Making it Work

Making it Work

“You know better than that!” Mom said to five-year-old Amanda. “How many times have I told you not to fool around with the vacuum?”

“I wasn’t.”

Mom looked at the vacuum cleaner in parts all over the floor. “Well, what are you doing?”

“I’m fixing it.”

“It wasn’t broken.”

“It wasn’t fixing broken. I was fixing it so it would work better. See this part?” she held up a strange looking part. “This part was backwards, it’s blocking the flow. I think that Dad did it when it was clogged up and he unclogged it. I knew it sounded different so I thought I’d check.”

“And you found it was in backwards...?”

“Yes, I’ll turn it around. I think that’s why Dad’s been sneezing more lately. It’s shedding season for Muffy you know.”

Mom looked at her only daughter. Her imagination of what it would be like to have a daughter came to mind. It was all soft and sweet, baking cookies, wearing fluffy dresses, doing each other’s hair. Maybe putting vacuum cleaners back together in their pajamas was all the mother daughter stuff they would get. With a sigh, Mom sat down to help.

“Mom?” Amanda said, sticking some piece on and flipping a lever to hold it.

“Ummm?” Mom asked.

“Once we get this back together, are we having breakfast?”

“Yes.”

“Well, after breakfast, do you think you and I could make some cookies?”

“Yes!” Mom said shocked, “Yes we can! What kind do you want to make? I have chocolate chips, or raisins and walnuts? We could make cut outs... let me go see what else I have...” off she went.

Dad was watching from the door. “Thank you Sweetie, that will make Mom very happy.”

“And,” Amanda said, “then you’ll get me that chemistry set?”

“Absolutely!”