After the initial excitement had died down, the trio wrestled for more than an hour, then played basketball with the waste that was left on the floor.
“I don’t feel that good,” Jeremy said, clutching his stomach. “I’m gonna call my mom to pick me up.”
Jeremy’s mother rushed over in minutes because Jeremy was hardly ever sick. He was feeling fine when she had dropped him off.
Soon as they got home, Jeremy’s mother put him in bed. Not only did Jeremy’s stomach hurt, but he also had a fever. So, Jeremy’s mother asked him if he and his friends had done anything strange to make him so sick. Jeremy described the scene in detail…especially the mess. His mother was totally disgusted.
“Are you serious?” she asked. “What do Greg and Tommy’s parents think of them living that way?”
“You won’t believe this, Mom,” Jeremy began. “They said their parents let them do anything there since it’s THEIR room!”
Jeremy’s mother was so angry that she was literally stomping as she paced the floor.
“We’ll see about that!” she said before slamming the front door.
Meanwhile, Greg and Tommy kept having their fun, adding to their mess with more toy parts and food pieces. Their own parents were so used to the mess that they didn’t even say anything to Greg and Tommy after they got home from work.
The next day was Mother’s day off. She was busy running errands before settling back home around noon. Less than 15 minutes later, there was a loud knock at the door.
“Who is it?” Mother asked.
“Is this the Taylor residence?” a man replied.
“Yes, it is,” Mother said. “Can I help you?”
“Ma’am, my name is Mr. Freeman,” he began. “I’m from The City Health Department. We just received a serious complaint about a very unhealthy situation in your home. May I come in?”
“Well…..er….I guess,” Mother replied, shaking like a leaf. She knew exactly what the health inspector was talking about. Mother reluctantly opened the door and let him in.
Moments later, Greg and Tommy’s room was in full view. There was no way to way to hide either the mess or the smell. It was all too shocking and overwhelming.
“I don’t believe this!” Mr. Freeman said with a dazed look. “I’ve been working in this city for 20 years, and I’ve never EVER seen or smelled anything like this!”
Mr. Freeman slowly walked around the room, occasionally kicking a piece of food, a soda can or a cockroach out of his path. He then pulled out a notebook and started writing feverishly.
“I hate to do this, but I’m issuing you a level ‘A’ citation,” he said. “You have exactly three dies to completely clean this mess and the smell, or we have no choice but to get a court order to remove your family from the premises. Any questions?”
Mother just hung her head and took the lengthy sheet of paper from the inspector. After he left, Mother pushed the door closed, slid onto the floor and cried her eyes out.
After twice talking herself out of it, Mother finally decided to call her husband. He was a bit upset, but hardly surprised.
“I’ll make sure to get home before Greg and Tommy do,” Father said. “Then, we’ll have a nice, long talk. This problem has got to be eliminated once and for all…even if it means throwing away every toy, and not letting them eat anything in the house!”
Mother knew he didn’t exactly mean what he had just said. But she also knew that things couldn’t continue the way they had been going. Something had to be done…and right now!
As soon as Greg and Tommy got home, plans were discussed. Once again, they promised to keep their room clean, but neither Mother nor Father believed that they actually ever would.
“I got an idea,” Father said. “Let’s change their room.”
“What’s that going to do?” Mother asked. “They’ll just slob up another room…and the empty bedroom is even closer to the front door. Everybody would see the mess as soon as they got into the house.”
Greg and Tommy just looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.
“I wasn’t talking about THAT room,” Father said. “As messy as Greg and Tommy have been, they don’t deserve a normal room.”
