Dance
With ME
November
2014
To
All my family
Thank
you for believing in me.
Completed
November 2014
Dance
With Me
By
Auburn Rain
Dear Reader,
“Dance
With Me” is the story of a hypothetical day for me. It is set in
the early summer of 2014. This is a “slice of life” story told
from my point of view. In this biography I walk you through each
moment of my day from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed. One
of the main points of this biography is to show how the different
cultures in my life combine in a typical day. Many that I have talked
to have been surprised at how much goes on. I hope you enjoy the
story.
It’s
a cool Saturday morning.
My alarm sounds, playing “Ain't Nothing ‘Bout You” by Brooks
and Dunn. I awaken slowly, instantly recognizing my Beloved’s arms
around me. "Good morning, Sunshine,” she whispers to me.
I
roll over in her arms and kiss her. "Morning, Cletzo," I
whisper into her neck.
It’s one of my
favorite moments of the day. The incomparable bliss.
I love her so much. In this moment time stops. I could hold her
forever. The second alarm goes off - one of the annoying gummy bear
songs. I slowly pull from her grasp.
"Time to get up,
Cupcake," I whisper sadly.
She looks at me and I know that breaking this moment is painful for
her, too.
I crawl from my bottom bunk and walk over to my dresser. The song of
morning is calling through my open window. I pull back my hair and
put my glasses on. By this time Cletzo is by my side. She kisses me
on the cheek and walks out of my room. I follow her out. She plops
down on the couch and I peek into Mackie's room.
“Mornin'!
Whachya doin'?” I ask. “Tumblr,” Mackie responds.
“Ugh!” I say. “I don't like tumbler.” “I know.” Mackie
agrees.
I
head for the bathroom. Once finished, I join my Cupcake on the couch.
It is 8:15. I told Mrs. S that I would be at the prairie by 9:45.
That gives me about an hour to get ready.
David
comes in with a plate of eggs and toast. He sits down across the room
from me. "What time do you need to be there?" he asks.
"Quarter to 10," I respond.
"OK", he replies. " We should leave about 9:20."
He finishes breakfast and goes to his room.
My super girl phone rings. It’s the Royal Kids Daycare. "Hey,
how are things?" I ask.
“Good," says the girl on the line I recognize as Shelly. "Are
you up for the kids to come over?"
"Sure...bring
the animal kids, too," I respond.
"Will do," Shelly states. I can tell she is trying to hide
the fact that it is a much easier day without all those kids.
As
I drag myself off the couch, Aseeka and Casie come in. I can see that
they are deep in conversation in a telepathic language that I can’t
understand.
Walking around them, I go to my room to get dressed. I try on three
or four outfits and become increasingly frustrated. I stop and listen
when I hear the front door open. It is Val, Vic, Danny and Tiffanee.
Telepathically,
I call, "Hey, Vic, can you help me decide what to wear?”
"Coming!" she giggles back.
After
kissing each one of the girls accompanying her, she heads to my room.
Standing
in my underwear, I point to the pile of clothes I have tried and
didn't like.
Vic
walks over and picks up a pair of pants off the pile. "Try
these," she says.
I take them from her
and do as she asks.
Vic walks to my dresser, pulls out a shirt, then crosses the room to
retrieve my belt from a hanger. She hands me the belt and I put it
on.
"Not
that tight!” she complains, “Didn't we talk about this?"
Once I have the belt on to her satisfaction, I put on the shirt she
chose and look in the mirror on my dresser.
"Wow,
good job, Girl!" I beam. We leave my room and go into a mob of
dogs, cats, pigs, birds, and human children.
"Mommy!"
the younger ones squeal. I smile. "Morning little ones!"
"What
are we doing today?" 13-year-old Grace asks.
"I'm going to help with the Prairie Restoration Project. I would
assume you all want to come."
Before the kids can
answer, Dillon comes rushing in.
"One of the butterflies needs some help. He will only talk to
you, Tabby. Should I bring him in?”
"Of
course!" I respond.
"I just wanted to be sure you weren't at one of those
meetings........" Dillon shoots back sarcastically as he rushes
out the door.
I glance at the
clock. Damn! It’s almost 8:40.
Heading into the kitchen, I search the cabinets for quick food. No
luck! Moving to the frig, I find some leftovers from someone's snack.
Score! Half a can of semi-edible soup. I find a coffee cup after I
realize that there are no bowls clean. Quickly, I dump the soup into
the cup and start heating it up in the microwave.
The
sound of tears falling comes strongly from the living room. "Ethan,
Honey, what's going on?" I ask as I walk in.
He
looks at me - we are almost the same height. I can feel the pain and
fear radiating from him.
"Can
we have some space for a while?" I ask Casie. "Sure,"
Casie agrees. "Come on kids."
In
the background, sounding above the struggle to get the kids out the
door, the microwave buzzes.
"Ethan,
have a seat, Honey," I gesture to the couch. " I will be
right back." Quickly, I get my soup and a spoon and go back into
the living room. I check the clock. 8:50. I have half an hour; hope I
can find my shoes. "What's up?" I ask as I sit down next to
Ethan.
"I.....
um... I...." he hesitates. I turn away from his eyes and pretend
to be distracted by the purse sitting at my feet.
"I have been
having dreams," he mumbles.
"What about?" I ask, still digging through my purse. He is
having trouble even speaking aloud.
"About
the bad times."
"Your
father wasn't good to you," I state.
"It was my fault..." Ethan stammers. "I was just.....
I was always in his way."
"No.
It's not your fault!" I counter. "He was the one out of
line."
I try to lock eyes but he turns away. I put my arm around him. After
a moment he hugs me back. When he looks at me I know he feels safe
with me.
I
look up. David comes in.
"You about ready?" he inquires. "Shit, no!" I
look at the time. 9:10!
Looking back at Ethan I explain, "We have to leave in 10
minutes. You're welcome to come, but I really have to get ready."
"Sounds
good," he manages as he battles against his tears.
I quickly down my breakfast and run to my room. Digging through the
piles on my dresser, I locate some hair clips. My first few attempts
to tame my hair are mega fails. Finally I get it - at least
tolerable.
After the usual panic of running through the house to find my flip
flops, I find a pair: the right one under the couch and the left
about 4 feet away under my bag. I check the time. 9:17. Quickly, I
sift through my bag, double checking that I have everything. Crap!
I'm missing my wallet - again! In a panic I look again, then look all
over the living room, the kitchen, and my bedroom with no luck.
"Don't you need to go soon?" David hollers from the
kitchen. "Almost ready..." I call back.
I rush out to the car we came home in the night before. Another
futile search! I rush back inside, spot my library bag. Picking it
up, looking inside... found it! A huge wave of relief rushes through
me, but one quick look at the clock sends the wave of panic right
back. 9:28! Running to the kitchen, I take my meds and down two and a
half glasses of water. Fighting the nausea I head for the door.
"Dad, let's go!" I shout, running out the door and slamming
it shut. "Have a good day ma'am," Annie, a guard and
friend, says.
"I
plan to!" I exclaim as I hurry to the car.
David follows me in what seems to be an imitation of molasses fresh
from the refrigerator. I climb into the white truck, loaded down with
all my stuff. Where is he? I start to climb out to find him when I
realize that he is in the green jeep waiting for me! Acting fast, I
grab all my stuff and load it into the jeep.
"Ready?"
David asks.
"Yeah!
Let's go! Lets go!" I exclaim.
As we pull out of the driveway I check the time. 9:35. I slip on my
headphones and turn up the music. “Istanbul not Constantinople”
by the Might Be Giants.
We
drive along in silence. Ethan sits beside me in the super girl
section of the car. Within a mile of our house more people arrive.
Jessica, Harper, Cletzo, Jenna, and Danna join Ethan. The girls talk
among themselves. I
don't listen. It's just not my business. Anyway, my mind is stuck on
the idea that I have forgotten something.
About half way to town David asks, "Did you remember your
boots?" "Damn, no!" I respond. "But... I can go
help without boots...."
"You
sure?" David asks.
"Yeah,"
I say, more to convince myself than him.
As we get closer to town, I insist that David take the highway around
to by pass the rush hour traffic. He agrees and we change lanes.
"Are you OK?" I ask Ethan. He looks down, avoiding my eyes.
Shaking his head, tears begin to fall.
"Ethan?"
I whisper. He looks at me.
"I... I trust you..." Ethan stammers. "It’s... It's
just so hard... It's like my brain says that I'm safe here... but my
heart is still stuck in the old ways." "It's OK....
really," I assure him. "It takes a long time to undo all
that damage."
Looking
up I realize that we are almost there. David pulls up at the gates to
the field and I climb out of the jeep, dragging my stuff behind me.
"So,
should I call you when I'm done?" I ask. “Yep. Have fun!"
David replies.
Slinging
my stuff over my shoulder, I head out to the prairie. The girls and
Ethan follow.
"Did
you have a good night?" Danna asks as she matches her stride to
mine.
"Pretty
good. You?" I inquire. "Same," Danna laughs.
We
set a fast pace for our group and after awhile there is a burst of
laughter from behind us.
"Do
we want to know what's going on back there?" Danna teases.
"Probably not," Vic says between laughs.
As
we come up over the hill, I am a bit surprised but not at all shocked
to see all my adopted kids running around the field between the
sidewalk and the prairie. They are kept out of the experiment site by
a basic super girl magic wall. I walk through the field and down the
hill, dodging balls, shoes and the fast moving kids themselves.
"Sorry
I'm late," I call out, as I cross the rim of the prairie.
"Hey, Tabby! It’s OK! Happy to have your help," my
teacher calls back. "What's the plan?" I ask her.
She
shows me what plants need to be removed, then points to a shovel.
Watching my little ones play, I get to work.
"I'm going to
get some water, OK, Kat?" Cletzo calls after awhile.
"Of
course!" I respond. "But don't go too far... " I
continue working until
one
section is almost done.
I look up to see little three year old Patty trip on a folded soccer
ball net. She doesn't fall very far, but far enough to skin her knee.
At the sight of her blood she looks around with teary eyes. The rest
of the girls are dealing with various issues between some other kids.
Patty comes running towards me but stops at the edge of the prairie.
She knows that she can't get through the magic wall and that I can't
help her right now.
"Hey
J. can you help Patty?" I inquire telepathically. Jessica comes
hurrying over. She scoops Patty up in her arms and presses her hand
to Patty's knee. Within moments it is as good as new. She carries the
still shaken Patty back to the group.
I
am getting hot and thirsty. Cletzo is just coming back over the hill.
I walk out of the Prairie Restoration work site and dig my phone out
of my bag.
11:00.
"I have to go," I explain to Mrs. S. "I really need
some lunch and a drink." "OK. Thanks for all your help!"
Mrs. S responds.
"You're
welcome! Keep me posted," I beam.
"Come
on kids!" Vic shouts. "Don't forget your toys!"
While my herd of kids gathers their belongings, I take my stuff and
head back up the hill. In the process of shakily trying to use my
phone, I drop it. The case and back fall off. Luckily the battery
stays put. I set my bag down, put my phone back together and start a
call to David. As it is ringing, I see the rest of my family headed
this way. As usual, my first phone try ends with a voice mail. I have
better luck on the second try.
"I'm
done. Where should I meet you?" I ask.
"Wait
at the gate and I will drive around," David responds.
As I wait for my ride to pick me up, I chat with some of my family
and work to keep the kids (and their toys which they run after) out
of the street. My ride comes around the corner and we all pile in.
"You're going to
Nana's, right?" David asks.
"Yeah," I reply as I put my seat belt on. "I am so
thirsty," I complain. "Can we stop at Sonic? It's on the
way.... I 'll pay." I know the odds are not in my favor, but no
harm in rolling the dice.
"No.
You should save your money," David counters. I decide to stop
poking the bear. It's not worth it.
As
we drive, I think about how much money I need for the Christmas gifts
I plan to buy. Then my thoughts slowly migrate back to this morning.
I can still feel our love echoing - like a heartbeat it hovers in the
air. It comes from all of us. Indestructible love. I look over and
lock eyes with Harper. I know she knows what I'm thinking and she can
feel it too.
I
take out my phone to text Christina that I will be at Nana's house
where
she
can pick me up for our meeting at 3:30.
"Where should Christina take me after our meeting?" I ask
David. "To the farm," he responds.
We pull up in front of Nana's house and I pull at my bag. No luck, it
won’t co-operate. Climbing over it, I get out of the jeep. After
some inspection I realize that it's stuck on something under the
seat. With some work I manage to pry it loose. I slam the jeep door
and head for the house. The door to the house is locked. Ugh! Digging
through my bag for keys is useless, because my keys are on the couch
at home. I knock on the door and wait. After a few moments, Nana
opens the door.
“Hi,
Sweetie!” Nana says.
"Hey!" I say as I walk past her and plop my stuff down on a
living room chair.
"Where does your
stuff go?" Nana asks.
Ugh! I pick up my huge bag and set it out of the way. I think it's
way too big for the basket Nana has for my stuff. I walk through the
kitchen and head to the basement. Setting my phone on the washer, I
use the bathroom. As I exit the bathroom I come face to face with
Marly.
"Hey!"
I say.
"Your belt's too tight," she responds simply. "Ugh!"
I groan, fixing it, then ask "What's up?"
"Just wanted to
see if everything is OK," she explains.
OK?.. I wonder, as I wash my hands. "I need some lunch,” I
point out. "Me too," she agrees and we head up the stairs.
"I'm hungry!" I laugh as I burst through the door and head
for the refrigerator.
"Wash
hands before digging in the frig, please," Nana reminds me.
I scrub and dry my hands, again, then grab a short glass from the
cabinet and fill it up with water from the tap, over and over. I gulp
and count the glasses 2... 3... OK... better stop. I set the glass on
the counter and head for the refrigerator. Skimming the contents and
striking out, I go to the soup cabinet and grab a can of tomato soup.
