Lunch

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen...uhhh...fourteen, five...fi...fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenteen! Ready or not, here I come!"

Jill runs around the yard and one for one she finds all four of the other children.

"IT IS NOT FAIR! You did not even count correctly!" Her twin, Jim, argues for he was the first to be found.

"I did!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Did!"

"Not!"

"Did!"

"Not!"

"Okay, okay, you two. Let us not argue today. Phil and I will count and try to find all of you. How does that sound?" Kitty interjects.

"No."

Everyone turns to Carl.

"And why not?" Phil inquires.

"If ya two are lookin' fur us togethe', then we are goin' to hide the whole day."

"And why do you say that?" Phil asks again.

"'Cause yer lovebirds. That's why."

Phil stares at the calm Carl in disbelief, Kitty blushes, and the twins giggle.

"Fine. Since Carl was trying to be funny, he can count and come looking for us." Phil smiles.

"I don' care. Luck'ly, ya'll won't hide too long."

"And as an extra measure of punishment, count till a hundred."

Carl glares at Phil before turning to the wall to count.

"One..."

The twins scamper away and climbs in behind the large bush.

"...Ten..."

Meanwhile, Phil grabbed Kitty's hand and led her to the treehouse's ladder. They climb up and Kitty wants to enter the house, but Phil stops her. He gestures that she should follow him as he carefully climbs past the little house and sits down on a well concealed branch.

"...Ninety, ninety-one, ninety-two, ninety-three, ninety-four, ninety-six, ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine, a hundred. I'm comin'!"

Phil and Kitty laugh softly when Carl walks right underneath them without realizing it. The boy stops and looks up into Kitty's brown eyes.

"What?" The girl whispers when she notices it.

"Just admiring your beauty."

Kitty blushes and looks down.

"It is true." Phil puts a stray stand of her hair behind her ear.

"You are very flattering, sir, but we must be quiet."

"Why? He will probably spend hours looking for us."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, my dear Kitty."

"My dear Kitty?" Kitty smiles.

"Yeah. Do you object to the name?"

"I don't mi..."

"Phil and Kitty sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Startled, the two look down to see the twins and Carl looking back at them.

"Found ya, by the way!"

"Ohhhh. Take a hike!" Phile sneers at them.

"If mother sees you, Phil, you are going to be in big trouble!" Jill yells at her older brother.

"She is not here, but she will be if you continue yelling like that!"

"Yes, she will. Unfortunately, I am already here."

Phil eyes grow wide at the sight of his mother and Kitty's face turns even redder.

"Fortunately, I am going to let it slide as long as you and Kitty are out of that tree and at the table in two minutes. Lunch is getting cold."

"Yes, Ma'am."