That evening the children settled down after dinner for some relaxation. Luna and Luan were just done washing up in the kitchen. Lana, Lola and Lily were coloring while the others were catching up on their reading when Rita entered the living room.
Rita addressed the children, "I'd like to speak with you for a moment kids."
They looked up from their activities to pay attention to her.
"Kids, yesterday I received an email from Mr. Stonewall. He's agreed to meet us on Thursday at four pm," she began.
The children remained eerily silent until Luan spoke, 'I didn't think he'll be coming so soon."
"School starts in three weeks so this is the best time for him to help us," Rita explained.
"Lori and Leni you'll have to ask Stephanie and Mrs. Carmichael permission to leave early I need you to get the house ready," Rita added.
Lori suddenly came up with an idea.
"Mom, since I haven't used any of my personal days I'll tell Stephanie I'm taking Thursday off," Lori said.
Rita smiled at the suggestion, "And Lincoln come home immediately after your computer classes."
"Yes mom," he dutifully replied.
"Dang it, now I can't go to the arcade," Lincoln thought regretfully.
Rita continued, "I'm picking you girls up at two because I arranged with Dr. Feinstein to take my two o'clock appointment so just wait for me in the waiting room."
"Would you have time to make us dinner?" Lola asked her mother quizzically.
"I'll order something from Penny's, mom," Lori suggested.
"I'd appreciate that Lori," Rita said before walking away.
Wednesday afternoon Rita and the girls attending day camp narrowly escaped getting caught in a thunderstorm that started minutes after they reached home. Lori informed her boss Stephanie she was taking a personal day on Thursday. Lynn Sr. explained to his employees that he was leaving early tomorrow because of an important person he and Rita were meeting at four then asked Kotaro to ask his daughter Michelle if she was available to work tomorrow. He was able to secure two ladies to wait tables from the employment agency to come in tomorrow morning for a quick training session.
Thursday 9: 45 a.m.
Lincoln walked downstairs still wearing his orange pajamas and Lori was standing at the stove making some French toast for herself when he entered the kitchen.
"Good morning Lori," Lincoln chirped then walked over to a cupboard and grabbed a box of Rice Krispies
"Morning Lincoln," Lori replied nonchalantly.
As Lincoln poured some of the toasted rice into his cereal bowl, Lori asked, "Could you assist me tidying up the house before you leave today?"
"Okay Lori but after I feed Lana's pets," Lincoln replied.
"Okay, could you vacuum both upstairs and downstairs, but not the bedrooms, then afterwards collect the trash, I'm cleaning the bathroom and putting up clean towels for our guest," Lori said.
Lincoln nodded in agreement before walking over to the refrigerator to take out the milk carton.
As the two siblings sat at the dining table enjoying their breakfast Lincoln asked Lori, "Anything else I should help you with after I take out the garbage?"
"No Lincoln," Lori told him.
Silence prevailed between them for a bit before Lincoln asked, "Lori what do you think Mr. Stonewall is going to be like?"
Lori merely shrugged her shoulders slightly and replied, ""I hope he isn't going to be one of those stern super nanny types."
When Lincoln finished eating he washed the bowl and spoon then fed Lana's pets afterwards he dragged the vacuum cleaner with the intention of vacuuming the upstairs hallway first. Immediately after breakfast Lori began the task of cleaning the bathroom.
Eleven a.m.
At the beautiful Royal Woods Hotel and Spa, a fellow in his early forties, standing six feet two inches tall and slightly muscular walked stridently towards the front desk pulling a dark green suitcase in his right hand and carried a brown briefcase in his left. He was sharply dressed in a light blue shirt and black pants.
Fritz the front desk clerk casually glanced upwards from his computer screen upon hearing his footsteps.
"Welcome Sir," Fritz greeted pleasantly then seconds later his jaw almost dropped to the floor upon realizing who the person was. He was an ardent fan of Family Rescue and watched the show whenever possible with his wife.
"Good afternoon Sir, my name is Fritz, how may I help you," he greeted calmly with a courteous smile.
"Hello I'm Kurt Stonewall checking in," the dark haired man replied.
Fritz maintained a professional air while checking the list of arrivals for the day on the computer. A few seconds later Fritz was handing the former Marine a hotel key.