Turning my eyes to the pot rack, I see that the one I need is
missing. Ugh! The dishwasher? Yes! The pot I need is clean!
Carefully, I take it out, wondering why Nana puts the dishes in like
that. Getting the can open using the pull tab is easy. Not cutting
your fingers is harder. Putting the lid in the trash, I notice blood
trickling down my hand. I wash my hands and wrap a paper towel around
my finger as I holler, "Where would I find bandaids?"
The girlz quickly pick up on the blood smell. Tish rushes over. "You
alright?" she exclaims.
"Yeah... just a small slice in my finger," I insist.
Removing the paper towel, I reveal a good sized slit in the index
finger on my right hand.
"Yeah.
Right. Small," Tish counters.
Nana comes slowly into the kitchen. By this time, I have used three
paper towels. Nana opens a cabinet and reaches for the first-aid kit.
It isn't there. "Who used the first-aid kit and didn't put it
back?... she wonders aloud. “There are some band-aids in the
upstairs bathroom," she says.
"I can get
them," I say, grabbing a fourth towel.
"In one of those small drawers under the cabinet," Nana
calls, as I run upstairs.
I open the first drawer - Lipstick! Ugh! The second? Just Q-tips.
Third time the charm.....? Damn! Tooth paste! Last drawer... Yes! A
huge stash of
band-aids! Quickly, I grab one, then take the red and white tie-dyed
paper towel off my finger, and rinse and dry my hand again. There's a
knocking on the door.
"Come in Mar!"
I call. "The door's open!"
Marly comes in and notices the band-aid in my hand. "Need help?"
she inquires.
"Color
laws," I state. "Really, I've got it," I assure her.
The cut is on my index finger, so I reason: it would be best to use
my middle finger and thumb to open the wrapper. Reason pays off. Open
on the first try. Using the same fingers, I pull off one of the
sterile tabs and place the sticky plastic on my wounded finger.
Slowly, I use the other sterile tab as a guide and pull the rest of
the bandage around.
"YES!"
I smile. "First try too!"
Marly
shakes her head. "You and your color laws!" she laughs.
I spot the dixie cups on the counter, turn on the cold water and take
the top two cups from the stack. Taking the one that was on top, I
put it back on the stack, then fill and gulp from the other cup,
again and again. 6...7... Better stop.
It's now 12:30. I do a quick mental run-through of my to-do list and
schedule as I turn off the light and walk to the stairs. Half way
down, I hear my Loved One regressing. I close my eyes and take a deep
breath. I can tell she isn't 'playing it up'. I continue walking on
down.
“Cletzo?”
I call.
“Kitty! Kitty! Kitty cat!!!” Cletzo giggles, jumping up and down
at the bottom of the stairs.
“What’s
up, Baby Doll?” I ask, trying to hide my concerned frustration. “Me
Cupcake, you Kitty!” she squeals, clapping her hands.
“You
OK?” I ask, calmly and slowly.
“ Yeah, yeah! You silly, silly Kitty!” she laughs, as she bounces
away. Following her into the living room, I catch her shoulder. She
turns and I look into her eyes.
“Baby are you in there?” I ask, letting my concern show. She
breaks away from my grasp.
“Me
wanna go sleepy sleep,” she mumbles.
“It’s alright, Honey,” I assure her. Putting my hand on her
back, I guide her to the bedroom downstairs. She sits down on
Rich/Mackie’s bed. From the secret cabinet in the wall, I retrieve
her blanket and sedative.
“Lie
down, Cupcake,” I murmur.
“Me
pretty Cupcake?” Cletzo inquires.
“Yes,
you are...” I coo, as I hand her the medication.
Taking it from my hand, she smiles at me. A big goofy, uncontrollable
smile. It is so full of love that I reach out and put my hand on her
arm. I watch her as she puts the dissolvable tablet into her mouth.
She curls up into a ball as I tuck the covers around her.
“
'Night my Little One,” I whisper into her ear. Kissing her cheek, I
hear her whisper, “ 'Night.”
She
is so beautiful. I imagine myself curled up with my arms around her.
My Love... deep asleep, my hand reaching out to her.
Nana
calls down from the kitchen, breaking my trance. “Tabby, do you
still want to eat this soup?”
“Yeah... just a
second,” I answer.
With one last look at my little Cupcake, and a deep breath, I head
upstairs. In the kitchen, I retrieve the opened soup can from the
counter, lean over the sink and pour the contents into the sauce pan.
I fill the can with water, grab a spoon from the drawer to stir it,
then dump it into the saucepan, scraping, scraping at the bottom of
the can.
“I'm
going to get something over at Rich's place,” Nana says. “All
right,” I respond.
Casie
comes through the door and I hide a laugh at Casie's face when Nana
nearly walks into her.
“What
the hell are you laughing at, Girl?!” Casie asks, as she wanders
through the kitchen. She jokingly slaps my back side on her way past
me. “Do we still keep liquor here? Like the good SG stuff. That
human junk is gross!”
“What
was the point of sticking your tongue out at her? She can't see it
anyway,” I reply to her first question. Then, “...yes, we do,”
I indicate, pointing to the hidden stash.
“I
know... and thanks!” Casie responds. “You know Sakeeah is off
work,
tonight?”
“Do
you think I should cancel my appointment?” I inquire.
“That's your call,” Casie responds, reaching for a light
premixed, single- serving bottle.
Marly
walks in. “Hey girl, um..."
"I
know. Sakeeah is off work, tonight," I interject.
"Oh well...we can just see how the day goes," Marly
mumbles, looking at her phone. "Got to run. Got to meet
Sakeeah," she announces and rushes out the door.
"I
have a client!" Tish explains, coming down from upstairs. "Be
back later... I'll call you," she states as she walks out the
door.
“See ya later,” I
say.
“Bye! Good luck with your client.” Casie calls. “Where is
Aseeka?” I ask.
“Taking care of some Royal Sisters' stuff,” Casie responds.
“Fun…” I mumble.
I carry the full saucepan over to the stove, set it down and turn on
the burner. Turning away, I nearly trip over one of my animal kids -
a dog, a shepherd.
“Gigi!”
I exclaim, just as a frisbee speeds past my head. It lands on the
stove! I whip around and to my relief, it isn’t in the pan or on
the hot burner. I pick it up, turning to see who threw it. The
obvious trouble maker, Daisy, a Labrador Retriever, the look on her
face gives her away.
“No
throwing things in the house! You know better,” I explain. “Your
father is outside with some of your siblings. Why don’t you both go
play out there?”
“Fine.” Gigi grumbles as both dogs head outside. I turn again to
check my soup. “Ugh!” I gripe. “What?” Casie inquires.
“My soup got too
hot!” I respond.
“Pour
it into a bowl so it can cool faster,” she suggests.
“Good idea,” I agree, walking across the kitchen to grab a bowl.
“Who is their father?” Casie asks.
I
walk to the sink, pick up my water glass and fill it. “Dillon!” I
laugh, and gulp down the nearly overflowing glassful.
“What?!” Casie
questions.
I down a second glassful before speaking. “I just thought you knew.
The littlest ones started it, now most of the kids call him 'Dad',”
I explain.
I take my soup to the table as the front door opens. Sakeeah! “Have
you guys seen Mar?” Sakeeah asks.
“I
thought she was picking you up at work…” Casie offers.
“I thoughts so, too,” Sakeeah responds. “But I waited there for
half an hour.”
“Do
you want me to call her?” I ask.
“I tried that. No answer,” Sakeeah complains. “But she may
answer to someone else.”
Taking
out my phone, I click Marly’s speed dial. Marly answers quickly.
“How are you doing?” she asks me.
“I’m
fine, but your fiancee has been looking for you,” I respond
cheerily. “Tell her that I am awaiting her arrival,” Mar
instructs.
“Where?” I
inquire.
“She will know,” Mar says simply. “Uh.. OK.. bye,” I say.
Turning
to Sakeeah, I relay the message.
Sakeeah’s eyes light up. “Thanks! I've got to go!” she
exclaims, grabbing her stuff as she runs out the door.
“OK,
then,” Casie says. “ Your soup is probably cool enough.”
Snapping back to reality, I look at the clock. 1:30.
"Where did the
kids go?" Casie wonders.
"I don't know. But I bet Dill and Jessica took them on a walk,”
I hypothesize. I sit down and look at my soup.
"What
is it?" Casie asks.
"I need a spoon and some oyster crackers." Getting up, I
grab a spoon from the drawer in the island. Holding the spoon in one
hand, I reach across a pile of books to retrieve the oyster cracker
jar. "Damn!" I half whisper, “Empty!” Setting the spoon
and jar down, I lean on the table. "All I want is lunch. I've
been trying to get lunch for over an hour!”
"What's
the trouble now?" Casie inquires.
"I can hardly stand, I'm so shaky, and there are no oyster
crackers!" I whimper, holding up the jar.
"Could you look
in the cabinet?" Casie offers.
At this point I am fighting tears. "No...." I manage. "You
could dip bread in it," she suggests.
"Fine,"
I agree.
Casie guides me around the island. We open the drawer. "That's
yucky bread!" I complain.
"It is what it
is. Take it or leave it," Casie states.
I reach out and hold on to the counter. This time, luckily, I feel it
coming... the switch flips. Something Casie said links with a memory
inside my head, short circuiting my brain my muscles and my knees
give out.
"I
have to sit now," I hear myself say. I feel my body sit on the
kitchen floor. My muscles say that sitting isn't enough. I collapse
completely onto
the tile floor. Breathing heavily, I close my eyes. I feel Casie sit
down beside me. Her hand touches my arm. It soothes me. My muscles
relax, freeing me. I float to the surface. The clock rings 2:00. With
Casie's help, I pull myself up and walk back to my soup. I sit down
and drink it cold.
Soup down, I look up and see Harper walking in. "Hey, Bubble
Gum! Where have you been?" I tease.
"With Val!" she grins, making her playfulness obvious, and
rivaling mine. Standing up, I cross the room. She bows. "My
lady!" she giggles and stands. I kiss her cheek.
Sounds
from upstairs break up our play. Pop comes quickly down the steps. I
hear his gym bag hit the floor with a thud. He leans around the
doorway. “I'm going to the gym,” he says. “Tell Nana to call me
if she needs anything from the store.”
“OK,” I answer.
One more thing to remember.
As he pulls the front door shut, I hear sounds from the basement.
Cletzo. "Hey, Honey! Feeling better?" I call.
"Do you have to ask?" Cletzo counters, entering the
kitchen. "Where's Dill?"
"Outside with the kids," Casie explains from behind me. I
jump! I forgot she was there. Cletzo walks to me and puts her arms
around me.
"Love
you, Kitty."
"Forever and always," I respond. Instantly, love fills my
chest. I kiss her, and let her go.
Cletzo moves on to Harper and kisses her cheek, then withdraws from
us. "I'm heading outside. Let me know if you need me!"
Cletzo hollers, as she walks straight through the door.
I smile at Harper. I can see the love spread across her face. We
laugh. Behind me, I hear Casie, "I have never understood you
three!" "That's because you have never been in love!"
I shoot back.
The three of us
laugh. Our laughing fills the air.
I quickly regain control at the sound of Nana coming in the front
door and heading toward the kitchen.
“What's so funny?" Nana asks. "Not much," I respond.
"Who's picking you up today?” "Christina," I reply.
"What
time will that be?" Nana inquires.
"3:30,"
I state. Looking at the clock, I calculate that I have 45 minutes. I
have learned to double check. "I have 45 minutes?" I wonder
aloud. "Right," Nana returns. "So, what are you and
Christina going to do today?" "Not sure.." I ponder.
"Maybe go to the library." Turning, I realize that I have
to go to the bathroom. Like now. "I'm going to run to the
bathroom," I announce. As I run downstairs I hear Harper
following me. I don't really care. Anyway, I know she won't go past
the dryer. She waits while I finish up. As I wash my hands she just
stands there watching. As I dry my hands I turn and look at her. A
huge smile travels across her face.
"What?!"
I demand
"What's up with your belt?" she asks. Looking down I
realize that my belt is still undone.
"Why
are you down here?!" I gripe. However, I am nearly incapable of
staying in character. I smile uncontrollably, and we both laugh as I
fasten my belt.
"Anyway," Harper says, "To answer your question: What
I came to tell you is that Val wants to bring her class this
afternoon."
"What
time?" I question.
"She said about 4:30," Harper responds. "Right in the
middle of Christina?" I complain.
"They
can just meet us after,” Harper offers. "Jess and Wind say
they can help wherever needed."
"Alright,"
I agree. "Oh! I should make sure Christina got my text!"
"Go for it girl!" Harper cheers.
Laughing,
we head upstairs. I look at the clock. "How in the world is it
already 2:50?!" I exclaim. I pick up my phone from the table,
unlock it and check for texts.
"Yes! Christina responded," I call out. "To what?"
Nana asks.
"To my text about where to pick me up," I explain, still
smiling. "Did you decide what you plan to do today?" Nana
inquires. "We tend to decide as we go," I clarify.
I
walk past her to the living room, phone in hand. Picking up my
headphones, I connect the bluetooth.
"Hey,
Mommy?" Sally (Age 7.5) asks. "What, Dear?" I offer.
"Can
you play the song we like? You know S&M, Rihanna?" she
wonders. "Sure!" I respond, putting the headphones on her.
The triplets - age 6 - as dance back up, begin their hip-shaking
routine to the song. At the end of the song, I hear applause from
behind me. Turning, I see Izzy and Icie. "Haven't you seen that
before?" I ask.
"No,"
They respond together.
"Isn't that a bit too stripper-like for kids their age?"
Izzy asks. I give her a glaring look.
"Sorry..."
Izzy mumbles.
