Page 87 of Golden Atonement

“Emma and Jesse are out getting school supplies with Daphne.”

Shit, that’s right. School was starting up again soon.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I asked, “Do you need help?”

She stopped and faced me. “Excuse me?”

“Do you need help?”

“You want to help me do laundry?”

Well, now that she said it that way, I wasn’t so sure anymore, but since I offered, I nodded. “Yeah.”

My woman walked over to me and thrust the full basket into my arms. “Have at it.”

Looking at the basket in my hands then back at her as she headed for the door, I asked, “You’re just gonna leave me with this shit?”

“You said you wanted to help.”

“But...”

“No buts, Max, and don’t forget to separate the colors. Your daughter is very picky about her clothes.”

“Wait a damn minute,” I shouted. “This is Emma’s basket?!”

“Welcome to fatherhood!” My wife laughed as she marched her ass out of the house.

“Dude, she is going to kill you.”

“How much detergent did you put in the washer?” Phantom asked, shaking her head.

“I don’t fucking know. I just poured until I saw bubbles,” I explained, standing in three feet of soapy bubbles.

I was a dead man.

“There.” Massacre grinned. “Machine’s unplugged. However, I think you’re gonna need a new one. The motor is toast.”

“Great,” I moaned, looking at the mess.

How in the hell was I going to explain this to Remi?

Bullseye walked over and opened the lid and looked inside the washer. “Yo, dumbass, I think you have bigger problems than a new washer.”

“What? Why?”

“Whose clothes are these?”

“Emma’s.”

Bullseye carefully closed the lid and said, “Didn’t Remi tell you to separate the clothes?”

“I did. The whites are over there,” I pointed to another basket that hadn’t been washed yet.

“He didn’t,” Phantom gasped, rushing over to the washing machine, before throwing the lid open to look for herself.

Bullseye grinned. “He did.”

“He did what?” Her voice echoed all around as I slowly turned to find my wife glaring at me while she took in the sight of her once clean house. Next to her was our daughter, Emma, pale as she gaped at the sight before her.

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