Ray was behind the counter mousing through Asian cuties when Charlie came storming through.
"You'd better get upstairs," Ray said. "They're freaking out up there. "
"No kidding," Charlie said as he passed. He took the stairs two at a time.
He was fumbling his key into the lock when Cassandra threw the door open and pulled him into his apartment.
"She won't let him go. I'm afraid they're going to eat him. "
"Who, what? That's what you said on my voice mail. Where is Sophie?"
Cassandra dragged him to Sophie's room, where he was met in the doorway by a growling Mohammed.
"Daddy!" Sophie shrieked. She ran across the room and leapt into his arms. She gave him a big hug and a sloppy kiss that left a chocolate Sophie-print on his cheek. "Down," she said. "Down, down. " Charlie put her down and she ran back into her room, but Mohammed prevented Charlie from entering, pushed his nose into Charlie's shirt, leaving a giant dog-nose print in chocolate. Evidently there had been a chocolate orgy going on in his absence.
"His mother is supposed to pick him up at one," Cassandra said. "I don't know what to do. "
Charlie strained to see around the hellhound and saw Sophie standing with her hand on Alvin's collar while he menaced a little boy who was crouched in the corner. The little boy was a little wide-eyed, but otherwise unhurt, and he didn't seem that frightened. In fact, he was hugging a box of Crunchy Cheese Newts, and was eating one, then feeding the next one to Alvin, who was dripping hellish dog drool onto the kid's shoes in anticipation of the next newt.
"I love him," Sophie said. She went to the little boy and kissed him on the cheek, leaving a chocolate smear. Not the first. It appeared that this little guy had been suffering Sophie's affections for quite some time, for he was covered with chocolaty goodness and orange Cheese-Newt dust. "I want to keep him. "
The little boy grinned.
"He came over for a playdate. I guess you scheduled it before you left," Cassandra said. "I thought it would be okay. I tried to get him out of there, but the dogs won't let me by. What are we going to tell his mother?"
"I want to keep him," Sophie said. Big kiss.
"His name is Matthew," Cassie said.
"I know his name. He goes to Sophie's school. "
Charlie started into the room. Mohammed blocked the doorway.
"Matty, are you all right?" Charlie said.
"Uh-huh," said the chocolate-, cheese-, and dog-drool-sodden kid.
"I want him to stay, Dad," Sophie said. "Alvin and Mohammed want him to stay, too. "
Charlie thought that perhaps he had not been strict enough in setting limits for his daughter. Maybe after losing her mother, he just hadn't had the heart to say no to her, and now she was taking hostages.
"Honey, Matty has to get cleaned up. His mommy is coming to get him so he can go be traumatized in his own house. "
"No! He's mine.
"
"Honey, tell Mohammed to let me in. If we don't get Matty cleaned up, he won't be able to come back. "
"He can sleep in your room," Sophie said. "I'll take care of him. "
"No, young lady, you tell Mohammed to get - "
"I have to pee," Matthew said. He climbed to his feet and skipped by Alvin, who followed him, then under Mohammed and past Charlie and Cassandra to the bathroom. "Hi," he said as he went by. He closed the door and they could hear the sound of tinkle. Alvin and Mohammed bullied their way through the doorway and waited outside the bathroom.
Sophie sat down hard, her feet splayed out, her lower lip pushed out like the cowcatcher on a steam engine. Her shoulders started heaving before he could hear the sob - like she was saving up breath - then the wailing and the tears. Charlie went to her and picked her up.
"I?CI - I?CI, he - he - he - he - "