I switch the song as Harper and Cletzo walk in. GaGa's 'Just Dance'
pounds in my ears. After moving the big chair and a few other small
pieces of furniture, we begin to dance. With the song on repeat, we
just keep moving. My phone beeps with a reminder warning that
Christina will be here in five minutes. I change the song: Blue Da Ba
Dee by Gummy Bear. Jessica comes in, singing along. She matches the
electronic Gummy Bear perfectly, using her voice shifting talent. We
dance. I walk back and forth from the group to the window. Watching.
Waiting.
My phone rings. Walking over, I pick it up. “Hey, Christina! Did
you get my text?” I ask.
“Yeah,”
she explains, “but my car ran out of gas. I can't make it today.”
“Oh... Are you ok? Do you need a ride?” I offer.
“No,
thanks. My friends are coming to get me. So, will I see you Tuesday
then?” she asks.
“Sure!”
I respond, and hang up. Turning to Izzy, I ask, “Why am I more
worried about her, than I am upset about her canceling?”
“IDK!” Izzy
laughs and heads for the kitchen.
I follow her, messing with my phone. I look up just in time to avoid
crashing into Nana as she walks out of the kitchen.
“What
time will Christina be here?” Nana asks.
“She's not coming. Her car is out of gas,” I explain, trying to
hide my concern for Christina.
“Oh...
I'm sorry,” Nana sympathizes. “Do you still want to go to the
library?”
“Yeah,” I mumble.
“I can take you down there,” she offers. “Just let me use the
bathroom and we can go,” she says, and slowly heads upstairs.
“What
are you going to get at the library?” Icie wonders.
“I don't know...” I reply. “Probably I'll my check holds. There
are some other things I have been wanting to get, too,” I
hypothesize.
In
the kitchen, I set my phone on the table and open the refrigerator. I
scan the leftovers and then open the deli drawer. Taking out the
salami and Swiss, I close the doors.
“Hey,
Mom!” a voice calls.
“You
looking for me or your mother?” I laugh, and set the food on the
counter. Rashell comes in with a huge smile on her face. “What has
you so happy?” I tease.
“Did I hear you say that mom is here too?” She avoids my
question. “Yeah, she's out back. So...what is it? Are you in love
or something?”
She looks at me, obviously about to shoot down the idea, but before
she can speak, Cletzo comes inside.
“Gosh!
It's getting warm today!” Cletzo complains.
“You're all sweaty!” Izzy states. “Did the kids teach you their
version of 'Foot ball'?”
“Kinda...” Cletzo
admits.
“Honey?” I interject, “Rashell is here, and I think she has
some news.” All eyes turn to our guest.
“I'm
graduating early,” Rashell states.
Doing some quick calculations, I recall that Rashell is in the same
grade as I am, so she is talking about graduating before
Christmastime, 2014.
Coming
back to reality, I hear Cletzo say, “Awesome, Honey! What are your
plans after that?”
“Well...” Rashell
starts, her eyes to the floor.
I see the concern on my wife's face. I smile. I have known Rashell
much more closely than Cletzo has. And I know she's faking it.
Rashell continues, mumbling, “I got accepted into a super girl
college.” “Cool! Which one?” Cletzo questions, tensely.
I can tell that Cletzo still thinks she has done something wrong. I
was the one who looked over the paper work with our little girl, and
I know she isn't allowed to say.
“I can't say the name,” Rashell explains, “It's part of the
program rules. But, it's like the super girl equivalent of Harvard!”
She is looking at Cletzo now. Her smile is huge and expectant.
Cletzo, however, looks very confused. She looks around the group,
finally stopping at me.
I sigh, “Harvard is an excellent human college. And she really
can't tell us. Like she said, it's part of the program she entered.”
Cletzo
looks at me, still confused.
“You do know she has been faking embarrassment this whole time,”
I explain.
“This is a really
good thing,” Icie adds.
“I'm ready when you are...” Nana calls, coming into the kitchen.
“I'm almost ready!” I call back, running past her as I go to
look for my phone and shoes. I find my flip flops by the door.
Picking them up, I notice the mud. I decide that I will need to wash
them before walking anywhere indoors. Carrying them past
Nana, I laugh, “I don't think I should go into the library with
these, without washing them.”
Nana follows me to the sink and moves the dishes out of the way. I
place the flip flops into the empty sink, soap and rinse them,
rubbing them until most of the mud is gone. Nana hands me a paper
towel and I dry the shoes. Slipping them on my feet, I go to find my
phone, running throughout the house, upstairs, downstairs, in the
living room. Frustrated, I go back to find Nana still in the kitchen.
She is scrubbing the sink.
“Have
you seen my phone?” I panic.
“Is
that it right there?” Nana points to the table.
“Ugh! Yes,” I grumble. I grab it and rush back to my bag in the
living room. Quickly I rummage through it, making sure everything is
there. After I am sure I have what I need, I look up at Nana.
“Ready?”
she smiles. “I think so,” I respond.
We
walk to the door. Opening it, I nearly run into Ethan. He looks at
me. I can see he is afraid.
“Let's
go to the car,” I say to him, as I direct him in the direction of
Nana's car. Looking back, I see Nana stepping slowly down the stairs.
I look back at Ethan. “You're OK,” I say, to comfort him. “Get
in the car.” Then I run back up the walk to help Nana in her slow
descent from the porch. “Thanks! I just need someone to help me
feel where 'plumb' is,” Nana says. “We need to get a rail on
those steps!” she exclaims.
We
walk to the car. As I put on my seat belt, I realize that Ethan is
more upset.
“Sorry, Honey. Can
I help in any way?”
He looks at me, the fear so clear in his eyes. His eyes meet the
floor as he speaks.
“He texted me this morning when you were helping Ms. S,” his
voice shakes. “He said if I don't come home to get what I deserve,
he would do that to my best friend.”
“Did
you respond?” I ask, as calmly as possible. “No.” He whimpers,
head in hands.
“Does this friend
know what's going on?” I question.
“He
knows what happened to me, but not that it's about to happen to him.
I don't know what to do. He will kill me if I go home. But I can't
bear to let him lay a hand on my friend.” He looks up at me with
red eyes and salt crusted cheeks. “Help....” he begs.
“Deep breath,” I insist. “The best option that I can see is to
bring your friend to stay with us as a Butterfly.” Waves of relief
and panic flood back and forth across his eyes. “Does that sound
like a good plan?” I ask.
“Yeah! But what next?! How will I be sure he doesn't go after the
whole school?!” he yells, now in extreme panic.
“Well then, the best plan is to lock your father up,” I state
simply. The look on his face shows an internal struggle.
“Alright,” he agrees, finally. “Can my friend still become a
Butterfly?” he asks.
“Of course. Should I call the girlz to take care of all this?” I
question. He nods as tears stream down his cheeks. I make the call
first to Aseeka. She answers and I relay the message. “Take Jess
and Wind with you. I know you can do a simple job like this alone,
but the more of you, the better.” Grumbling, she agrees.
Looking
up, I see that we are already at the library. I look over
at Ethan. His smile says he's feeling alright enough to go into the
library with us. Climbing out of the low car I grab my purse. I wait,
watching people exit the temporary library. I can't wait to see the
new library. I dig in my brain, trying to remember the old library
before the
construction began. It has been so long that only weak memories come
to mind.
“Only about a month before the grand opening!” I mention to Nana
as she shuts her car door.
“It's
going to be so cool!” she replies.
I nod in agreement as we head into the building. I relax in the
atmosphere. This is my place. I grab a basket and go quickly to the
'hold' shelf. Only three things out of the twenty I put on hold are
in. I put them in my basket and stand thinking. I make a mental list
of books, movies and CDs that I want to check out.
First, I head to the teen zone. Going through the shelves I quickly
select three books. Yet I still can't find the book I want.
Frustrated, I contemplate whether to give up or go look in the
catalog. I will only have 10 things out after the ones I just turned
in get checked back in. I turn and walk across the building. Between
the non-fiction and fiction I open the catalog. As I type the title
into the search bar, I hear Nana calling me.
"Tabby?”
"I'm
over here."
"I'm going over to the garden section, so if you are looking for
me, that's where I will be." Nana explains.
"Alright," I smile. "I'm not sure where I will be. Got
a lot to look for!" I respond.
Nana walks away and I turn back to my computer. As it pulls up my
search, disappointment floods in. The book I want is checked out. I
search a few others from the adult section. To my satisfaction, they
are all there. I write the call numbers down and head for the true
crime section. I find the books easily and put them in my basket.
Looking
across the library, I notice some classmates of mine looking through
the teen books. I decide to steer clear of them and go to the DVDs
first. I go straight to the non-fiction. Skimming the shelves,
getting lower and lower, my knees bend, and with a thunk my feet give
out. My butt hits the floor. “No worries,” I laugh to myself.
After selecting over ten movies, I push myself off the floor and make
my way to the comedies. As I am looking, Izzy comes up beside me.
"See
anything good?" I ask.
"Not really." she complains. "What kind of comedy do
they like?" "Oh I.D.K." I mumble.
"Well,
that's the problem," Izzy states. "How about this one."
She points to one.
I
stand there trying to decide if that was random choice or one with
thought. "We watched that already. It was more of a tragedy. Not
too much laughing in that one," I explain.
"Alright," she grumps. "What about this one?"
Izzy points to another DVD. "We have seen that, but not for a
long time." I pull it from the shelf. After reading the back, I
place it in my basket. "Works for me."
Looking up at the sound of the automatic doors, I hear myself saying
"Here we go again!"
Izzy
looks up. "Is that Val's class?" She questions. "Yep,"
I groan.
"You don't sound
too happy to see them,"Izzy points out.
"They're wonderful. But it's just one more thing to add to my
list," I explain.
"Ah... Well, I'm going to go say hi!" Izzy laughs, and
heads towards the group.
On my own again, I head for the CD's. I flip through the country
albums. I sense her coming up behind me. She may be able to sneak up
on nearly anybody, but she hasn't fooled me in years.
"What news do
you have, Aseeka?" I question.
" Jessica is dropping him off at the station and taking care of
the legal part, and Windy is on her way with the friend. Do you want
me to tell you his name?"
"Fine,
yes," I agree. "Kyle," she states.
"Kyle," I repeat. Looking up, I see Windy walking in with
Kyle. He locks eyes with me. I can see his confusion. I gesture with
my head to the young man sitting in a chair thumbing through a book.
"Ethan!"
Kyle screeches as he runs across the library. I smile.
Looking back at my search I leave them alone. I know that the other
girlz will take care of them. I select about six CDs. Although, I'm
not one to count. Having what I want and ready to head out, I wander
back toNana. "You about ready?" I ask.
"Not
quite," Nana responds.
I
note her stack. "How many are you checking out?" I laugh.
"Not that many," she responds. “Just these and a few over
on that table”. Behind me I hear tears falling, predictably
followed by the questioning. I know the girlz know better, but not
the class of Ms. Frizzle. The girlz do their best to defuse the
situation. I turn back to Nana, who now has doubled her pile.
"Can we go?"
I nag. "Please..."
“Sure, just a second” Nana says. But it takes her ten minutes
just to get her books from the stacks to to the pile on the table. I
carry most of her books and rush her through the checkout.
Once
in the car, I make my attempt to defuse the situation with Kyle. "Why
don't you guys come sit by me?" I offer.
Ethan
jumps at the opportunity and comes over without hesitation. Kyle,
however, hesitates. I look at my phone and let Ethan convince him to
come over.
"Did you explain to Kyle what it means to be a Butterfly?"
I ask Ethan. "He did." Kyle answers for his friend. "He
said it's a good thing and it will keep me safe."
"That's
right." I smile. "Becoming a Butterfly creates options,
such as me being in charge of your medical and legal issues, you
having a place to stay, and people you can count on for your whole
life."
Ethan looks at me, then nods at Kyle. "They will be there to
help you with anything. And I mean anything." I can feel the
emotion radiating off of him. A smile grows on my face.
"You're
welcome," I whisper.
We pull up to the front of Nan and Pop's house. Val's class, the
girlz, and everyone else pile out of the car.
"You know, I really enjoy Val's class," Izzy says.
"Speaking of Val, where is she?" I wonder.
"I
think she's with Dazel," Izzy offers.
Looking up, I see Uncle Rich is back from his job in Missouri and is
relaxing on his front porch next door.
“Hey!”
I call. “When do you plan to come for dinner this week?”
“Probably Friday,” Rich responds. “Tell your Mom and Dad...”
“All right!” I call back, disappointed that it's not sooner.
Then
I head up the steps to Nan and Pop's front door.
Once inside, I set my heavy library bags down in the living room.
"Good God, Girl!" Casie gasps, "What are you going to
look at first?"
"No
clue," I respond, out of breath. I walk over to the couch. Ethan
has his head in his hands and Kyle is working hard to not cry. I sit
down next to Kyle.
"It's
OK to cry," I explain.
He turns his watery eyes to mine. A tear slides down his cheek as he
shakes his head, no. "Thank you," he manages.
"You're
welcome. It's safe here. You're OK. We're all OK," I comfort
him. "Thank you," he says again in a whisper. I stand and
move to the middle of the couch and pat my shoulder. He leans against
me with his head on my shoulder. Looking at Ethan, I gesture to my
lap. He flops over and lays his head on my lap. They both cry until
their eyes run dry.
Reacting to a soft knock on the doorway, both guys jump. I put my
arms around them in an attempt to comfort them.
"It's just me," Dillon assures them. He turns to me.
"They're asking for Val. Ideas?"
"Is Dazel back?" I ask. "Yeah," He notes.
"Oh.
Have you called Val?"
"I tried. No answer. Dazel tried as well, with the same result,"
Dil informs me.
"Are
we missing Harper or Vic?" I question. "Both," he
states.
"Let
me call," I offer. Mentally, I connect to my phone and dial both
Harper and Victoria.
"What?!"
Victoria whines.
"Nice to hear from you too," I joke. "We're looking
for Val. Her class is here and we're tired of babysitting."
