Chapter Sixty-Three: The New Addition
The idea came from Lily, as most chaotic ideas did.
"Mama," she said one morning, "I want another pet."
Lina was making breakfast. She did not look up. "We already have Sprinkles."
"Sprinkles is a dog. I want a cat."
"You're allergic to cats."
"I'm not allergic to cats."
"You sneeze every time you visit Maya's house."
"That's because Maya's cat is dusty."
Lina looked at her daughter—flour on her shirt, syrup in her hair, a determined expression on her face.
"Cats are not dusty," Lina said.
"Dusty cats are dusty."
Lina sighed. "We're not getting a cat."
Lily crossed her arms. "Then I want a hamster."
"A hamster?"
"They're small. They're quiet. They don't make you sneeze."
Lina looked at Ethan, who was standing in the doorway, smiling.
"A hamster," Ethan said. "I like that idea."
Lina sighed again. "Fine. We'll get a hamster."
Lily cheered.
Leo, who had been reading a book at the kitchen table, looked up. "Hamsters are nocturnal."
Lina blinked. "What?"
"They sleep during the day and run on their wheels at night. It will keep us awake."
Lily uncrossed her arms. "I'll sleep through it."
"You won't."
"Will too."
"Will not."
Lina held up her hands. "We'll get a hamster. We'll put the cage in the living room. We'll deal with the noise."
Leo sighed. "Fine. But I'm not cleaning the cage."
"You're cleaning the cage."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Leo looked at Lina. "Mama, tell her I'm not cleaning the cage."
Lina held up her hands. "I'm staying out of this."
Leo sighed again.
Lily cheered.
The hamster debate began.
---
The search for the perfect hamster took weeks.
Lily wanted a fluffy one. Leo wanted a quiet one. Ethan wanted one that was already trained (which, Lina informed him, was not how hamsters worked). Lina wanted something small and unlikely to escape.
They compromised on a medium-sized golden hamster with big eyes and a nervous twitch.
Lily named her Sunflower.
Leo called her "the rodent."
Ethan called her "adorable."
Lina called her "a lot of work."
Sunflower ran on her wheel.
She was home.
---
The first few weeks were chaos.
Sunflower escaped three times. She chewed through her cage. She hid under the refrigerator. She refused to be caught.
Sprinkles barked at her. Lily cried. Leo took notes.
"I told you," Leo said.
"You did not," Lily replied.
"I did."
"You did not."
"I did."
Lina intervened. "It doesn't matter who told who. We have a hamster. We're keeping the hamster. We're building a better cage."
The twins nodded.
Sunflower ran on her wheel.
She had no idea what she had done.
---
Lina built a new cage.
It was made of glass and wire and a secure locking mechanism that Sunflower could not chew through. Leo designed it. Ethan built it. Lily decorated it with glitter and stickers.
"This is the best hamster cage in the world," Lily said.
"It's adequate," Leo said.
Lina looked at her children—Lily, covered in glitter; Leo, holding a blueprint.
"It's perfect," she said.
The twins smiled.
Sunflower ran on her wheel.
---
Sunflower settled in.
She stopped escaping. She stopped chewing. She learned to take food from Lily's hand. She let Leo pet her. She tolerated Sprinkles.
Lily was thrilled.
"I told you," she said.
"You did not," Leo replied.
"I did."
"You did not."
"I did."
Lina sighed.
Sunflower ran on her wheel.
Some things never changed.
---
The Bond
Sunflower chose Lily.
It was obvious from the beginning. The hamster followed her around the cage. She took food from Lily's hand. She sat still when Lily held her.
"I love her," Lily said.
"I know," Lina replied.
"She loves me too."
"I know."
Lily looked at her mother. "Thank you for letting me have her."
Lina pulled her into her arms.
"Thank you for being responsible," she said.
Lily hugged her back.
"I'm trying," she said.
Lina smiled.
"That's all any of us can do," she said.
---
The Chaos
The penthouse was louder now.
Sunflower ran on her wheel at night. Sprinkles barked at her. The twins argued. Ethan burned dinner. Lina juggled work and school and the endless demands of a household that never stopped.
But it was home.
Chaotic and loud and wonderful.
Lina stood in the kitchen, watching her family—Lily, playing with Sunflower; Leo, reading a book; Sprinkles, begging for scraps; Ethan, making a mess of dinner.
"I love you," she said.
No one heard her.
But that was okay.
She knew.
They knew.
That was enough.
---
End of Chapter Sixty-Three