"Get it!" Ian put his hands on his hips and scowled at Bernice with all the strength he could conjure in his small body. "Pick it up right now, or I'll tell Daddy!" 

Bernice squeezed her fists firmly to keep from hitting him. She bent down and said, "Ian, food gets dirty when it's in the trash. Dirty food is not good for us. I don't want to eat it!" She squeezed Ian’s leg firmly when Ivan wasn't looking. 

Ian yelled in anguish and glared at her. "Keep causing problems, and you'll be sorry.”

She hissed in a threatening way. She still felt Ian was the same innocent kid he...