In the background I can hear Harper and Val. I make no attempt to
comprehend their conversation. I hear Vic say that they are on their
way, and she hangs up.
The
slow creaking of the stairs signals that Nana is on her way back
down. "Are you OK?" Nana asks me from the doorway.
"Yeah,"
I answer.
"Do you want a snack?" she offers. "Yeah. In a
minute." I watch her go.
"Time
to get up!" I encourage the two young men cuddling up with me.
Groaning, they agree. Heading into the kitchen they sit at the table.
I follow and head for the potato chip cabinet.
"You should call your Dad and let him know that Christina
couldn't make it," Nana reminds me.
I look at the clock. "Oh gosh! You're right! Christina was
scheduled to drop me at home in ten minutes!" I panic. I grab my
phone from my pocket.
Hitting Dad's speed dial, I place my phone to my ear. "Hey,"
A soft voice greets me.
"Hey, Mom," I answer. "First: I'm not sure why you're
answering Dad's phone. Second: Christina canceled. Nana and I went to
the library. Now, I'm back at Nana's. What now?"
"Well, I guess I
will come in and get you," Mom sighs.
Thanking her and hanging up, I turn to Nana. "Alright, snack!"
I laugh. I reach for the cookie tin on the table.
"Is
someone coming to get you?" Nana asks.
"Mom is," I explain through a mouth full of cookies. I
pause as I hear my herd of little ones coming through the door. I
turn. Morel and Jenna follow close behind.
"Hey, Girl!" Morel greets me. "Hey!" I respond.
"Haven't seen you in a while," she complains. "Isn't
it nice to have time off?" I tease.
"You
know what I mean," Morel smiles.
"One of these days we can hang out. I'm just super busy... with
the Butterfly, you know," I explain.
Morel
gives me a look saying that she doesn't quite believe me. I don't
really care. My attention is taken by little Eva using my legs to
help her stand.
"Precious
li'l thing," Morel coos.
With a quick look behind me, I see that Nana is busy at the sink.
Turning, I scoop Eva up. She wiggles in my arms. I hand her off to
Jessica as she walks into the room.
"Who's a good girl?" Jess giggles at Eva as they walk from
the room. I sigh. "Long day?" Jenna asks.
"Yeah. And it's not over yet," I breath. "Mommy!"
comes whining from the living room. I follow the noise of my young
one's cries.
"What do you need, Honey?" I reply. I try my best to hide
my frustration with their quarrels.
"Mommy!
She took my block!" Ruby (age 4) explains.
"NO! Daddy says it's my turn with the red block!" Annie
(age 3) insists. I give Dil a questioning look. He shrugs and joins
in the parenting. "Annie, I said you could use the red block for
five minutes and then it
would be Ruby's turn," Dillon reminds them. “And it has been
seven." He points at the digital clock. "See, the five has
become a two."
"But
my tower isn't done," Annie complains.
"So?!" Ruby shoots back. "Your turn is up!" she
hisses. Then, trying to be as cute as possible, she coos, "Right,
Daddy?"
Before
he can answer, a jumble of Noah and Mark (both just over a year old)
comes tumbling over the towers, scattering blocks everywhere. Noah,
who lands under Mark, begins to cry. Dil scoops him up in an attempt
to calm him. The tower builders begin their emotional outbursts.
Annie begins crying waves of silent tears. Ruby begins to grab the
blocks. Distracted by the fact that Mark has rolled over and is
trying to eat the blocks, I am surprised by a hand reaching out over
my head. Turning, I see Jess scolding Ruby. She can tell I'm puzzled.
"You got to keep an eye on this one," Jessica explains.
Turning to Ruby, she says, "Apologize to your brother for
throwing blocks at him."
"Sorry Mark,"
Ruby mumbles.
"And apologize to Mommy," Jess insists. "Why?"
Ruby complains.
"Because you nearly hit her with a block. Go on." I can
tell Jessica is running out of patience.
"Sorry,
Mommy," Ruby mumbles.
At this point, I have nearly forgotten the block in Mark's mouth. I
look over at him in panic.
"I'll
get him," Jess offers, and picks Mark up. Looking at me she
states, "It's up to you, but I don't see a reason for a time
out."
Ruby
looks up at me; I can tell she is attempting to use every bit of good
girl cuteness she has.
"Alright. No
time out. If you pick up the blocks," I agree.
Looking around I see Annie under the piano. I squat down to see her
eyes. To my surprise they are dry. Annie motions for me to come
closer. I
do, and she whispers, "I got the red block." As she pulls
it out, a huge smile appears on her face. I smile at her.
Hearing keys in the front door, I stand quickly. As I walk past,
Windy whispers, "Aren't you going to take the block?" I put
a finger to my lips as Ruby comes up to us.
"Mommy,
I can't find the red block," Ruby notifies me.
I reach behind me and duplicate the red block. "It's right
here," I smile. Ruby takes it and bounds away.
"Smart
girl," Jess compliments me. I sigh, "I always try."
The
door opens and I hear the bell tower ring 6:30. "Hey!"
Alison greets me. "You ready?"
"Almost..."
I state. Quickly, I look through my purse, double checking that I
have everything. To my satisfaction everything is accounted for. I
move on and take a peek in my library bag.
"Come
on!" Alison encourages.
"Working on it!" I hiss. I cross the room and slip on my
flip flops. "Got your phone and headphones?" Alison asks.
"Yep,"
I say, one hand flying to my neck and the other to my back pocket.
"I'm ready when you are."
"Alright!
Let's go!" Alison agrees. She opens the door. Shouldering my bag
I follow.
"We're
going!" Alison calls into the kitchen. Nana walks around the
door with open arms. I step into them and she hugs me.
"Will I see you
tomorrow?" Nana asks.
"Not sure. We'll let you know," I explain, feeling rushed
by the open door waiting for me.
"I'll
be here," Nana responds.
I run out the door and across the street to the car. Alison follows,
looking at her phone. I put on my headphones and we ride home in
silence. The others talk. I am absorbing myself in doing some quick
journaling and making a few lists.
We
pull into the driveway and I save my work. Slowly, I climb from the
car. With my purse and books in hand, I follow Alison inside. Our pet
dogs are excited to see me. They jump and bark.
"Down!
Get down!" Alison and I instruct.
As I walk through the living room, I fling my stuff onto the couch.
Kyle comes up to me. The fear in his eyes is strong.
"What's wrong?"
I ask.
"D-Don't
hurt me," Kyle trembles.
"I won't. I promise." I smile. "Come. Sit with me."
I offer, moving my stuff. He does as I say. I sit next to him. When I
look at him he shrinks back. "Honey, I'm not going to hurt you.
Talk to me. What scares you?"
"You
will be mad if I say," Kyle insists.
"That's very unlikely. There really isn't much that could make
me mad." Kyle wipes his eyes and reaches into his pocket.
Retrieving a paper, he hands it to me, shakily. I take it from him.
An address written in purple handwritten ink was scribbled on the
page.
"Whose address
is this?" I ask.
"The place I was kicked out of last week. They told me I
couldn't stay because I couldn't pay. I need somewhere to be. I would
love to stay here but I can't pay rent." Kyle had been wiping
his overflowing eyes so much that his sleeves were soaked.
I
suppress a laugh, managing to only smile.
"Kyle, a stay here would be 100% rent free. You would have no
bills and you wouldn't have to pay for food or clothes."
He looks to Ethan for
verification that my words are true.
Ethan nods and smiles. "She speaks the truth," Ethan
explains. "And this is a safe place. No one will hurt you here."
"Welcome
to the family," I reach out to Kyle. He hugs me.
"Thank
you!" he whispers into my hair. "I will always be
grateful."
I smile. "One of the best things is that you can stay as long as
you wish, and come back anytime, if you leave. All rent free."
He
hugs me tighter then pulls from my arms.
I head to my room and quickly shed my uncomfortable in town clothes.
I slip on a pair of yoga pants, a sleeping bra and camitop.
Coming
back into the group I ask, "Does anybody want to watch one of
the movies I got?"
With
nearly 100% agreement, I get out my library bag. After some debating,
we make a choice. Slipping it into the DVD player, I start the movie.
Hungry, I wander to the kitchen. With the same luck of that morning,
I am overjoyed when I find a box of pasta. Pushing the frustration of
no-clean- pots aside, I wash the pasta pot.
“What
the hell was that?!” Victoria asks.
I turn to see her leaning against the table. I know she is referring
to the interruption of her “Val-time”.
“Val was scheduled to be with her class at 4:30. She wasn't
answering, so I called you, too. If she is going to invite people,
such as her class, she needs to be with them. You know all of this.”
“Actually I didn't,” Vic explains. I was not informed that her
class was going to be over. But you are correct; she should stay on
top of that,” Vic explains.
Her
point is clear, but so is her jab at me. She's right. I can't keep
track of anything and often have other girlz help me with my work. I
stick my
tongue out at her and go back to washing the pot. Three rinses later
I fill the pot and start it heating.
I nearly walk into Tiffanee as I head to the living room. “Where's-?”
Tiffanee starts.
“Vic's in there,” I state, pointing to the kitchen. “Thanks,”
Tiff responds.
I
walk past her as she heads into the kitchen.
“How's the movie going?” I question in the living room. “Good,
Shhhh,” Jessica says.
I take my seat on the couch. The movie goes on about human evolution.
Looking around, I am surprised at the interest in the show coming
from everyone in the room. I look to the clock. 8:40. Time to check
the pasta water.
As
I enter the kitchen, I feel the tension in the air. I focus on my
pasta and ignore Tiffanee and Victoria, although, their desire to get
me involved is no slight presence in the room. Finally I can't stand
it.
"OK
what?" I ask.
"Look, I love her, and I don't really care what Val does with
her other dates, but I don't want her sending pictures to MY girlz,"
Victoria complains.
I look at her
puzzled. "Was there a message attached?"
"Yeah," Tiffanee replies. "It says, 'I thought you
said you were going to pick up during your time off yesterday'. There
are two pics attached: one of Dazel that I'm guessing you're too
polite to look at, and one of a messy room. Not sure where these were
taken, though."
"I don't feel the need to see any of them!" I exclaim,
slightly offended. "I'm guessing that there was some kind of
connection error, and they went to you instead of who they were meant
for. My guess is, they were meant for Makeeta," I hypothesize.
We stop as someone tries to enter the room. "Hey Tab! Can you
let me through?" Val calls. Before I can respond, Victoria
shouts,
"Get your
girlfriend housekeeper to let you in, Bitch!"
Glaring at Vic, I let Val through. Vic turns and buries her face in
Tiffanee's shoulder.
"What's
wrong, Honey?" Val asks Victoria.
Tiffanee motions for Valorie to come look at her phone. As Val gets
closer, Vic runs to me.
"Oh
God!” Valorie gasps. "That was meant for Makeeta! No wonder my
place is still a mess!"
She
turns to Victoria and motions for her to come sit with her. I am
surprised when the teary-eyed Victoria leaves my side and sits with
Val on
the
table. They begin to talk things out in a language I don't know.
I check the time: 8:53. The pasta is getting overdone. Quickly, I
find the drainer and it's clean. Score! I move just enough dishes so
that I can drain the pasta with some safety. I drain the pasta and
successfully manage to not get covered in boiling water. Dumping the
pasta back into the pot, I turn to the other three girlz in the
kitchen. I smile at the sight of Val and Vic's lips locked together.
I shrug at Tiffanee and head to the refrigerator. With blue cheese
dressing in hand, I grab a bowl from the dishwasher, excitedly.
"Someone did dishes!" I giggle. I scoop some pasta and pour
plenty
of
dressing on top. I add some black pepper and herbs. Taking a fork
from the dishwasher, I head into the living room, followed by
Tiffanee. Dazel gets up when I enter.
"Sorry,
let me get out of your spot." Dazel offers.
Some days, I would insist that she keep it, but I am starving and not
really in the mood to be nice. Tiffanee gives me a worried look. It's
obvious to me that she is unsure if she should tell Dazel about the
photo.
"I
have no say in that," I state. "Talk to your girl."
Picking up my phone, I multitask. Browsing Listia and watching a
movie I have seen multiple times is pretty easy. When the show ends,
I stretch.
Tossing
my phone down, I get up and head for the kitchen. As I pull down my
'tackle box' full of meds, I hear someone enter the room behind me.
"Tabby?" Dazel asks in a soft voice. "Did I do
something wrong? It's just the way Tiffanee was looking at me... I
thought maybe I messed up somehow."
"Dazel, In my opinion, no one has done anything 'wrong'. Now, I
have not seen these for myself, but you are a smart, kind person and
I think you should know. It has come to my knowledge that there was a
text meant for Makeeta that included some attachments.
Somehow, Tiffanee got it instead." I explain.
Dazel's
eyes hit the floor. "Who all saw them?" she asks. "As
far as I know, just Victoria, Tiffanee, and Valorie." I list.
"OK," Dazel breaths.
"If it makes you feel better, I don't think Vic or Tiffanee will
be cruel about this," I offer. "They're good people. Vic
said earlier that it does not bother her that you and Val are a
thing. That was just more than she wanted to see."
"Yeah,"
Dazel mumbles. "Thanks."
After
I take my meds, we head back into the living room.
"Hey guys," I address the whole room. "It is Saturday
night, and that means that it's my night for me. I'm not sure if I
will have my appointment or not, but still, everybody out!" I
instruct.
As everyone files into the group rooms, I feel Harper come up beside
me. Hugging my arm she asks,
“Until
we hear from your appointment, can I lay with you?”
“Sure, Bubblegum,” I respond, plugging in my phone and
headphones. We change into pajamas and climb into bed.
"
'Night love," She whispers, wrapping her arms around me. "
'Night," I whisper in response. Almost asleep, I mumble, "I
hope my appointment does not show. I'm too sleepy.”
