Disclaimer: Don't own The Middle

"Mike, you are never going to believe what's opening here in Orson!" His wife said excitedly as she closed the front door behind her.

Mike being his usually unenthusiastic self, looked blankly at his wife of twenty years. "A store that sales nothing but canned frosting?"

Frankie set her purse down on the bar counter top. "No! A ninety-nine cent store Mike! Ninety-nine! No more expired food products or any products for that matter! The force is finally with the Heck family."

"I don't know, Frankie. Ninety-nine cent store sounds like a scam to spend more money."

Every thing sounds like a scam to you. This is legit, Mike. I'm telling you, this store is going to go a long way for us."

"You mean a long way for my wallet."

"It's not that bad. We can even get milk! Milk!"

"I don't know Frankie. Everything has an expiration date."

Frankie sighed, grabbing her purse off the counter. "You always take the fun out of stuff."

"And, yet, you still married me." He reminded her.

"At this moment I'm think about drawing up divorce papers." Frankie joked just as their only daughter Sue Heck walked in the room to hear the last of the sentence and started to freak out.

"I knew it! You and mom are finally get a divorce! I knew this day would come. You can't make me choose which parent to live with."

Then her older brother Axl came in the room. "Easy. You're living with mom and I'm living with dad. End of story." He said getting milk out of the fridge drinking straight from the carton.

"We're not getting a divorce!" Both parents shouted at the same time.

Axl spitted his milk out onto Sue who yelled out disgusted as it sprayed all over her face. "AXL!"

"You can't do that! You can't say the magic word divorce and then get our hopes up for nothing. That's child abuse!" Axl told his parents.

"Keep talking and I'll show you child abuse." Mike told his oldest son.

"What's for dinner?" His youngest son Brick spoke up sparking their attention who was seated at the kitchen table with a book in front of him as usual.

"Brick, how long have you been there?" Frankie asked.

Brick thought about it. "Ever since you came in and said ninety-nine cent store." Then Brick whispers down to himself. "Ninety-nine cent store." Then looks back up.

THE END