“Grounding Milton Trent,” Sgt. Trent said to his friend Sgt. Tito Gonzalez, “is like bringing a tornado indoors. You know where it is, which is really good, but, you know, it's a tornado.”
“Vaya con Dios, mi amigo,” Sgt. Gonzalez said with a chuckle. “Make sure you don't forget where Gracie is, though!”
“Oh, that was a whole situation today. She's kinda hanging around with Milton to keep him out of the dumps, which means both of them can be right in front of me and just do what they do so effortlessly!”
Since nine-year-old Milton had scattered the better part of five pounds of baking soda all over the yard, Sgt. and Mrs. Trent – after paying their half of the clean up needed – had decided to give Milton the chance to learn all the ways baking soda should be used instead.
“It's kinda punishment, but it's also kinda interesting,” he said to six-year-old Grayson Ludlow, who had been sent to tiptoe over and check on him by his equally grounded elder brother George. “One thing is for sure: it does way too much to be a snow substitute.”
“George is learning that too,” Grayson said before he tiptoed back. “He just wanted to know if you were all right.”
“Is he all right, though?”
“Yep.”
“Tell him 'I love you, bruh,' and take these eight caramels back over there – one for all your siblings, but two for you since you risked it all coming over here. I gotta go clean some more stuff.”
An hour later, Grayson tiptoed back because a loud crash had come from the Trent house.
“See, what had happened was,” Milton said, “Dad was showing me how baking soda makes a gentle cleaner to brighten up walls in the kitchen, so, I wanted to see what that looked like at the top where the cobwebs and stuff get before Mom and Vanna wand dust it down, and Gracie had the same idea. How were we supposed to know the kitchen table was going to tip over when we both climbed on the same corner! Workmanship these days!”
“Is your dad like Papa?” Grayson said. “I feel like there is a big 'And this is why you don't put your feet on the table' coming on.”
“Dad is so much like your grandpa that all God did was use the bronze over here and lots of blush pink rose and white over at your house, Grayson. That's almost exactly what he said – but, tell George this. Baking soda isn't good snow substitute, but boy would it make a great mini-bomb with some vinegar!”
Grayson thought about this and then shook his head.
“Nope, can't do that,” he said. “I love you both and if your dad is like my grandpa and y'all try that, y'all will get all three of us killed, and I'm not talking about from the bomb. I love you, but I love me too. Nope. Can't do it, Milton.”
“Well, you know, Grayson, living to age 10 is sounding really good right now – never mind.”
I was wondering when or if the baking soda would be mixed with vinegar.
It happened in a controlled environment ... but George and Milton will not be grounded forever...