We
are both soon asleep, awaiting what all tomorrow will bring.Dance
With ME
November
2014
To
All my family
Thank
you for believing in me.
Completed
November 2014
Dance
With Me
By
Auburn Rain
Dear Reader,
“Dance
With Me” is the story of a hypothetical day for me. It is set in
the early summer of 2014. This is a “slice of life” story told
from my point of view. In this biography I walk you through each
moment of my day from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed. One
of the main points of this biography is to show how the different
cultures in my life combine in a typical day. Many that I have talked
to have been surprised at how much goes on. I hope you enjoy the
story.
It’s
a cool Saturday morning.
My alarm sounds, playing “Ain't Nothing ‘Bout You” by Brooks
and Dunn. I awaken slowly, instantly recognizing my Beloved’s arms
around me. "Good morning, Sunshine,” she whispers to me.
I
roll over in her arms and kiss her. "Morning, Cletzo," I
whisper into her neck.
It’s one of my
favorite moments of the day. The incomparable bliss.
I love her so much. In this moment time stops. I could hold her
forever. The second alarm goes off - one of the annoying gummy bear
songs. I slowly pull from her grasp.
"Time to get up,
Cupcake," I whisper sadly.
She looks at me and I know that breaking this moment is painful for
her, too.
I crawl from my bottom bunk and walk over to my dresser. The song of
morning is calling through my open window. I pull back my hair and
put my glasses on. By this time Cletzo is by my side. She kisses me
on the cheek and walks out of my room. I follow her out. She plops
down on the couch and I peek into Mackie's room.
“Mornin'!
Whachya doin'?” I ask. “Tumblr,” Mackie responds.
“Ugh!” I say. “I don't like tumbler.” “I know.” Mackie
agrees.
I
head for the bathroom. Once finished, I join my Cupcake on the couch.
It is 8:15. I told Mrs. S that I would be at the prairie by 9:45.
That gives me about an hour to get ready.
David
comes in with a plate of eggs and toast. He sits down across the room
from me. "What time do you need to be there?" he asks.
"Quarter to 10," I respond.
"OK", he replies. " We should leave about 9:20."
He finishes breakfast and goes to his room.
My super girl phone rings. It’s the Royal Kids Daycare. "Hey,
how are things?" I ask.
“Good," says the girl on the line I recognize as Shelly. "Are
you up for the kids to come over?"
"Sure...bring
the animal kids, too," I respond.
"Will do," Shelly states. I can tell she is trying to hide
the fact that it is a much easier day without all those kids.
As
I drag myself off the couch, Aseeka and Casie come in. I can see that
they are deep in conversation in a telepathic language that I can’t
understand.
Walking around them, I go to my room to get dressed. I try on three
or four outfits and become increasingly frustrated. I stop and listen
when I hear the front door open. It is Val, Vic, Danny and Tiffanee.
Telepathically,
I call, "Hey, Vic, can you help me decide what to wear?”
"Coming!" she giggles back.
After
kissing each one of the girls accompanying her, she heads to my room.
Standing
in my underwear, I point to the pile of clothes I have tried and
didn't like.
Vic
walks over and picks up a pair of pants off the pile. "Try
these," she says.
I take them from her
and do as she asks.
Vic walks to my dresser, pulls out a shirt, then crosses the room to
retrieve my belt from a hanger. She hands me the belt and I put it
on.
"Not
that tight!” she complains, “Didn't we talk about this?"
Once I have the belt on to her satisfaction, I put on the shirt she
chose and look in the mirror on my dresser.
"Wow,
good job, Girl!" I beam. We leave my room and go into a mob of
dogs, cats, pigs, birds, and human children.
"Mommy!"
the younger ones squeal. I smile. "Morning little ones!"
"What
are we doing today?" 13-year-old Grace asks.
"I'm going to help with the Prairie Restoration Project. I would
assume you all want to come."
Before the kids can
answer, Dillon comes rushing in.
"One of the butterflies needs some help. He will only talk to
you, Tabby. Should I bring him in?”
"Of
course!" I respond.
"I just wanted to be sure you weren't at one of those
meetings........" Dillon shoots back sarcastically as he rushes
out the door.
I glance at the
clock. Damn! It’s almost 8:40.
Heading into the kitchen, I search the cabinets for quick food. No
luck! Moving to the frig, I find some leftovers from someone's snack.
Score! Half a can of semi-edible soup. I find a coffee cup after I
realize that there are no bowls clean. Quickly, I dump the soup into
the cup and start heating it up in the microwave.
The
sound of tears falling comes strongly from the living room. "Ethan,
Honey, what's going on?" I ask as I walk in.
He
looks at me - we are almost the same height. I can feel the pain and
fear radiating from him.
"Can
we have some space for a while?" I ask Casie. "Sure,"
Casie agrees. "Come on kids."
In
the background, sounding above the struggle to get the kids out the
door, the microwave buzzes.
"Ethan,
have a seat, Honey," I gesture to the couch. " I will be
right back." Quickly, I get my soup and a spoon and go back into
the living room. I check the clock. 8:50. I have half an hour; hope I
can find my shoes. "What's up?" I ask as I sit down next to
Ethan.
"I.....
um... I...." he hesitates. I turn away from his eyes and pretend
to be distracted by the purse sitting at my feet.
"I have been
having dreams," he mumbles.
"What about?" I ask, still digging through my purse. He is
having trouble even speaking aloud.
"About
the bad times."
"Your
father wasn't good to you," I state.
"It was my fault..." Ethan stammers. "I was just.....
I was always in his way."
"No.
It's not your fault!" I counter. "He was the one out of
line."
I try to lock eyes but he turns away. I put my arm around him. After
a moment he hugs me back. When he looks at me I know he feels safe
with me.
I
look up. David comes in.
"You about ready?" he inquires. "Shit, no!" I
look at the time. 9:10!
Looking back at Ethan I explain, "We have to leave in 10
minutes. You're welcome to come, but I really have to get ready."
"Sounds
good," he manages as he battles against his tears.
I quickly down my breakfast and run to my room. Digging through the
piles on my dresser, I locate some hair clips. My first few attempts
to tame my hair are mega fails. Finally I get it - at least
tolerable.
After the usual panic of running through the house to find my flip
flops, I find a pair: the right one under the couch and the left
about 4 feet away under my bag. I check the time. 9:17. Quickly, I
sift through my bag, double checking that I have everything. Crap!
I'm missing my wallet - again! In a panic I look again, then look all
over the living room, the kitchen, and my bedroom with no luck.
"Don't you need to go soon?" David hollers from the
kitchen. "Almost ready..." I call back.
I rush out to the car we came home in the night before. Another
futile search! I rush back inside, spot my library bag. Picking it
up, looking inside... found it! A huge wave of relief rushes through
me, but one quick look at the clock sends the wave of panic right
back. 9:28! Running to the kitchen, I take my meds and down two and a
half glasses of water. Fighting the nausea I head for the door.
"Dad, let's go!" I shout, running out the door and slamming
it shut. "Have a good day ma'am," Annie, a guard and
friend, says.
"I
plan to!" I exclaim as I hurry to the car.
David follows me in what seems to be an imitation of molasses fresh
from the refrigerator. I climb into the white truck, loaded down with
all my stuff. Where is he? I start to climb out to find him when I
realize that he is in the green jeep waiting for me! Acting fast, I
grab all my stuff and load it into the jeep.
"Ready?"
David asks.
"Yeah!
Let's go! Lets go!" I exclaim.
As we pull out of the driveway I check the time. 9:35. I slip on my
headphones and turn up the music. “Istanbul not Constantinople”
by the Might Be Giants.
We
drive along in silence. Ethan sits beside me in the super girl
section of the car. Within a mile of our house more people arrive.
Jessica, Harper, Cletzo, Jenna, and Danna join Ethan. The girls talk
among themselves. I
don't listen. It's just not my business. Anyway, my mind is stuck on
the idea that I have forgotten something.
About half way to town David asks, "Did you remember your
boots?" "Damn, no!" I respond. "But... I can go
help without boots...."
"You
sure?" David asks.
"Yeah,"
I say, more to convince myself than him.
As we get closer to town, I insist that David take the highway around
to by pass the rush hour traffic. He agrees and we change lanes.
"Are you OK?" I ask Ethan. He looks down, avoiding my eyes.
Shaking his head, tears begin to fall.
"Ethan?"
I whisper. He looks at me.
"I... I trust you..." Ethan stammers. "It’s... It's
just so hard... It's like my brain says that I'm safe here... but my
heart is still stuck in the old ways." "It's OK....
really," I assure him. "It takes a long time to undo all
that damage."
Looking
up I realize that we are almost there. David pulls up at the gates to
the field and I climb out of the jeep, dragging my stuff behind me.
"So,
should I call you when I'm done?" I ask. “Yep. Have fun!"
David replies.
Slinging
my stuff over my shoulder, I head out to the prairie. The girls and
Ethan follow.
"Did
you have a good night?" Danna asks as she matches her stride to
mine.
"Pretty
good. You?" I inquire. "Same," Danna laughs.
We
set a fast pace for our group and after awhile there is a burst of
laughter from behind us.
"Do
we want to know what's going on back there?" Danna teases.
"Probably not," Vic says between laughs.
As
we come up over the hill, I am a bit surprised but not at all shocked
to see all my adopted kids running around the field between the
sidewalk and the prairie. They are kept out of the experiment site by
a basic super girl magic wall. I walk through the field and down the
hill, dodging balls, shoes and the fast moving kids themselves.
"Sorry
I'm late," I call out, as I cross the rim of the prairie.
"Hey, Tabby! It’s OK! Happy to have your help," my
teacher calls back. "What's the plan?" I ask her.
She
shows me what plants need to be removed, then points to a shovel.
Watching my little ones play, I get to work.
"I'm going to
get some water, OK, Kat?" Cletzo calls after awhile.
"Of
course!" I respond. "But don't go too far... " I
continue working until
one
section is almost done.
I look up to see little three year old Patty trip on a folded soccer
ball net. She doesn't fall very far, but far enough to skin her knee.
At the sight of her blood she looks around with teary eyes. The rest
of the girls are dealing with various issues between some other kids.
Patty comes running towards me but stops at the edge of the prairie.
She knows that she can't get through the magic wall and that I can't
help her right now.
"Hey
J. can you help Patty?" I inquire telepathically. Jessica comes
hurrying over. She scoops Patty up in her arms and presses her hand
to Patty's knee. Within moments it is as good as new. She carries the
still shaken Patty back to the group.
I
am getting hot and thirsty. Cletzo is just coming back over the hill.
I walk out of the Prairie Restoration work site and dig my phone out
of my bag.
11:00.
"I have to go," I explain to Mrs. S. "I really need
some lunch and a drink." "OK. Thanks for all your help!"
Mrs. S responds.
"You're
welcome! Keep me posted," I beam.
"Come
on kids!" Vic shouts. "Don't forget your toys!"
While my herd of kids gathers their belongings, I take my stuff and
head back up the hill. In the process of shakily trying to use my
phone, I drop it. The case and back fall off. Luckily the battery
stays put. I set my bag down, put my phone back together and start a
call to David. As it is ringing, I see the rest of my family headed
this way. As usual, my first phone try ends with a voice mail. I have
better luck on the second try.
"I'm
done. Where should I meet you?" I ask.
"Wait
at the gate and I will drive around," David responds.
As I wait for my ride to pick me up, I chat with some of my family
and work to keep the kids (and their toys which they run after) out
of the street. My ride comes around the corner and we all pile in.
"You're going to
Nana's, right?" David asks.
"Yeah," I reply as I put my seat belt on. "I am so
thirsty," I complain. "Can we stop at Sonic? It's on the
way.... I 'll pay." I know the odds are not in my favor, but no
harm in rolling the dice.
"No.
You should save your money," David counters. I decide to stop
poking the bear. It's not worth it.
As
we drive, I think about how much money I need for the Christmas gifts
I plan to buy. Then my thoughts slowly migrate back to this morning.
I can still feel our love echoing - like a heartbeat it hovers in the
air. It comes from all of us. Indestructible love. I look over and
lock eyes with Harper. I know she knows what I'm thinking and she can
feel it too.
I
take out my phone to text Christina that I will be at Nana's house
where
she
can pick me up for our meeting at 3:30.
"Where should Christina take me after our meeting?" I ask
David. "To the farm," he responds.
We pull up in front of Nana's house and I pull at my bag. No luck, it
won’t co-operate. Climbing over it, I get out of the jeep. After
some inspection I realize that it's stuck on something under the
seat. With some work I manage to pry it loose. I slam the jeep door
and head for the house. The door to the house is locked. Ugh! Digging
through my bag for keys is useless, because my keys are on the couch
at home. I knock on the door and wait. After a few moments, Nana
opens the door.
“Hi,
Sweetie!” Nana says.
"Hey!" I say as I walk past her and plop my stuff down on a
living room chair.
"Where does your
stuff go?" Nana asks.
Ugh! I pick up my huge bag and set it out of the way. I think it's
way too big for the basket Nana has for my stuff. I walk through the
kitchen and head to the basement. Setting my phone on the washer, I
use the bathroom. As I exit the bathroom I come face to face with
Marly.
"Hey!"
I say.
"Your belt's too tight," she responds simply. "Ugh!"
I groan, fixing it, then ask "What's up?"
"Just wanted to
see if everything is OK," she explains.
OK?.. I wonder, as I wash my hands. "I need some lunch,” I
point out. "Me too," she agrees and we head up the stairs.
"I'm hungry!" I laugh as I burst through the door and head
for the refrigerator.
"Wash
hands before digging in the frig, please," Nana reminds me.
I scrub and dry my hands, again, then grab a short glass from the
cabinet and fill it up with water from the tap, over and over. I gulp
and count the glasses 2... 3... OK... better stop. I set the glass on
the counter and head for the refrigerator. Skimming the contents and
striking out, I go to the soup cabinet and grab a can of tomato soup.
