PART 1
"Mrs. Jo," Nan called walking into the parlor. "Can you fix this tear in my dress?"
"What did you do this time, Nan?" Jo smiled at the girl.
"Nothing." Jo looked at Nan with a gentle glare. "Okay. I caught it on a tree while Nat and I were running in the woods."
"Running?" questioned Jo.
"It's a long story. I'll tell ya later. Thanks!" Nan handed Jo the dress and headed out the door.
Jo walked across the parlor and sat down to start mending the torn dress. Before she could make the first stitch, Rob walked in carryinga box. "Rob," she said, "What do you have?"
"Well..." Rob began, just as Dan came rushing in.
"Can I go into town with Nick?" he exclaimed, almost out of breath.
"Don't you have chores to finish?" she asked, beginning to sew.
"They're done." Jo looked up. "Almost done. Anyway, Nick said he needed my help." Dan smiled, knowing that Jo wouldn't deny his request.
"Okay," she sighed, "But you finish your chores as soon as you get back." Dan was out of the house before she could finish her sentence.
Jo returned to her work, not noticing Rob sitting silently on the couch. Rob spoke to get her attention, "Mother?"
"Rob. I almost forgot you were here." She set her sewing aside and beckoned Rob to join her in the chair. "Let's see what you've got."
Just as Rob was settled and started to open his box, a loud crash sounded from upstairs. "Sorry, honey. Can this wait just a minute, please?"
"I guess." Rob unwillingly got up from his mom's lap with a depressed look on his face.
"I'll be right back," Jo smiled, "I promise." She kissed his forehead and left the room.
Rob sat back down in the chair feeling dejected. He kicked his feet back and forth since they didn't touch the ground. He heaved a sigh of sadness as he heard Jo's footsteps go upstairs.
Rob was getting bored. Jo's few minutes had turned into ten. Rob thought that his mom had forgotten about him, so he got up from the chair and walked into the kitchen.
"Hi, Rob," Asia greeted him. "What's wrong?" Asia pulled out a chair and Rob sat down.
"My mom forgot about me." He set his box on the table and put his chin in his hands.
"What? How could she forget about you?" Asia sat down next to Rob and rubbed his back.
"She went upstairs because she heard a crash. Mom promised she'd be back in a minute, but she wasn't."
"Those boys." She shook her head in dismay. Seeing Rob's box, Asia decided to change to subject. "What's in the box, Rob?"
He perked up and kneeled in his chair. "This is what I wanted to show my mom. Nick helped me make it this morning while everyone was at school."
PART 2
