Rain pelted the Carlin family residence, the after noon haze slowly receding to darkness. Wind picking up and blowing trees and water in all directions, while Clay, Glen and Ashley were passed out on the couch in front of the TV.

“Kids I’m home!” Arthur called stepping inside the door way shaking water off his coat.

“Hey dad,” Clay smiled wiping sleep from his eyes and coming around the corner. He saw the door open and the buckets of water pouring out side, “Wow it’s really coming down.”

”Yeah the tunnel over on thirty Fourth Street got flooded out; I had to take an hour detour…so glad to be home. So how was your day back at school?”

“Weird, but oddly all right.” Clay took his father’s coat, “I’ll throw this in the dryer…why don’t you head up to change.”

“Thanks,” Arthur loved his son. Clay was trying so hard to help out around the house, “Where’s Spencer?” he asked when he only saw Glen and Ashley on the couch.

“Up stairs taking a nap,” Clay sighed and left.

Arthur shrugged his shoulders and walked up stairs to his room; found some sweat pants and an old t shirt with dots of paint stains from when he painted the house back in Ohio. All the while thinking of what could be made for dinner, he knew Paula would be over soon and his tired muscles screamed at him to relax so pizza it was. He paused at Spencer’s door, it was pretty late for the girl to still be sleeping from an afternoon nap, cautiously he opened the door to find an empty bed. He checked underneath the bed, in the closet and behind the door but his daughter was nowhere to be found.

“Have you guys seen Spence?” he asked coming into the living room.

”She’s upstairs,” Glen flipped thru the channels finding nothing on as usual.

“No she’s not, I just checked.”

“Are you guys looking for Spencer?” Clay asked coming into the living room shaking his head with a huge grin plastered to his face.

“Yeah,”

“Check the kitchen,” his voice laced with humor. Arthur, Ashley and Glen walked into the kitchen to find Spencer sitting on the floor drenched in chocolate syrup. On her face, down her chin on her shirt, dripped on her pants.