Turning my eyes to the pot rack, I see that the one I need is
missing. Ugh! The dishwasher? Yes! The pot I need is clean!
Carefully, I take it out, wondering why Nana puts the dishes in like
that. Getting the can open using the pull tab is easy. Not cutting
your fingers is harder. Putting the lid in the trash, I notice blood
trickling down my hand. I wash my hands and wrap a paper towel around
my finger as I holler, "Where would I find bandaids?"
The girlz quickly pick up on the blood smell. Tish rushes over. "You
alright?" she exclaims.
"Yeah... just a small slice in my finger," I insist.
Removing the paper towel, I reveal a good sized slit in the index
finger on my right hand.
"Yeah.
Right. Small," Tish counters.
Nana comes slowly into the kitchen. By this time, I have used three
paper towels. Nana opens a cabinet and reaches for the first-aid kit.
It isn't there. "Who used the first-aid kit and didn't put it
back?... she wonders aloud. “There are some band-aids in the
upstairs bathroom," she says.
"I can get
them," I say, grabbing a fourth towel.
"In one of those small drawers under the cabinet," Nana
calls, as I run upstairs.
I open the first drawer - Lipstick! Ugh! The second? Just Q-tips.
Third time the charm.....? Damn! Tooth paste! Last drawer... Yes! A
huge stash of
band-aids! Quickly, I grab one, then take the red and white tie-dyed
paper towel off my finger, and rinse and dry my hand again. There's a
knocking on the door.
"Come in Mar!"
I call. "The door's open!"
Marly comes in and notices the band-aid in my hand. "Need help?"
she inquires.
"Color
laws," I state. "Really, I've got it," I assure her.
The cut is on my index finger, so I reason: it would be best to use
my middle finger and thumb to open the wrapper. Reason pays off. Open
on the first try. Using the same fingers, I pull off one of the
sterile tabs and place the sticky plastic on my wounded finger.
Slowly, I use the other sterile tab as a guide and pull the rest of
the bandage around.
"YES!"
I smile. "First try too!"
Marly
shakes her head. "You and your color laws!" she laughs.
I spot the dixie cups on the counter, turn on the cold water and take
the top two cups from the stack. Taking the one that was on top, I
put it back on the stack, then fill and gulp from the other cup,
again and again. 6...7... Better stop.
It's now 12:30. I do a quick mental run-through of my to-do list and
schedule as I turn off the light and walk to the stairs. Half way
down, I hear my Loved One regressing. I close my eyes and take a deep
breath. I can tell she isn't 'playing it up'. I continue walking on
down.
“Cletzo?”
I call.
“Kitty! Kitty! Kitty cat!!!” Cletzo giggles, jumping up and down
at the bottom of the stairs.
“What’s
up, Baby Doll?” I ask, trying to hide my concerned frustration. “Me
Cupcake, you Kitty!” she squeals, clapping her hands.
“You
OK?” I ask, calmly and slowly.
“ Yeah, yeah! You silly, silly Kitty!” she laughs, as she bounces
away. Following her into the living room, I catch her shoulder. She
turns and I look into her eyes.
“Baby are you in there?” I ask, letting my concern show. She
breaks away from my grasp.
“Me
wanna go sleepy sleep,” she mumbles.
“It’s alright, Honey,” I assure her. Putting my hand on her
back, I guide her to the bedroom downstairs. She sits down on
Rich/Mackie’s bed. From the secret cabinet in the wall, I retrieve
her blanket and sedative.
“Lie
down, Cupcake,” I murmur.
“Me
pretty Cupcake?” Cletzo inquires.
“Yes,
you are...” I coo, as I hand her the medication.
Taking it from my hand, she smiles at me. A big goofy, uncontrollable
smile. It is so full of love that I reach out and put my hand on her
arm. I watch her as she puts the dissolvable tablet into her mouth.
She curls up into a ball as I tuck the covers around her.
“
'Night my Little One,” I whisper into her ear. Kissing her cheek, I
hear her whisper, “ 'Night.”
She
is so beautiful. I imagine myself curled up with my arms around her.
My Love... deep asleep, my hand reaching out to her.
Nana
calls down from the kitchen, breaking my trance. “Tabby, do you
still want to eat this soup?”
“Yeah... just a
second,” I answer.
With one last look at my little Cupcake, and a deep breath, I head
upstairs. In the kitchen, I retrieve the opened soup can from the
counter, lean over the sink and pour the contents into the sauce pan.
I fill the can with water, grab a spoon from the drawer to stir it,
then dump it into the saucepan, scraping, scraping at the bottom of
the can.
“I'm
going to get something over at Rich's place,” Nana says. “All
right,” I respond.
Casie
comes through the door and I hide a laugh at Casie's face when Nana
nearly walks into her.
“What
the hell are you laughing at, Girl?!” Casie asks, as she wanders
through the kitchen. She jokingly slaps my back side on her way past
me. “Do we still keep liquor here? Like the good SG stuff. That
human junk is gross!”
“What
was the point of sticking your tongue out at her? She can't see it
anyway,” I reply to her first question. Then, “...yes, we do,”
I indicate, pointing to the hidden stash.
“I
know... and thanks!” Casie responds. “You know Sakeeah is off
work,
tonight?”
“Do
you think I should cancel my appointment?” I inquire.
“That's your call,” Casie responds, reaching for a light
premixed, single- serving bottle.
Marly
walks in. “Hey girl, um..."
"I
know. Sakeeah is off work, tonight," I interject.
"Oh well...we can just see how the day goes," Marly
mumbles, looking at her phone. "Got to run. Got to meet
Sakeeah," she announces and rushes out the door.
"I
have a client!" Tish explains, coming down from upstairs. "Be
back later... I'll call you," she states as she walks out the
door.
“See ya later,” I
say.
“Bye! Good luck with your client.” Casie calls. “Where is
Aseeka?” I ask.
“Taking care of some Royal Sisters' stuff,” Casie responds.
“Fun…” I mumble.
I carry the full saucepan over to the stove, set it down and turn on
the burner. Turning away, I nearly trip over one of my animal kids -
a dog, a shepherd.
“Gigi!”
I exclaim, just as a frisbee speeds past my head. It lands on the
stove! I whip around and to my relief, it isn’t in the pan or on
the hot burner. I pick it up, turning to see who threw it. The
obvious trouble maker, Daisy, a Labrador Retriever, the look on her
face gives her away.
“No
throwing things in the house! You know better,” I explain. “Your
father is outside with some of your siblings. Why don’t you both go
play out there?”
“Fine.” Gigi grumbles as both dogs head outside. I turn again to
check my soup. “Ugh!” I gripe. “What?” Casie inquires.
“My soup got too
hot!” I respond.
“Pour
it into a bowl so it can cool faster,” she suggests.
“Good idea,” I agree, walking across the kitchen to grab a bowl.
“Who is their father?” Casie asks.
I
walk to the sink, pick up my water glass and fill it. “Dillon!” I
laugh, and gulp down the nearly overflowing glassful.
“What?!” Casie
questions.
I down a second glassful before speaking. “I just thought you knew.
The littlest ones started it, now most of the kids call him 'Dad',”
I explain.
I take my soup to the table as the front door opens. Sakeeah! “Have
you guys seen Mar?” Sakeeah asks.
“I
thought she was picking you up at work…” Casie offers.
“I thoughts so, too,” Sakeeah responds. “But I waited there for
half an hour.”
“Do
you want me to call her?” I ask.
“I tried that. No answer,” Sakeeah complains. “But she may
answer to someone else.”
Taking
out my phone, I click Marly’s speed dial. Marly answers quickly.
“How are you doing?” she asks me.
“I’m
fine, but your fiancee has been looking for you,” I respond
cheerily. “Tell her that I am awaiting her arrival,” Mar
instructs.
“Where?” I
inquire.
“She will know,” Mar says simply. “Uh.. OK.. bye,” I say.
Turning
to Sakeeah, I relay the message.
Sakeeah’s eyes light up. “Thanks! I've got to go!” she
exclaims, grabbing her stuff as she runs out the door.
“OK,
then,” Casie says. “ Your soup is probably cool enough.”
Snapping back to reality, I look at the clock. 1:30.
"Where did the
kids go?" Casie wonders.
"I don't know. But I bet Dill and Jessica took them on a walk,”
I hypothesize. I sit down and look at my soup.
"What
is it?" Casie asks.
"I need a spoon and some oyster crackers." Getting up, I
grab a spoon from the drawer in the island. Holding the spoon in one
hand, I reach across a pile of books to retrieve the oyster cracker
jar. "Damn!" I half whisper, “Empty!” Setting the spoon
and jar down, I lean on the table. "All I want is lunch. I've
been trying to get lunch for over an hour!”
"What's
the trouble now?" Casie inquires.
"I can hardly stand, I'm so shaky, and there are no oyster
crackers!" I whimper, holding up the jar.
"Could you look
in the cabinet?" Casie offers.
At this point I am fighting tears. "No...." I manage. "You
could dip bread in it," she suggests.
"Fine,"
I agree.
Casie guides me around the island. We open the drawer. "That's
yucky bread!" I complain.
"It is what it
is. Take it or leave it," Casie states.
I reach out and hold on to the counter. This time, luckily, I feel it
coming... the switch flips. Something Casie said links with a memory
inside my head, short circuiting my brain my muscles and my knees
give out.
"I
have to sit now," I hear myself say. I feel my body sit on the
kitchen floor. My muscles say that sitting isn't enough. I collapse
completely onto
the tile floor. Breathing heavily, I close my eyes. I feel Casie sit
down beside me. Her hand touches my arm. It soothes me. My muscles
relax, freeing me. I float to the surface. The clock rings 2:00. With
Casie's help, I pull myself up and walk back to my soup. I sit down
and drink it cold.
Soup down, I look up and see Harper walking in. "Hey, Bubble
Gum! Where have you been?" I tease.
"With Val!" she grins, making her playfulness obvious, and
rivaling mine. Standing up, I cross the room. She bows. "My
lady!" she giggles and stands. I kiss her cheek.
Sounds
from upstairs break up our play. Pop comes quickly down the steps. I
hear his gym bag hit the floor with a thud. He leans around the
doorway. “I'm going to the gym,” he says. “Tell Nana to call me
if she needs anything from the store.”
“OK,” I answer.
One more thing to remember.
As he pulls the front door shut, I hear sounds from the basement.
Cletzo. "Hey, Honey! Feeling better?" I call.
"Do you have to ask?" Cletzo counters, entering the
kitchen. "Where's Dill?"
"Outside with the kids," Casie explains from behind me. I
jump! I forgot she was there. Cletzo walks to me and puts her arms
around me.
"Love
you, Kitty."
"Forever and always," I respond. Instantly, love fills my
chest. I kiss her, and let her go.
Cletzo moves on to Harper and kisses her cheek, then withdraws from
us. "I'm heading outside. Let me know if you need me!"
Cletzo hollers, as she walks straight through the door.
I smile at Harper. I can see the love spread across her face. We
laugh. Behind me, I hear Casie, "I have never understood you
three!" "That's because you have never been in love!"
I shoot back.
The three of us
laugh. Our laughing fills the air.
I quickly regain control at the sound of Nana coming in the front
door and heading toward the kitchen.
“What's so funny?" Nana asks. "Not much," I respond.
"Who's picking you up today?” "Christina," I reply.
"What
time will that be?" Nana inquires.
"3:30,"
I state. Looking at the clock, I calculate that I have 45 minutes. I
have learned to double check. "I have 45 minutes?" I wonder
aloud. "Right," Nana returns. "So, what are you and
Christina going to do today?" "Not sure.." I ponder.
"Maybe go to the library." Turning, I realize that I have
to go to the bathroom. Like now. "I'm going to run to the
bathroom," I announce. As I run downstairs I hear Harper
following me. I don't really care. Anyway, I know she won't go past
the dryer. She waits while I finish up. As I wash my hands she just
stands there watching. As I dry my hands I turn and look at her. A
huge smile travels across her face.
"What?!"
I demand
"What's up with your belt?" she asks. Looking down I
realize that my belt is still undone.
"Why
are you down here?!" I gripe. However, I am nearly incapable of
staying in character. I smile uncontrollably, and we both laugh as I
fasten my belt.
"Anyway," Harper says, "To answer your question: What
I came to tell you is that Val wants to bring her class this
afternoon."
"What
time?" I question.
"She said about 4:30," Harper responds. "Right in the
middle of Christina?" I complain.
"They
can just meet us after,” Harper offers. "Jess and Wind say
they can help wherever needed."
"Alright,"
I agree. "Oh! I should make sure Christina got my text!"
"Go for it girl!" Harper cheers.
Laughing,
we head upstairs. I look at the clock. "How in the world is it
already 2:50?!" I exclaim. I pick up my phone from the table,
unlock it and check for texts.
"Yes! Christina responded," I call out. "To what?"
Nana asks.
"To my text about where to pick me up," I explain, still
smiling. "Did you decide what you plan to do today?" Nana
inquires. "We tend to decide as we go," I clarify.
I
walk past her to the living room, phone in hand. Picking up my
headphones, I connect the bluetooth.
"Hey,
Mommy?" Sally (Age 7.5) asks. "What, Dear?" I offer.
"Can
you play the song we like? You know S&M, Rihanna?" she
wonders. "Sure!" I respond, putting the headphones on her.
The triplets - age 6 - as dance back up, begin their hip-shaking
routine to the song. At the end of the song, I hear applause from
behind me. Turning, I see Izzy and Icie. "Haven't you seen that
before?" I ask.
"No,"
They respond together.
"Isn't that a bit too stripper-like for kids their age?"
Izzy asks. I give her a glaring look.
"Sorry..."
Izzy mumbles.
