Melissa Stovall was the first to arrive home. Entering the house; she was hit with the strong smell of bleach, enough to make Mellissa feel queasy. She quickly opens a few windows to help air out the house. Melissa sees her daughter resting on one of the patio chairs in the backyard. Heading outside to join her; Melissa comments, “You used too much bleach when mopping the floors.”
“But they are clean,” Julie stirring from her nap.
“No argument there,” Melissa answering; “next time use the lemon scented cleaner.”
“Couldn’t find it,” Julie answers as she gets up to stretch; “that’s why I used the bleach.”
“And the other tasks,” Melissa looking at her daughter; “the dishes and the furnace filters?”
“Dishes are cleaned and put away,” Julie responds; “that furnace filter was disgusting. All dusty and dirty; do they always get like that?”
“Which is why they are replaced yearly, Julie. Sometimes twice a year;” Melissa following her daughter back inside; “they filter out all the dust, pollen and other particulates in the air so that what come out of the registers is clean air.”
“But what if the furnace ducts are dirty,” Julie asks; “you’re not going to have me clean those are you?”
“No Julie,” Melissa pulling out some vegetables for a stir-fry; “that is something for a professional company to deal with. But since you mentioned it, I will talk to your father about getting the ducts cleaned. Until then help me with supper.”
Julie couldn’t find an excuse to shirk what her mother was asking her to do; being suspended from school over her assaulting Eric Anderson and Frieda Knight, made finding things to do other than trolling social media and lounging in the fresh water pool in her stage two wer-mer form. With the ankle monitor attached to her; Julie could not go into her stage three form, without breaking the device and having Sheriff Cooper and his deputies coming to investigate was something Julie did not want.
Julie looking at her mother who is only a week pregnant with her future brother or sister as she cuts up some peppers and mushrooms, Julie can’t help but ask a question; “Do you and dad already have names picked out for the new baby?”
Melissa puts down the knife cutting up the beef and chicken and looks at her daughter, “You father and I have yet to talk about that. In fact Julie I still have yet to make an appointment with an OBG-YN.”
“Well it can’t be that hard to see one can it,” Julie looking at her mother; “Call one up.”
Melissa chuckles, “I’m planning to. Tomorrow, I promise.”
“Can I make the rice,” Julie grins after finishing cutting some of the vegetables; “you know how dad likes crunchy rice.”
Melissa laughs, “No. Last time you made rice there where egg shells mixed in and the rice was under cooked. I’ll be making the rice.”
“Then can we add some fresh garlic and peas to the rice as well?”
Melissa thinks for a bit. Thinking that would taste good, nods; “you peel the garlic then Julie,” as Melissa starts browning the chicken and beef.
******
Twenty minutes later Martin arrives home to the smell of gingered chicken and beef cooking in a skillet and bleach lingering in the air. Putting down a small stack of school work for Julie; Martin quickly explains that Principal Andrews called before school was let out for the day. Telling Martin that John Shafer could not drop off Julie’s homework due to a family emergency; the principal refusing to elaborate much on the matter, forced Martin to accept the request to drive over and collect the home work in question. He quickly sits down on a stool at the kitchen island and tries to sneak a bite of some of the raw vegetables that have yet to be cooked.
Melissa seeing this, waves her wooden spoon; “Check the pools first Martin. Then we can eat.”
Martin grumbles as he gets up to head to the pool cabana in the back yard of the house. Being at the far end, Julie could not perform this task due to the fact it was out of range from the receiver linked to her ankle monitor. Entering into the cabana; Martin sees the small changing area with washroom and shower to the left of the entrance. In front of him is space for a queen sized bed, yet the space is currently being used to store some of Melissa gardening supplies. “If Julie wasn’t under house arrest,” Martin sighing; “I’d get her to help me clear this all out to make room for the pool side patio furniture.”
Instead Martin turns to the small closet to the right of the cabana entrance to check on the filters for his fresh water pool. Pulling the filters out Martin notices that the filters have a thin layer of green slime on them. Swearing; Martin knows he is going to have to drain the pool and flush out the line before using it again. Turning a valve and flipping a switch next to the pumps, Martin leaves the cabana to head inside. Reminding himself to check on the pool later as it is being drained.
Sitting down to eat with his wife and daughter, he comments to them both that the pool needs to be drained and flushed. “Green slime on the filters.”
“ewwww,” Julie knowing what that meant; “good thing I didn’t use the pool today then,” as she eats her plate full of rice and stir fry. “Is that green slime the algae that consumes all the oxygen in the water?”
“The same,” Martin answering; “I’ll be checking on the pool to see how much has drained out. I already shut the pumps down. I’ll arraign to work home tomorrow so I can take care flushing out the pool.”
“You need bleach dad,” Julie trying to be helpful.
“I have something stronger than that to clean out the pipes Julie,” Martin eating his meal; “chlorine will kill off the algae, but I’ll still have to flush it all out afterwards.”
While wer-mers had a hard time swimming in chlorinated water; fresh water pools did need to be routinely flushed with chlorine to keep toxic algae from blooming and suffocating wer-mers as they breath the water while swimming. It was part of the reason why fresh water pools are expensive to own and maintain.