After the chaotic night Jay was finally falling asleep.
But one thing crossed her mind.
Then—
Jay: "Keifer."
Keifer: "Yeah?"
Jay: "Where are Keigan and Keiren?"
Keifer stopped. Looked around.
Keifer: "They were here."
Jay: "I haven't seen them since dinner."
Keifer: "Me neither."
They scanned the room. No boys.
Panic started to creep in.
Jay: "Keigan! Keiren!"
No answer.
Keifer: "They couldn't have gone far."
Jay: "They're kids, Keifer. They could have gone anywhere."
Keifer: "I'll check outside."
Jay: "I'll check upstairs."
She ran upstairs. Checked their guest room. Empty.
Checked the bathroom. Empty.
Checked the closet. Empty.
Jay: "KEIGAN! KEIREN!"
Nothing.
She ran back down. Keifer came in from outside.
Jay: "Anything?"
Keifer: "Nothing. Their shoes are still by the door."
Jay: "So they're still in the house."
Keifer: "They have to be."
They searched again. Every room. Every corner.
Then—
Jay heard a giggle.
From the kitchen.
She walked slowly. Pulled open the pantry door.
There. Behind the boxes of snacks.
Keigan and Keiren. Curled up. Eyes wide. Caught.
Keigan: "We weren't hiding."
Keiren: "We were just... looking for snacks."
Jay: "For two hours?"
Keigan: "There were a lot of snacks."
Keiren: "Very organized snacks."
Keifer appeared behind her. Arms crossed.
Keifer: "You two."
Keigan: "Kuya. We can explain."
Keifer: "Explain."
Keiren: "We wanted to see if you'd notice we were gone."
Keigan: "It was a test."
Keifer: "A test?"
Keigan: "To see if you're ready to be parents."
Keiren: "You passed."
Jay stared at them.
Then laughed.
Jay: "You hid in the pantry for two hours to test us?"
Keigan: "It was Keiren's idea."
Keiren: "It was Keigan's idea!"
Keigan: "IT WAS BOTH OF US!"
Keifer pulled them out of the pantry. Hugged them both.
Keifer: "You're idiots."
Keigan: "We learned from you."
Keiren: "Same thing?"
Keifer: "Not the same thing."
Jay knelt down. Looked at them seriously.
Jay: "You scared us."
Keigan: "Sorry."
Keiren: "But you passed!"
Jay: "Passed what?"
Keiren: "The parent test. You looked everywhere. You were worried. You didn't give up."
Keigan: "You're going to be good parents."
Jay's eyes filled with tears.
Keigan: "Why are you crying?"
Jay: "Happy tears."
Keiren: "That's a thing?"
Jay: "That's a thing."
Keifer pulled Jay up. Arm around her.
Keifer: "They're right. We passed."
Jay: "The pantry test?"
Keifer: "The parent test."
Keigan: "So you're not mad?"
Keifer: "We're not mad."
Keiren: "Good. Because we're hungry."
Jay: "There's food everywhere."
Keigan: "We ate all the snacks in the pantry."
Keifer: "All of them?"
Keigan: "All of them."
The doorbell rang.
Jay opened it.
Aries. Ella. Looking worried.
Aries: "We forgot something. Where are the boys?"
Jay pointed behind her.
Keigan and Keiren. Coming out of the kitchen. Snack crumbs on their faces.
Aries: "You two."
Keigan: "We were testing them."
Ella: "Testing them?"
Keiren: "For parent skills."
Aries: "By hiding?"
Keigan: "By hiding."
Aries: "In the pantry?"
Keiren: "There were snacks."
Aries pinched the bridge of his nose.
Aries: "I'm going to kill them."
Ella: "No, you're not."
Aries: "I'm going to think about killing them."
Ella: "That's better."
Aries: "Tss."
Ella: "There it is."
They all ended up in the living room.
Snacks. Laughter. Keigan and Keiren telling the story of their "great test."
Keigan: "And then Kuya opened the pantry and we were like—"
Keiren: "BUSTED!"
Jay's grandma: "I DID THE SAME THING TO MY MOTHER! SHE FOUND ME IN THE CLOSET!"
Yuri's grandma: "I HID IN THE BARN! MY FATHER SEARCHED FOR THREE HOURS!"
Jay's grandma: "THREE HOURS? AMATEUR! MY MOTHER SEARCHED FOR SIX!"
Yuri's grandma: "SIX?!"
Jay's grandma: "I WAS VERY GOOD AT HIDING!"
Yuri's grandma: "I'LL HIDE FROM YOU NEXT TIME!"
Jay's grandma: "TRY ME!"
Grazel Jay tugged on Keigan's shirt.
Grazel Jay: "You hid from Auntie Jay?"
Keigan: "We did."
Grazel Jay: "Why?"
Keiren: "To test if they're ready for the baby."
Grazel Jay thought about it. Then nodded.
Grazel Jay: "Good test. But I have better test."
Keigan: "What test?"
Grazel Jay: "Flower test. If they catch flowers, they're ready."
She threw flowers at Jay and Keifer.
They caught them.
Grazel Jay: "PASSED! BABY READY!"
Later. Everyone gone.
Keigan and Keiren sitting on the couch. Guilty but not sorry.
Keifer: "You two."
Keigan: "We said sorry."
Keifer: "You also ate all the snacks."
Keiren: "We were hungry. From hiding."
Jay: "You hid yourselves."
Keiren: "Hiding makes you hungry."
Keigan: "It's science."
Jay: "That's not science."
Keigan: "It's OUR science."
Keifer sat between them. Put his arms around them.
Keifer: "You know we love you, right?"
Keigan: "We know."
Keifer: "And you know we're always going to look for you. Even when you're hiding."
Keiren: "We know."
Keifer: "And you know you're going to be the best uncles this baby could ask for."
Keigan: "We know."
Keiren: "Wait. Uncles?"
Keifer: "Uncles."
Keigan: "We're going to be uncles?"
Jay: "You're going to be uncles."
Keiren: "WE'RE GOING TO BE UNCLES!"
Keigan: "I'M GOING TO TEACH THEM EVERYTHING!"
Keiren: "I'M GOING TO TEACH THEM BETTER!"
Keigan: "YOU CAN'T TEACH BETTER!"
Keiren: "I'LL TRY!"
Jay laughed. Keifer smiled.
Their family. Growing.
That night. Jay and Keifer in bed.
Jay: "They hid in the pantry."
Keifer: "For two hours."
Jay: "Eating all our snacks."
Keifer: "To test us."
Jay: "We passed."
Keifer: "We passed."
Jay: "Tss."
Keifer: "OUR thing."
Jay: "OUR thing."
He kissed her. Hand on her stomach.
Keifer: "Our baby has the best uncles."
Jay: "The most chaotic uncles."
Keifer: "Same thing?"
Jay: "Same thing."