I switch the song as Harper and Cletzo walk in. GaGa's 'Just Dance'
pounds in my ears. After moving the big chair and a few other small
pieces of furniture, we begin to dance. With the song on repeat, we
just keep moving. My phone beeps with a reminder warning that
Christina will be here in five minutes. I change the song: Blue Da Ba
Dee by Gummy Bear. Jessica comes in, singing along. She matches the
electronic Gummy Bear perfectly, using her voice shifting talent. We
dance. I walk back and forth from the group to the window. Watching.
Waiting.
My phone rings. Walking over, I pick it up. “Hey, Christina! Did
you get my text?” I ask.
“Yeah,”
she explains, “but my car ran out of gas. I can't make it today.”
“Oh... Are you ok? Do you need a ride?” I offer.
“No,
thanks. My friends are coming to get me. So, will I see you Tuesday
then?” she asks.
“Sure!”
I respond, and hang up. Turning to Izzy, I ask, “Why am I more
worried about her, than I am upset about her canceling?”
“IDK!” Izzy
laughs and heads for the kitchen.
I follow her, messing with my phone. I look up just in time to avoid
crashing into Nana as she walks out of the kitchen.
“What
time will Christina be here?” Nana asks.
“She's not coming. Her car is out of gas,” I explain, trying to
hide my concern for Christina.
“Oh...
I'm sorry,” Nana sympathizes. “Do you still want to go to the
library?”
“Yeah,” I mumble.
“I can take you down there,” she offers. “Just let me use the
bathroom and we can go,” she says, and slowly heads upstairs.
“What
are you going to get at the library?” Icie wonders.
“I don't know...” I reply. “Probably I'll my check holds. There
are some other things I have been wanting to get, too,” I
hypothesize.
In
the kitchen, I set my phone on the table and open the refrigerator. I
scan the leftovers and then open the deli drawer. Taking out the
salami and Swiss, I close the doors.
“Hey,
Mom!” a voice calls.
“You
looking for me or your mother?” I laugh, and set the food on the
counter. Rashell comes in with a huge smile on her face. “What has
you so happy?” I tease.
“Did I hear you say that mom is here too?” She avoids my
question. “Yeah, she's out back. So...what is it? Are you in love
or something?”
She looks at me, obviously about to shoot down the idea, but before
she can speak, Cletzo comes inside.
“Gosh!
It's getting warm today!” Cletzo complains.
“You're all sweaty!” Izzy states. “Did the kids teach you their
version of 'Foot ball'?”
“Kinda...” Cletzo
admits.
“Honey?” I interject, “Rashell is here, and I think she has
some news.” All eyes turn to our guest.
“I'm
graduating early,” Rashell states.
Doing some quick calculations, I recall that Rashell is in the same
grade as I am, so she is talking about graduating before
Christmastime, 2014.
Coming
back to reality, I hear Cletzo say, “Awesome, Honey! What are your
plans after that?”
“Well...” Rashell
starts, her eyes to the floor.
I see the concern on my wife's face. I smile. I have known Rashell
much more closely than Cletzo has. And I know she's faking it.
Rashell continues, mumbling, “I got accepted into a super girl
college.” “Cool! Which one?” Cletzo questions, tensely.
I can tell that Cletzo still thinks she has done something wrong. I
was the one who looked over the paper work with our little girl, and
I know she isn't allowed to say.
“I can't say the name,” Rashell explains, “It's part of the
program rules. But, it's like the super girl equivalent of Harvard!”
She is looking at Cletzo now. Her smile is huge and expectant.
Cletzo, however, looks very confused. She looks around the group,
finally stopping at me.
I sigh, “Harvard is an excellent human college. And she really
can't tell us. Like she said, it's part of the program she entered.”
Cletzo
looks at me, still confused.
“You do know she has been faking embarrassment this whole time,”
I explain.
“This is a really
good thing,” Icie adds.
“I'm ready when you are...” Nana calls, coming into the kitchen.
“I'm almost ready!” I call back, running past her as I go to
look for my phone and shoes. I find my flip flops by the door.
Picking them up, I notice the mud. I decide that I will need to wash
them before walking anywhere indoors. Carrying them past
Nana, I laugh, “I don't think I should go into the library with
these, without washing them.”
Nana follows me to the sink and moves the dishes out of the way. I
place the flip flops into the empty sink, soap and rinse them,
rubbing them until most of the mud is gone. Nana hands me a paper
towel and I dry the shoes. Slipping them on my feet, I go to find my
phone, running throughout the house, upstairs, downstairs, in the
living room. Frustrated, I go back to find Nana still in the kitchen.
She is scrubbing the sink.
“Have
you seen my phone?” I panic.
“Is
that it right there?” Nana points to the table.
“Ugh! Yes,” I grumble. I grab it and rush back to my bag in the
living room. Quickly I rummage through it, making sure everything is
there. After I am sure I have what I need, I look up at Nana.
“Ready?”
she smiles. “I think so,” I respond.
We
walk to the door. Opening it, I nearly run into Ethan. He looks at
me. I can see he is afraid.
“Let's
go to the car,” I say to him, as I direct him in the direction of
Nana's car. Looking back, I see Nana stepping slowly down the stairs.
I look back at Ethan. “You're OK,” I say, to comfort him. “Get
in the car.” Then I run back up the walk to help Nana in her slow
descent from the porch. “Thanks! I just need someone to help me
feel where 'plumb' is,” Nana says. “We need to get a rail on
those steps!” she exclaims.
We
walk to the car. As I put on my seat belt, I realize that Ethan is
more upset.
“Sorry, Honey. Can
I help in any way?”
He looks at me, the fear so clear in his eyes. His eyes meet the
floor as he speaks.
“He texted me this morning when you were helping Ms. S,” his
voice shakes. “He said if I don't come home to get what I deserve,
he would do that to my best friend.”
“Did
you respond?” I ask, as calmly as possible. “No.” He whimpers,
head in hands.
“Does this friend
know what's going on?” I question.
“He
knows what happened to me, but not that it's about to happen to him.
I don't know what to do. He will kill me if I go home. But I can't
bear to let him lay a hand on my friend.” He looks up at me with
red eyes and salt crusted cheeks. “Help....” he begs.
“Deep breath,” I insist. “The best option that I can see is to
bring your friend to stay with us as a Butterfly.” Waves of relief
and panic flood back and forth across his eyes. “Does that sound
like a good plan?” I ask.
“Yeah! But what next?! How will I be sure he doesn't go after the
whole school?!” he yells, now in extreme panic.
“Well then, the best plan is to lock your father up,” I state
simply. The look on his face shows an internal struggle.
“Alright,” he agrees, finally. “Can my friend still become a
Butterfly?” he asks.
“Of course. Should I call the girlz to take care of all this?” I
question. He nods as tears stream down his cheeks. I make the call
first to Aseeka. She answers and I relay the message. “Take Jess
and Wind with you. I know you can do a simple job like this alone,
but the more of you, the better.” Grumbling, she agrees.
Looking
up, I see that we are already at the library. I look over
at Ethan. His smile says he's feeling alright enough to go into the
library with us. Climbing out of the low car I grab my purse. I wait,
watching people exit the temporary library. I can't wait to see the
new library. I dig in my brain, trying to remember the old library
before the
construction began. It has been so long that only weak memories come
to mind.
“Only about a month before the grand opening!” I mention to Nana
as she shuts her car door.
“It's
going to be so cool!” she replies.
I nod in agreement as we head into the building. I relax in the
atmosphere. This is my place. I grab a basket and go quickly to the
'hold' shelf. Only three things out of the twenty I put on hold are
in. I put them in my basket and stand thinking. I make a mental list
of books, movies and CDs that I want to check out.
First, I head to the teen zone. Going through the shelves I quickly
select three books. Yet I still can't find the book I want.
Frustrated, I contemplate whether to give up or go look in the
catalog. I will only have 10 things out after the ones I just turned
in get checked back in. I turn and walk across the building. Between
the non-fiction and fiction I open the catalog. As I type the title
into the search bar, I hear Nana calling me.
"Tabby?”
"I'm
over here."
"I'm going over to the garden section, so if you are looking for
me, that's where I will be." Nana explains.
"Alright," I smile. "I'm not sure where I will be. Got
a lot to look for!" I respond.
Nana walks away and I turn back to my computer. As it pulls up my
search, disappointment floods in. The book I want is checked out. I
search a few others from the adult section. To my satisfaction, they
are all there. I write the call numbers down and head for the true
crime section. I find the books easily and put them in my basket.
Looking
across the library, I notice some classmates of mine looking through
the teen books. I decide to steer clear of them and go to the DVDs
first. I go straight to the non-fiction. Skimming the shelves,
getting lower and lower, my knees bend, and with a thunk my feet give
out. My butt hits the floor. “No worries,” I laugh to myself.
After selecting over ten movies, I push myself off the floor and make
my way to the comedies. As I am looking, Izzy comes up beside me.
"See
anything good?" I ask.
"Not really." she complains. "What kind of comedy do
they like?" "Oh I.D.K." I mumble.
"Well,
that's the problem," Izzy states. "How about this one."
She points to one.
I
stand there trying to decide if that was random choice or one with
thought. "We watched that already. It was more of a tragedy. Not
too much laughing in that one," I explain.
"Alright," she grumps. "What about this one?"
Izzy points to another DVD. "We have seen that, but not for a
long time." I pull it from the shelf. After reading the back, I
place it in my basket. "Works for me."
Looking up at the sound of the automatic doors, I hear myself saying
"Here we go again!"
Izzy
looks up. "Is that Val's class?" She questions. "Yep,"
I groan.
"You don't sound
too happy to see them,"Izzy points out.
"They're wonderful. But it's just one more thing to add to my
list," I explain.
"Ah... Well, I'm going to go say hi!" Izzy laughs, and
heads towards the group.
On my own again, I head for the CD's. I flip through the country
albums. I sense her coming up behind me. She may be able to sneak up
on nearly anybody, but she hasn't fooled me in years.
"What news do
you have, Aseeka?" I question.
" Jessica is dropping him off at the station and taking care of
the legal part, and Windy is on her way with the friend. Do you want
me to tell you his name?"
"Fine,
yes," I agree. "Kyle," she states.
"Kyle," I repeat. Looking up, I see Windy walking in with
Kyle. He locks eyes with me. I can see his confusion. I gesture with
my head to the young man sitting in a chair thumbing through a book.
"Ethan!"
Kyle screeches as he runs across the library. I smile.
Looking back at my search I leave them alone. I know that the other
girlz will take care of them. I select about six CDs. Although, I'm
not one to count. Having what I want and ready to head out, I wander
back toNana. "You about ready?" I ask.
"Not
quite," Nana responds.
I
note her stack. "How many are you checking out?" I laugh.
"Not that many," she responds. “Just these and a few over
on that table”. Behind me I hear tears falling, predictably
followed by the questioning. I know the girlz know better, but not
the class of Ms. Frizzle. The girlz do their best to defuse the
situation. I turn back to Nana, who now has doubled her pile.
"Can we go?"
I nag. "Please..."
“Sure, just a second” Nana says. But it takes her ten minutes
just to get her books from the stacks to to the pile on the table. I
carry most of her books and rush her through the checkout.
Once
in the car, I make my attempt to defuse the situation with Kyle. "Why
don't you guys come sit by me?" I offer.
Ethan
jumps at the opportunity and comes over without hesitation. Kyle,
however, hesitates. I look at my phone and let Ethan convince him to
come over.
"Did you explain to Kyle what it means to be a Butterfly?"
I ask Ethan. "He did." Kyle answers for his friend. "He
said it's a good thing and it will keep me safe."
"That's
right." I smile. "Becoming a Butterfly creates options,
such as me being in charge of your medical and legal issues, you
having a place to stay, and people you can count on for your whole
life."
Ethan looks at me, then nods at Kyle. "They will be there to
help you with anything. And I mean anything." I can feel the
emotion radiating off of him. A smile grows on my face.
"You're
welcome," I whisper.
We pull up to the front of Nan and Pop's house. Val's class, the
girlz, and everyone else pile out of the car.
"You know, I really enjoy Val's class," Izzy says.
"Speaking of Val, where is she?" I wonder.
"I
think she's with Dazel," Izzy offers.
Looking up, I see Uncle Rich is back from his job in Missouri and is
relaxing on his front porch next door.
“Hey!”
I call. “When do you plan to come for dinner this week?”
“Probably Friday,” Rich responds. “Tell your Mom and Dad...”
“All right!” I call back, disappointed that it's not sooner.
Then
I head up the steps to Nan and Pop's front door.
Once inside, I set my heavy library bags down in the living room.
"Good God, Girl!" Casie gasps, "What are you going to
look at first?"
"No
clue," I respond, out of breath. I walk over to the couch. Ethan
has his head in his hands and Kyle is working hard to not cry. I sit
down next to Kyle.
"It's
OK to cry," I explain.
He turns his watery eyes to mine. A tear slides down his cheek as he
shakes his head, no. "Thank you," he manages.
"You're
welcome. It's safe here. You're OK. We're all OK," I comfort
him. "Thank you," he says again in a whisper. I stand and
move to the middle of the couch and pat my shoulder. He leans against
me with his head on my shoulder. Looking at Ethan, I gesture to my
lap. He flops over and lays his head on my lap. They both cry until
their eyes run dry.
Reacting to a soft knock on the doorway, both guys jump. I put my
arms around them in an attempt to comfort them.
"It's just me," Dillon assures them. He turns to me.
"They're asking for Val. Ideas?"
"Is Dazel back?" I ask. "Yeah," He notes.
"Oh.
Have you called Val?"
"I tried. No answer. Dazel tried as well, with the same result,"
Dil informs me.
"Are
we missing Harper or Vic?" I question. "Both," he
states.
"Let
me call," I offer. Mentally, I connect to my phone and dial both
Harper and Victoria.
"What?!"
Victoria whines.
"Nice to hear from you too," I joke. "We're looking
for Val. Her class is here and we're tired of babysitting."
