The Other?

My darling little chameleons were supposed to be getting dressed for school this morning.  There was much commotion and very little getting dressed. As I entered the room, without a word from me, Henry immediately jumped to his new standard response, “Lucy started it.”

“I don’t want to hear about who started it. You both need to quit messing around and get ready for school!”

“But Mom! Lucy did start it!”

“No I didn’t!” Lucy just couldn’t not defend herself. (I know, double negative. You know what I mean)

Then my mother’s own voice somehow came  from me, “I don’t care who started it!  The other needs to finish it!”

But my mother didn’t have a kid like Henry. “But Mom, we don’t know who ‘a other’ is!”

Yeah, sometimes it’s better to just walk away.