g goodbye to Maggie, but at least she'll know I'll be coming back next weekend. Hopefully anyway. I guess it all depends on whether or not Mildred wants to take the weekends off.
She pulled her clothes down off of their hangars and walked them over to the bed. Then she gathered everything from the bathroom and the dresser drawers. With her two big suitcases opened up on the floor, she tossed everything inside. It was mostly dirty laundry anyway, so she didn't care if it got wrinkled or not. She decided she'd just go through it all and get organized when she was back at home.
I guess this is it, she thought. Maybe Wyatt will let me take this room if I come to work on the weekends. For now, though, time to say goodbye.
Lily heaved her luffed bag over her shoulder and then pulled the second suitcase behind her. She stepped out into the hallway and was immediately greeted by the smell of cooking bacon coming from the kitchen.
She headed downstairs and to the front area of the house, where she set her bags down by the door. Then she went to the kitchen, where she saw Wyatt and Maggie sitting at the nearby table. They were busy building a small Lego set together. In the center of the table was what looked like a feast. There were stacks of pancakes, piles of scrambled eggs and a ton of bacon.
“Somebody was busy this morning,” Lily said.
Wyatt and Maggie both looked over.
“There she is,” Wyatt said. “Maggie and I made breakfast for you.”
“All of this is for me?” Lily asked.
“Well no,” Wyatt replied, with a laugh. “It's for all of us. We didn't want to wake you up, but we weren't about to eat breakfast without you.”
“You didn't have to wait for me,” Lily said. “That's really sweet, though. Thanks, you two.”
“You're welcome,” Wyatt said, as he reached into the air and let out a big yawn.
There was something strange in the air as Lily sat down at the table, though. There was a kind of tension between Wyatt and herself. It was obviously caused from the events the evening before, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was almost like both of them were having to force themselves to act like everything was normal and that nothing had changed.
“So, shall we eat?” Lily asked.
Maggie nodded eagerly. “I'm starving.”
Wyatt laughed. “Yeah, I'm pretty hungry myself.”
He put dished portions out to everyone and then filled some glasses with orange juice. Lily watched him and her heart sank a little further. Every moment that passed by was another moment closer to when she would have to head home.
“What time did you say Mildred comes home?” she asked. “This afternoon, right?”
“No, actually, it'll be within the next hour or so,” Wyatt said. “She's getting back a little earlier than I expected.”
Lily forced a smile, then took a bite of her food. She didn't want Mildred to come back. It wasn't anything against the old lady either. It was just that, her return meant Lily's departure.
“Aunt Wiwee, do you have to go home today?” Maggie asked.
“Yes, sweetie,” Lily said. “I do have to head back, but I don't want you to be sad about it. You know why?”
“Why?”
“Because even though I'm going home, it doesn't mean that I won't get to see you again,” she said. “It's not like I'm moving away.”
Lily almost told Maggie that she would get to see her on weekends, but was able to stop herself. She didn't want Maggie to get her hopes up about that, just in case Mildred decided she didn't want Saturday and Sunday off of work.
“I know, but I'm still sad,” Maggie said. “I'll miss you.”
Lily's heart melted in her chest and her eyes filled with tears. “I'll miss you, too, Mags. Like I said, though, I'll still see you a lot.” She then turned toward Wyatt. “Do you think I could take Maggie to the zoo some time next week? I mean if Mildred doesn't already have any plans with her?”
“Of course,” Wyatt said. “Yeah, definitely. I don't see a problem with that. I'll mention it to Mildred when she gets back and we'll go from there.”
“See, Maggie, you and I might be able to go to the zoo next week,” Lily said. “How does that sound?”
“We can see the lions and bears?” Maggie asked, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.