My Big Family. A Day of Tots

«How do you know? I already told you that?» Great-grandma was surprised.

«No,» said Peter. «It happened in our school. It's a well-known case in science.»

Kate kicked Peter. «Stop! So, are we going for ice cream? Huh, Gram?»

Great-Grandma put aside the magnifier and leaned her hands on the table. «Let's!» she said, chewing her lips. «Give me my cane and my purse!»

Great-Grandma Zina's handbag was old, of imitation leather, with a thick plastic handle and a metal clasp that snapped like a pistol with pistons.

«Maybe you can give us money and we'll run and get it?» Peter suggested, afraid that while they walked, Grandma Masha would have time to wake up.

«Certainly not! I want it myself! I'll even look at many things. What kind of store is there? A candy store?»

Great-Grandma got dressed pretty quickly. All the children also got dressed quickly, because they understood that the matter was secret and important. Then they all went out onto the street and, grasping Great-Grandma's elbows, began to drag her to the candy store.

«Oh, not so fast! Oh, not so fast! Let me stand for a minute!» Great-Grandma wailed.

The older children stood patiently, letting her rest, but the younger ones could not stand and were bouncing around.

«Do you have money? You didn't forget?» Costa suddenly asked with concern.

Great-Grandma looked anxiously into her purse. «A bit,» she said. «Oh, how nice that you took me! I haven't been in a store for some five years!»

«Doesn't Grandma buy you sweets?»

«Rarely. The neighbours bring a little. But she says I'm not allowed, I have blood sugar.»

«So you're not allowed someone else's sugar, because you have your own? What luck!» Alex exclaimed.

«I can have everything,» Great-Grandma objected philosophically, pursing her lips. «Though, maybe, also not. But a little, I probably can.»

Finally, they reached the bakery, where there was a large candy department. Grandma went up the three steps and leaned against the wall. «Ugh! Exactly like being dragged to the tenth floor!» she complained and, after catching her breath, began to look with interest at the shelves. «Oh! How many new things have appeared! Now, five years ago I didn't see these round candies here with fruit jelly in the middle! And these very long new ones! There were lemon wedges! And drops! And these chocolates here were issued in wrappings!»

«Is your grandma from an uninhabited island?» the salesgirl asked Peter in a whisper.

«No, from Moscow,» said Alex.

«Ahh!» the salesgirl said slowly in amazement.

Great-Grandma was already standing at the shelves and gleefully going through bags of cookies and all sorts of sweets. «Do you have chocolate? With jam? And shortbread? But not very sweet?» she asked worriedly.

«No such thing,» said the salesgirl.

«Well, then give us three hundred grams in total! In fact, all that you have!» Great-Grandma said.

«And chocolate!» Peter whispered.

«And chocolate!» Great-Grandma repeated.

Costa asked again if she had enough money.

«There's enough,» Great-Grandma said bravely. «And if we're off by a lot, we'll set aside the extra. Get what you want!» Alena, Alex, and Costa were standing next to Great-Grandma and shouting, each pointing at his favourite. Everyone was pulling her by the hand in his direction.

Suddenly, a phone rang in Great-Grandma's bag. She found it and punched a big button blindly.

«Hello, Masha! Yes, the children are with me! What are we doing? Taking a walk! I'll call you back soon!» Great-Grandma said into the phone and, looking imploringly at her great-grandchildren, put the phone in her bag. «I didn't lie. Just kept quiet about something!» she said guiltily.

«Who was that?» Costa asked.

«Her daughter, our grandma!» Kate whispered.

They bought so much candy and ice-cream that they had two large packages. The children and Great-Grandma argued about where to hide everything so that they would not catch Grandma Masha's eye.

Soon they were already at home. While Vicky rang the bell, Peter hid behind a car with two bags in order to sneak in all the sweets unnoticed. The door opened and they went in. A towel was lying on the table. A huge apple pie was cooling on the towel.

Grandma Masha stood at the table and looked at them with a slight squint. «Returned, schemers? Oh, well! Sit down for tea!» she invited them.

Vicky looked at the steaming hot pie and felt uncomfortable. «Oh! And we discussed how to outwit you!» she said innocently.

Grandma Masha waved her hand. «All right! Everyone wash hands! Do you know how many germs are on a square centimetre of skin?» she said sternly, but everyone was already rushing to hug her because they suddenly felt that she was nice.

«Good when you have a grandma!» Vicky said at night, when the children were already in bed and Grandma had gone downstairs to take Great-Grandma Zina's blood pressure.

«Yeah, not bad. Only she does not last for long!» Peter said in a knowing voice. The wall in his room was thin, made of plasterboard, and one could easily talk right through it.

«Why?»

«Well, I already noticed this long ago. Grandma Masha's orderliness lasts for three weeks a year. Then she's exhausted and saves up energy the whole year for these three weeks. Well, like a race car. The more powerful the engine, the higher fuel consumption,» Peter explained.

Kate chuckled. «And our parents aren't orderly and that's precisely why they last the whole year?» She specified.

«Well, practically… Still, it's great to have an orderly grandma!»

Chapter Four

Five Kitties

The entire person to the last cell reveals himself in his reaction to the word «cannot.»

    Mama

On Monday morning, the children were getting ready for school. Kate was already standing at the door with a backpack behind her shoulders and her arms crossed, waiting for her brothers and sisters. Costa and Rita, who, although not going to school yet, promptly roamed around, crowding together with everyone.

Costa looked with suspicion at the shorts that they were just about to put on him. Then he began to grimace slowly. Lately he had become very suspicious. «They're girls'! I won't wear them!» he whined.

«Easy, fighter! Not a girl in shorts! It's a disguised hero in shorts!» Kate said quickly.

Costa pondered and allowed them to put the shorts on him, the disguised hero hiding under them.