In the background I can hear Harper and Val. I make no attempt to
comprehend their conversation. I hear Vic say that they are on their
way, and she hangs up.
The
slow creaking of the stairs signals that Nana is on her way back
down. "Are you OK?" Nana asks me from the doorway.
"Yeah,"
I answer.
"Do you want a snack?" she offers. "Yeah. In a
minute." I watch her go.
"Time
to get up!" I encourage the two young men cuddling up with me.
Groaning, they agree. Heading into the kitchen they sit at the table.
I follow and head for the potato chip cabinet.
"You should call your Dad and let him know that Christina
couldn't make it," Nana reminds me.
I look at the clock. "Oh gosh! You're right! Christina was
scheduled to drop me at home in ten minutes!" I panic. I grab my
phone from my pocket.
Hitting Dad's speed dial, I place my phone to my ear. "Hey,"
A soft voice greets me.
"Hey, Mom," I answer. "First: I'm not sure why you're
answering Dad's phone. Second: Christina canceled. Nana and I went to
the library. Now, I'm back at Nana's. What now?"
"Well, I guess I
will come in and get you," Mom sighs.
Thanking her and hanging up, I turn to Nana. "Alright, snack!"
I laugh. I reach for the cookie tin on the table.
"Is
someone coming to get you?" Nana asks.
"Mom is," I explain through a mouth full of cookies. I
pause as I hear my herd of little ones coming through the door. I
turn. Morel and Jenna follow close behind.
"Hey, Girl!" Morel greets me. "Hey!" I respond.
"Haven't seen you in a while," she complains. "Isn't
it nice to have time off?" I tease.
"You
know what I mean," Morel smiles.
"One of these days we can hang out. I'm just super busy... with
the Butterfly, you know," I explain.
Morel
gives me a look saying that she doesn't quite believe me. I don't
really care. My attention is taken by little Eva using my legs to
help her stand.
"Precious
li'l thing," Morel coos.
With a quick look behind me, I see that Nana is busy at the sink.
Turning, I scoop Eva up. She wiggles in my arms. I hand her off to
Jessica as she walks into the room.
"Who's a good girl?" Jess giggles at Eva as they walk from
the room. I sigh. "Long day?" Jenna asks.
"Yeah. And it's not over yet," I breath. "Mommy!"
comes whining from the living room. I follow the noise of my young
one's cries.
"What do you need, Honey?" I reply. I try my best to hide
my frustration with their quarrels.
"Mommy!
She took my block!" Ruby (age 4) explains.
"NO! Daddy says it's my turn with the red block!" Annie
(age 3) insists. I give Dil a questioning look. He shrugs and joins
in the parenting. "Annie, I said you could use the red block for
five minutes and then it
would be Ruby's turn," Dillon reminds them. “And it has been
seven." He points at the digital clock. "See, the five has
become a two."
"But
my tower isn't done," Annie complains.
"So?!" Ruby shoots back. "Your turn is up!" she
hisses. Then, trying to be as cute as possible, she coos, "Right,
Daddy?"
Before
he can answer, a jumble of Noah and Mark (both just over a year old)
comes tumbling over the towers, scattering blocks everywhere. Noah,
who lands under Mark, begins to cry. Dil scoops him up in an attempt
to calm him. The tower builders begin their emotional outbursts.
Annie begins crying waves of silent tears. Ruby begins to grab the
blocks. Distracted by the fact that Mark has rolled over and is
trying to eat the blocks, I am surprised by a hand reaching out over
my head. Turning, I see Jess scolding Ruby. She can tell I'm puzzled.
"You got to keep an eye on this one," Jessica explains.
Turning to Ruby, she says, "Apologize to your brother for
throwing blocks at him."
"Sorry Mark,"
Ruby mumbles.
"And apologize to Mommy," Jess insists. "Why?"
Ruby complains.
"Because you nearly hit her with a block. Go on." I can
tell Jessica is running out of patience.
"Sorry,
Mommy," Ruby mumbles.
At this point, I have nearly forgotten the block in Mark's mouth. I
look over at him in panic.
"I'll
get him," Jess offers, and picks Mark up. Looking at me she
states, "It's up to you, but I don't see a reason for a time
out."
Ruby
looks up at me; I can tell she is attempting to use every bit of good
girl cuteness she has.
"Alright. No
time out. If you pick up the blocks," I agree.
Looking around I see Annie under the piano. I squat down to see her
eyes. To my surprise they are dry. Annie motions for me to come
closer. I
do, and she whispers, "I got the red block." As she pulls
it out, a huge smile appears on her face. I smile at her.
Hearing keys in the front door, I stand quickly. As I walk past,
Windy whispers, "Aren't you going to take the block?" I put
a finger to my lips as Ruby comes up to us.
"Mommy,
I can't find the red block," Ruby notifies me.
I reach behind me and duplicate the red block. "It's right
here," I smile. Ruby takes it and bounds away.
"Smart
girl," Jess compliments me. I sigh, "I always try."
The
door opens and I hear the bell tower ring 6:30. "Hey!"
Alison greets me. "You ready?"
"Almost..."
I state. Quickly, I look through my purse, double checking that I
have everything. To my satisfaction everything is accounted for. I
move on and take a peek in my library bag.
"Come
on!" Alison encourages.
"Working on it!" I hiss. I cross the room and slip on my
flip flops. "Got your phone and headphones?" Alison asks.
"Yep,"
I say, one hand flying to my neck and the other to my back pocket.
"I'm ready when you are."
"Alright!
Let's go!" Alison agrees. She opens the door. Shouldering my bag
I follow.
"We're
going!" Alison calls into the kitchen. Nana walks around the
door with open arms. I step into them and she hugs me.
"Will I see you
tomorrow?" Nana asks.
"Not sure. We'll let you know," I explain, feeling rushed
by the open door waiting for me.
"I'll
be here," Nana responds.
I run out the door and across the street to the car. Alison follows,
looking at her phone. I put on my headphones and we ride home in
silence. The others talk. I am absorbing myself in doing some quick
journaling and making a few lists.
We
pull into the driveway and I save my work. Slowly, I climb from the
car. With my purse and books in hand, I follow Alison inside. Our pet
dogs are excited to see me. They jump and bark.
"Down!
Get down!" Alison and I instruct.
As I walk through the living room, I fling my stuff onto the couch.
Kyle comes up to me. The fear in his eyes is strong.
"What's wrong?"
I ask.
"D-Don't
hurt me," Kyle trembles.
"I won't. I promise." I smile. "Come. Sit with me."
I offer, moving my stuff. He does as I say. I sit next to him. When I
look at him he shrinks back. "Honey, I'm not going to hurt you.
Talk to me. What scares you?"
"You
will be mad if I say," Kyle insists.
"That's very unlikely. There really isn't much that could make
me mad." Kyle wipes his eyes and reaches into his pocket.
Retrieving a paper, he hands it to me, shakily. I take it from him.
An address written in purple handwritten ink was scribbled on the
page.
"Whose address
is this?" I ask.
"The place I was kicked out of last week. They told me I
couldn't stay because I couldn't pay. I need somewhere to be. I would
love to stay here but I can't pay rent." Kyle had been wiping
his overflowing eyes so much that his sleeves were soaked.
I
suppress a laugh, managing to only smile.
"Kyle, a stay here would be 100% rent free. You would have no
bills and you wouldn't have to pay for food or clothes."
He looks to Ethan for
verification that my words are true.
Ethan nods and smiles. "She speaks the truth," Ethan
explains. "And this is a safe place. No one will hurt you here."
"Welcome
to the family," I reach out to Kyle. He hugs me.
"Thank
you!" he whispers into my hair. "I will always be
grateful."
I smile. "One of the best things is that you can stay as long as
you wish, and come back anytime, if you leave. All rent free."
He
hugs me tighter then pulls from my arms.
I head to my room and quickly shed my uncomfortable in town clothes.
I slip on a pair of yoga pants, a sleeping bra and camitop.
Coming
back into the group I ask, "Does anybody want to watch one of
the movies I got?"
With
nearly 100% agreement, I get out my library bag. After some debating,
we make a choice. Slipping it into the DVD player, I start the movie.
Hungry, I wander to the kitchen. With the same luck of that morning,
I am overjoyed when I find a box of pasta. Pushing the frustration of
no-clean- pots aside, I wash the pasta pot.
“What
the hell was that?!” Victoria asks.
I turn to see her leaning against the table. I know she is referring
to the interruption of her “Val-time”.
“Val was scheduled to be with her class at 4:30. She wasn't
answering, so I called you, too. If she is going to invite people,
such as her class, she needs to be with them. You know all of this.”
“Actually I didn't,” Vic explains. I was not informed that her
class was going to be over. But you are correct; she should stay on
top of that,” Vic explains.
Her
point is clear, but so is her jab at me. She's right. I can't keep
track of anything and often have other girlz help me with my work. I
stick my
tongue out at her and go back to washing the pot. Three rinses later
I fill the pot and start it heating.
I nearly walk into Tiffanee as I head to the living room. “Where's-?”
Tiffanee starts.
“Vic's in there,” I state, pointing to the kitchen. “Thanks,”
Tiff responds.
I
walk past her as she heads into the kitchen.
“How's the movie going?” I question in the living room. “Good,
Shhhh,” Jessica says.
I take my seat on the couch. The movie goes on about human evolution.
Looking around, I am surprised at the interest in the show coming
from everyone in the room. I look to the clock. 8:40. Time to check
the pasta water.
As
I enter the kitchen, I feel the tension in the air. I focus on my
pasta and ignore Tiffanee and Victoria, although, their desire to get
me involved is no slight presence in the room. Finally I can't stand
it.
"OK
what?" I ask.
"Look, I love her, and I don't really care what Val does with
her other dates, but I don't want her sending pictures to MY girlz,"
Victoria complains.
I look at her
puzzled. "Was there a message attached?"
"Yeah," Tiffanee replies. "It says, 'I thought you
said you were going to pick up during your time off yesterday'. There
are two pics attached: one of Dazel that I'm guessing you're too
polite to look at, and one of a messy room. Not sure where these were
taken, though."
"I don't feel the need to see any of them!" I exclaim,
slightly offended. "I'm guessing that there was some kind of
connection error, and they went to you instead of who they were meant
for. My guess is, they were meant for Makeeta," I hypothesize.
We stop as someone tries to enter the room. "Hey Tab! Can you
let me through?" Val calls. Before I can respond, Victoria
shouts,
"Get your
girlfriend housekeeper to let you in, Bitch!"
Glaring at Vic, I let Val through. Vic turns and buries her face in
Tiffanee's shoulder.
"What's
wrong, Honey?" Val asks Victoria.
Tiffanee motions for Valorie to come look at her phone. As Val gets
closer, Vic runs to me.
"Oh
God!” Valorie gasps. "That was meant for Makeeta! No wonder my
place is still a mess!"
She
turns to Victoria and motions for her to come sit with her. I am
surprised when the teary-eyed Victoria leaves my side and sits with
Val on
the
table. They begin to talk things out in a language I don't know.
I check the time: 8:53. The pasta is getting overdone. Quickly, I
find the drainer and it's clean. Score! I move just enough dishes so
that I can drain the pasta with some safety. I drain the pasta and
successfully manage to not get covered in boiling water. Dumping the
pasta back into the pot, I turn to the other three girlz in the
kitchen. I smile at the sight of Val and Vic's lips locked together.
I shrug at Tiffanee and head to the refrigerator. With blue cheese
dressing in hand, I grab a bowl from the dishwasher, excitedly.
"Someone did dishes!" I giggle. I scoop some pasta and pour
plenty
of
dressing on top. I add some black pepper and herbs. Taking a fork
from the dishwasher, I head into the living room, followed by
Tiffanee. Dazel gets up when I enter.
"Sorry,
let me get out of your spot." Dazel offers.
Some days, I would insist that she keep it, but I am starving and not
really in the mood to be nice. Tiffanee gives me a worried look. It's
obvious to me that she is unsure if she should tell Dazel about the
photo.
"I
have no say in that," I state. "Talk to your girl."
Picking up my phone, I multitask. Browsing Listia and watching a
movie I have seen multiple times is pretty easy. When the show ends,
I stretch.
Tossing
my phone down, I get up and head for the kitchen. As I pull down my
'tackle box' full of meds, I hear someone enter the room behind me.
"Tabby?" Dazel asks in a soft voice. "Did I do
something wrong? It's just the way Tiffanee was looking at me... I
thought maybe I messed up somehow."
"Dazel, In my opinion, no one has done anything 'wrong'. Now, I
have not seen these for myself, but you are a smart, kind person and
I think you should know. It has come to my knowledge that there was a
text meant for Makeeta that included some attachments.
Somehow, Tiffanee got it instead." I explain.
Dazel's
eyes hit the floor. "Who all saw them?" she asks. "As
far as I know, just Victoria, Tiffanee, and Valorie." I list.
"OK," Dazel breaths.
"If it makes you feel better, I don't think Vic or Tiffanee will
be cruel about this," I offer. "They're good people. Vic
said earlier that it does not bother her that you and Val are a
thing. That was just more than she wanted to see."
"Yeah,"
Dazel mumbles. "Thanks."
After
I take my meds, we head back into the living room.
"Hey guys," I address the whole room. "It is Saturday
night, and that means that it's my night for me. I'm not sure if I
will have my appointment or not, but still, everybody out!" I
instruct.
As everyone files into the group rooms, I feel Harper come up beside
me. Hugging my arm she asks,
“Until
we hear from your appointment, can I lay with you?”
“Sure, Bubblegum,” I respond, plugging in my phone and
headphones. We change into pajamas and climb into bed.
"
'Night love," She whispers, wrapping her arms around me. "
'Night," I whisper in response. Almost asleep, I mumble, "I
hope my appointment does not show. I'm too sleepy.”
We
are both soon asleep, awaiting what all tomorrow will bring.
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