A Tricky Grey Area…
By: SW
Night had once again fallen over the Bluth house. An eerie silence filled each room. The kind that could only be heard late, so late that everyone was asleep and unable to break the unusual quiet. Tobias smiled, clutching his pillow, dreaming of interest other then his wife who lay next to him. Lindsey laid perfectly still, mouth slightly agape from the teamocil she took for dinner. Across the hall GOB cradled Franklin in his arms, mumbling incoherent racial slurs. In the room next to him slept Michael, tossing and turning fitfully with fears of losing everything. Above everyone's heads slept George Senior, sprawled across a tea table surrounded by dolls. Yes everyone lay asleep inside the Bluth home, everyone except George Michael. Staring up at the mattress above his head, listening intently to the soft shallow breathing of Maeby. She had fallen asleep about an hour ago, after murmuring in her sleep for half an hour. George Michael had listened closely, trying hard to understand her dreams. Words like, "shots" and "reels" had been repeated several times. And for a second he thought he had actually heard her say, "Marry me!" but knew it was no more then his own hope full wants causing him to misunderstand her. Then just as she turned over, he thought he caught her whisper,
"I want..." but no that was nothing but the chirping birds outside welcoming the new day.
It felt like no time at all after George Michael had shut his eyes to sleep that loud noises, awoke him; the sweet smell of lavender and citrus wafting up through the air. Opening his tired eyes, he saw as he expected steam swirling around toward the ceiling. Maeby's voice carrying to him from the cracked bathroom door: "If I can't have your love then I don't want anybody at all…." Closing his eyes he imagined her words were just for him, smiling he fell back into dreams. "Are you going with me? She stopped brushing her hair from the vanity to regard him rubbing sleep out of his groggy eyes. "Going with you?" he asked looking confused. "Yeah to school" she replied simply. Wearing only her white bath robe, he found it hard to focus on her questions. Suddenly pausing she noticed George Michaels's silent gaze, sighing she turned back toward the mirror. He watched her reflection, transfixed by her image. It was only after she had put down the brush that she met his eyes in the mirror….and smiled.
"Wake up buddy, your late." Rolling over George Michael came face to face with his father. Michael really couldn't understand his son at times. How could he be so tired and over sleep like this when he went to bed no later then eight last night? Hadn't he asked his son to take Maeby to school, it wasn't like him to be this irresponsible. Maeby, how could he forget? RecalledGeorge Michael suddenly. Just before dinner yesterday his father had asked him to make sure she went to school, something about excess absences. This made sense, being that he hadn't seen her in the halls recently. So then that meant he hadn't been dream and she really did smile at him. "Get dressed; since you're already late I'll get us breakfast. What difference will a few minutes make?" George Michael brightened, "Really?" Ruffling his hair Michael grinned, "Yes really you are my favorite son. But let's hurry okay." Reaching for the door, Michael stopped momentarily wondering how much difference a few minutes would make leaving the office with only GOB in charge.
"One large black coffee, and scrambled eggs with a side of bacon; and French toast with chocolate milk for you." Announced the waitress, putting down their plates. "Oh wow dad thanks for all this, you didn't have too." Beamed George Michael "Didn't have to of course I did, I really do miss spending time like this with you." Assured Michael "But what about the company?" asked George Michael shoveling French toast into his mouth, with excited zealous. "Oh I'm not worried about that now; I'm spending time with you." But of course Michael was worried about that now, and had chosen a restaurant just a quick sprint down the street from his office to ease his mind. "Well anything you might have on your mind you want to talk to your old man about, something about that friend of yours egg?" "Egg, don't you mean Ann?" "Oh yeah her" Sipping his coffee Michael casually checked his watch. "Ann and I aren't really seeing each other now." Visibly cheered to hear this Michael smiles, "Well I'm sure you'll find someone else George Michael, so don't sweat it." He reached over and patted George Michael on the shoulder. "But Dad I've kind of been meaning to tell you that there is…" Just as George Michael was saying, someone else: just as the words came out, so did Michaels cell phone, quickly put to his ear, one hand held up in an attempt to pause the moment. "He did WHAT? I'm on my way. Shoving the phone into his pocket and quickly swigging down the rest of coffee, Michael stood up and threw George Michael the stair car keys. "Something's come up; I trust you to take yourself to school. We'll finish this conversation another time." Throwing down some money he took off out the door and out of sight; racing desperately toward GOB's new disaster. Sitting alone still staring at the spot his father had just been occupying, George Michael suddenly felt very alone. Getting up to grab a newspaper on the counter across from him, he ruffled through it until he found something interesting. Going back to eating, he read in silence, until seeing Maeby on page four. Gasping, he suddenly jumped up, only to realize it was her walking into the restaurant, he was seeing her through an article someone had cut in the paper. Tossing it on the table, he didn't notice the blue paint prints covering the first and last pages.
Lindsey's day so far had turned out miserable, not only had her large pictured personal ad gone un-called upon, but there was also blue paint everywhere from her husband, Tobias. How could this happen to her? She spent a lot of money on that ad, right on page four. The closest she could get to the front page. Annoyed she ventured out of the model home to find the closest newspaper and see if maybe there was a typo in her name that called her, Flimsy Funk of something unappealing of that nature. But what she found on page four, wasn't the impression she had hoped to make. Right under her smiling face with a list of her hobby's there was a second section donning an angry looking photo of GOB raising up a sword, with a simple sentence underneath. "Call her, and be prepared to get cut…..Down there!" Red with rage, Lindsey threw down the paper, and stomped off to find her loathsome brother.
Tobias still apt to following his estranged wife's every move had stumbled upon a receipt from the newspaper about a personal ad. Deciding he must put a stop to this, he coved himself in blue paint the night before the ad's release. To make him blend in with the surroundings and also because he just enjoyed bluing himself: And was now going all over town, trying his best to cut out all of her ads. What he didn't know was that GOB had seen Lindsey the prior day at the newspaper's personal ad location, and determined not to let anyone with sexual intentions near his sister. Quickly went inside to place his own ad, in an effort to be a "good big brother" as he had once seen in a lifetime movie. He figured being a "good big brother" meant keep other guys away from her, as had happened in the movie he saw. Feeling she would be proud of his protection offered, he gladly handed the ad salesman one of the many pictures he carried of himself and his old sword.
Maeby's day had started out good enough; she thought George Michael would take her to school so she wouldn't have to worry about her job for a day. Only George Michael wouldn't wake up, so she went on to work anyway. It was after being yelled at by the boss, when a college intern offered to take out to breakfast. Looking for any escape she had agreed, which had now led her here. Standing in the doorway of some breakfast diner, waiting for what's-his-face to park the car and pay for her meal. Everything seemed to be going as expected, everything until she looked up to find George Michael standing in front of her.