"You're in room 218, Sir the elevator is to your left," Fritz instructed, 'Dinner is served in our café at five or you can order room service."
"Thank you Fritz," Kurt replied.
Immediately Mr. Stonewall entered the one bedroom suite, he placed his suitcase near the bed then gave a quick inspection of the entire suite. Satisfied about the cleanliness of the suite, Mr. Stonewall placed his briefcase on the computer desk then sat in the swivel chair. He opened his briefcase and removed a printed copy of the email Rita sent with the information about the Loud children.
Meanwhile Lincoln was finished vacuuming the downstairs carpet. Stowing the vacuum away in the basement Lincoln then rushed around collecting the garbage as Lori dusted the furniture. With their tasks finally completed, Lori found a vase used for special occasions and placed it on the coffee table.
"Everything's done," she remarked then breathed a sigh of relief.
Some minutes later Lori was parked on the couch watching a soap opera as Lincoln read a comic book, suddenly his reading was interrupted by Liam's mom car horn beeping. Lincoln leapt to his feet while throwing the comic on the bed, glanced quickly out the window, grabbed his bag then rushed downstairs. "Lincoln please get back on time," Lori reminded him.
"Don't worry I will," Lincoln replied back.
At 2:05 that sunny afternoon Rita entered the waiting area of the community center carrying Lily where the seven girls sat quietly. Lisa was absorbed reading a book while the others looked bored. The sisters looked up expectantly upon hearing Rita's voice.
"Girls let's go," Rita called out.
Lori was sitting on the couch filing her nails when Rita and the girls arrived home. The older girl had showered minutes after Lincoln departed.
"Hello Lori, is Leni home?" Rita greeted.
"Yes she's upstairs taking a shower, oh dinners here," Lori responded.
The other sisters dropped their bags carelessly on the floor then made a beeline towards the kitchen.
Lori left paper plates and plastic ware beside the spaghetti and meatball dinners. Rita poured lemonade into eight glasses as the girls began serving themselves.
It was two forty when Liam's mother arrived at the Loud residence.
"Bye Liam, Bye Mrs. Lafayette," Lincoln said before stepping out of the vehicle. Once inside, Lincoln washed his hands and warmed up his share of the dinner. After eating, Lincoln took a brief shower and just relaxed for a while playing a video game.
Three p.m.
Currently, there were only a few diners at Lynn's Table this time of day. An Uber cab was parked at the back entrance while Lynn Sr. stood in the kitchen handing out last minute instructions to his employees.
"All right gentlemen, my rides here, I'm depending on you to keep down the fort," Lynn said
"Will do Lynn," Kotaro replied, his daughter Michelle had arrived five minutes ago.
Not wanting for the Uber driver to wait any longer Lynn Sr. rushed out the back entrance.
Later that day
Lynn Sr. stood in front of the dresser mirror putting on a green tie while Rita brushed her hair. Rita had requested her husband wear an appropriate tie instead of the 'fun' ones he preferred wearing. Rita smiled approvingly at him before glancing at her watch. She was dressed in a light purple blouse and black pants and low wedge black sandals.
"Look at the time," she thought before heading out of the room
Seeing that none of the children were present downstairs Rita stood at the stairs landing.
"Kids hurry up, Mr. Stonewall is coming in five minutes," Rita yelled.
In seconds the children came downstairs and seated themselves in the living room with Luna holding Lily on her lap. The toddler was dressed for once wearing a purple dress while the others wore different outfits from what they normally wore.
"All right kids I want you to be respectful to Mr. Stonewall when he comes, when he asks you to introduce yourselves shake his hand," Rita instructed
"Yes mom," they said in unison.
Kurt Stonewall finally reached his destination on Franklin Avenue. Once he stepped out of the rental car he hired at the airport he placed a pair of sunglasses on his eyes to protect them from the sun's glare.
He glanced around, his eyes finally landing on the two-story home, the lawn no longer littered with the sister's toys and bicycles since Rita picked them up and stored them in the garage weeks ago. The former Marine's keen eye noticed a loose shingle on the roof and the slightly worn garage door.
"The house is really in need of repairs," Kurt muttered.
He started walking up the pathway towards the house. He rang the doorbell. A few months before the bell was repaired due to a malfunction that caused anyone ringing the bell to receive a shock.
"That must be him," she uttered, then shot towards the front door and opened it.