Dating : An Atypical Fire Drill

When the school bells rang at the end of the school day children poured out of the school like water pouring out of a colander when draining noodles. Siblings Stacy and Brian went directly to their mother’s car parked along the curb with all the other parental cars waiting to pick up children.

“Hi there, kiddos,” their mother said as she watched her children get into the back seat of the car. With all the doors shut she started the car and pulled out into traffic.

“So how did your math test go, Stacy?”

“I think I did okay. I won’t know my grade until tomorrow.”

“What about you Brian? Did you ace the book report?”

“I got a C minus.”

“Oh Brian. You’re just not trying hard enough.”

“It’s better than the D I got on my last book report. I thought you’d be happy.”

“Oh Brian. I guess it is better but I want to see A’s. You need to get serious.”

“Mom?”

“Yes Stacy?”

“Did you see all the birds and the purple sky?”

“What? What the heck does that mean?”

“Earlier today the sky turned purple and there were millions and millions of birds.”

“Plus the ground was rumbling,” added Brian. “Didn’t you see it and feel it, Mom?”

“Sweetie, I was working all day in the big box Super-Mart. I didn’t see the sky all day. If the sky really turned purple don’t you think I would have heard about it? The sky looks perfectly normal right now.”

“But it was purple earlier today. It really was.”

“Okay, enough silliness. Remember when we get home there’s no TV until all homework is finished. Got it?”

“Yes Mom,” the two kids said simultaneously.

Their mother let out a deep sigh. The family drove home while the mother thought about what she would cook for dinner that evening.

For the rest of the drive both Stacy and Brian stared out the car window up into the sky.