"Ms. Perry, have you reached that kid's parents yet? My child is practically dehydrated from all the diarrhea! Someone needs to take responsibility!"
"Exactly! What kind of parent lets their kid bring street food to school?"
"Get the parents here now, or I'm calling the police!"
Ms. Perry pleaded and cajoled, barely managing to quiet the crowd.
"Mr. Dickerson, you can see how complicated this is. If you don't come, I can't resolve this."
Wilfred frowned, hesitating for a moment. "Ms. Perry, could you put my younger daughter on the phone?"
"Of course."
A second later, Penelope's soft little voice came through: "Daddy."
Wilfred's tone gentled. "Penelope, did you eat any of the honey buns your sister brought?"
"No. She said her other daddy made them for her to share with her classmates. She wouldn't let me have any." A note of hurt lingered in her voice.
Wilfred exhaled in relief.
As long as Penelope was okay.
"How's Hilary doing?"
"She's crying."
Penelope's voice was thick with indignation. "She kept insisting you made those honey buns, but you didn't! Uncle Patrick made them. She's blaming you for nothing!"
"No, I'm not! I'm not blaming Daddy! Daddy made them, not Uncle Patrick—"
Hilary's wailing burst through the phone.
"Shut up! You're lying about Daddy! I'm gonna hit you—"
"Ahhhhh!"
Hilary's screams followed almost immediately.
Clearly, Penelope was dispensing sisterly justice.
Wilfred didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Sure, Penelope was born half an hour after her twin, but in terms of maturity, intelligence, and sheer combat ability, she completely outclassed Hilary.
Since Penelope hadn't been bullied, he could relax.
"Ms. Perry—"
"Mr. Dickerson, please figure something out! I really can't handle this much longer!"
The teacher's exasperated voice came back on the line.
"Alright, I'll make some calls. Someone will be there shortly." Wilfred hung up and dialed Marjorie, the family's housekeeper.
"Marjorie, I just got a call from the preschool. Ms. Perry says the honey buns Hilary brought were a huge hit with the kids. She's hoping you could send some more."
"What honey buns?"
Marjorie was completely lost.
"The ones Hilary took to school this morning! Could you have someone deliver more? They're waiting."
"Oh, oh, of course. I'll take care of it."
After hanging up, Marjorie immediately thought of Patrick Lyons.