad. You both watch as her foot bends at her toes as she moves forward and then walks right over the two of you, completely oblivious to your predicament. She passes by on her way to the couch, where she sees your dad's cell phone and lowers her own from her ear.
"Your dad left his phone behind, too," Mom says to Dani, who is still in the dining room.
You and Dad see her sigh, and you feel you can almost read her thoughts from her expression. It's little things, she must be thinking, but if only he would be more responsible to his family.
Looking at your dad, you realize you've never had any problem with him, but it's true that he does sometimes do things of his own accord without considering how they will impact the rest of the family. Still, he's always been a hero to you.
"Let's go," he says, breaking the silence. "It's too bad about the phone, but worrying about it now won't solve anything."
Once you reach the couch, you both take cover underneath it. Above you, your mom has sat down on the couch. She has one leg stretched upon the ottoman and the other planted on the floor. From underneath the couch, you can see her unconsciously playing with her sandal, slipping her foot in and out of it. You can also hear her on the phone with someone else.
"Hi," she says. "It's Renee. Do you know where Calvin is or where he might be right now? ... I don't know. We were using one of Roger's bug bombs to clear the house. We have a bug problem, and--anyway, we came back to pick them up and he and the boys are gone. ... Yeah, but his phone's still here. His truck, too. ... Right? But, yeah, I don't know where they've-- ... Only a few minutes. Since I got here at least. ... I know, it's just...I'm worried. He does things like this, but this time...it seems different. ... OK. ... Yeah, I'll try. ... Thanks. Bye."
"We've really gone and worried your mother this time," Dad says, looking at you. "I have, at least."
"Like you said, though, we can't worry about that stuff right now," you reply. "If we can get her attention, she can help us."
Dad half-smiles at you.
"Yes. But the way I see it, we only have a few good options here."
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