Y – Yackity Yack
"Hey, mom!" Fitz smiled as he dropped his backpack inside the back door and grabbed a still warm cookie from the cooling rack on the kitchen table.
Melinda turned from pulling another tray from the oven and glared at the sack on the floor.
"I won't leave it there." The boy defended himself around a mouthful as he reached for another.
Melinda set down her tray and shook her head. "You're going to spoil your dinner and those are for the school bake sale on Saturday."
Fitz smiled. "They'll be the best seller. I'm quite certain." He dodged her swat as he grabbed a third cookie. "No one makes chocolate cherry cookies like you, mom."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Fitz." Melinda grinned as she slid the new batch to the cooling racks on the table.
Fitz munched for a moment then noticed something missing. "I thought Skye was supposed to be helping. Isn't this for her school?"
"Your sister is spending a little time contemplating the value of discretion." Melinda huffed as she continued her work.
"Mmmm," Fitz nodded around his chewing. "Attitude difficulties?"
"Nothing I can't adjust," Melinda answered. "It seems Skye disagrees with that."
Fitz laughed as he reached for his backpack. "Perhaps it has to do with her turning ten in a few weeks. She's entering early adolescence." He shook his head. "I believe something may occur in the brain during that time that makes young people forget everything they've been taught and think they know more than every other person."
Melinda stood back and snorted. "You certainly did."
Fitz blushed then laughed. "And you certainly did show me I did not."
Melinda moved close to her son and took his face in her hands. "And look what a beautiful, well mannered young man you've become." She kissed his forehead and patted his cheeks gently.
Fitz hiked his backpack on to one shoulder and smirked as his mother stood back. He turned to leave then looked over his shoulder with a frown. "I wouldn't hold out much hope for young Skye. She is definitely in a league of her own."
Melinda moved to begin cleaning up the kitchen mess but smiled at her son. "Ah yes, but I am still team manager and for the time being she is benched."
The boy laughed as he made his way down the hall and up the stairs.
xx
Fitz dropped his pack inside the door of his bedroom then proceeded down the hall to the room closest to his parents. Finding it slightly ajar he pushed it open and found Skye perpendicular across the bed with tips of her toes against the wall and her head a few inches from the floor. Her hair hung down in long strands. He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest.
"So, what did you do this time?" He snorted at his little sister.
Skye let her arms fall down so each lay on either side of her head. "How long does it take all the blood to run to your head and kill you?" She moaned. "Will your eyes pop out or do you drown in your own spit?"
Fitz rolled his eyes. "You'd have to be there a considerable amount of time, most likely hours and the cause of death is generally asphyxia or brain hemorrhage. Your body wasn't made to hang upside down, hence your lungs are on top." He turned his head to look at her inverted form. "Technically you are not hanging nor are you upside down, just bent over the edge of the bed which might help stretch the kinks out of your neck or give you a nasty headache, but certainly won't kill you."
Skye let out a fluttery breath and rolled over, still hanging over the bed. She bounced the tips of her fingers on the floor causing her body to rock up and down and let out an ooff with each bounce.
"And that, little sister," Fitz sighed, "will more than likely cause you to vomit."
Sliding forward, the little girl slowly and gently flipped backward and landed spread eagle on the floor. She stared at the ceiling and let out a long breath. "Momma thinks I'm a baby."
"You are her baby." Fitz smirked, "always will be."
Skye lifted all four limbs and let them fall back to the floor. She turned her head to the side and let her tongue loll out while she crossed her eyes. "M ot m ba ba" she spoke around her tongue.
"So what did you do?" Fitz asked again.
Rolling to her tummy, Skye propped her chin on her hands and kicked her bare feet back and forth. "I didn't do anything."
Fitz looked at the floor and let out a snort. "Mom sent you to your room to exercise, is it then?"
Skye spun around, sat up and bounced her head against the side of the bed. "Oh, you know her, always thinking you say the wrong thing the wrong way and getting all upset when you try to explain something she just won't understand."
"Ahhh, talking back was it then?" Fitz smiled, already knowing the answer.
"I wasn't talking back," Skye threw her head back and spoke through her teeth. "I was just trying to make her see my point."
Fitz nodded as he walked across the room and plopped down on the edge of Skye's bed. She was still staring up at the ceiling. "What exactly was your point?"
Looking at her older brother with just her eyes she growled. "I want to ride my bike to school."
Fitz laughed out loud. "Skye, don't be ridiculous that is almost two miles."
"That is not far on a bike, Fitz, and lots of kids ride their bikes to school." Skye argued.
"Those that live much closer I am sure." Fitz informed her.
Skye shook her head. "Brently Marshall lives almost three miles away and he rides every day."
Fitz looked at her and shook his head. "Brently Marshall lives with his grandmother two blocks from St. Barts. His mother lives three miles away and he only sees her on weekends."
Skye slapped her arms over her chest and let out a huff. "That's still three miles. I shoulda just did it without asking. Then there wouldn't be so much of everybody telling me I can't."
The older boy tousled his baby sister's hair. "If you did that you'd be in a lot more trouble than you are now and you'd probably never see that bike again, even if you could manage to sit on the seat."
Pulling her knees up to her chest, Skye wrapped her arms around them and hid her face behind them. "She'd have to catch me first." She mumbled inside.
"Don't get any stupid ideas, Skye." Fitz warned as he stood. "Mom's almost done in the kitchen. She'll be up here to talk to you soon so you best start adjusting your attitude."
Skye's head popped up. "Is she still really angry like talking all quiet and making her eyes squinty?" She imitated the look Fitz knew very well. He chuckled at how much she resembled their mother.
Stopping at the door, Fitz turned and shook his head. "No, but she's only about this far from it." He held his finger and thumb about a half inch apart.
Skye let out an exaggerated sigh and slid sideways to the floor then rolled and planted her face in the rug.
xx
Fitz was very wrong. It was a long, long time before Momma knocked on the door and in those fifteen minutes Skye managed to roll under the bed and find the sneaker she'd thought she'd lost, seventy-five cents, a purple crayon, two pencils and the lollipop she'd stashed in her nightstand for emergencies. She figured she must have fallen asleep with it in her mouth and it just slipped down between the bed and the wall. She rolled back out and lay on the floor staring at it. It didn't look too bad, just had a bunch of rug fuzz stuck to it. She could probably just wash it off in the tub the next time Momma made her take a bath and it would be fine. She shrugged once and tossed it into the drawer along with the change, the crayon and the pencils.
Skye stood and let out a long frustrated breath then let herself fall face first on to her mattress burying her face in her pillows. Salty flopped to one side. She reached out and pulled the ratty old stuffed animal into a one armed hug, lifted both legs from the knee down and dropped them over and over on the bed.
Melinda entered the room and stood with her hands on her hips watching her youngest in the throes of a prepubescent temper tantrum. She gave the girl a few seconds then cleared her throat and waited. Skye's feet dropped a second before she rolled over and sat up.
"Hi, Momma," she greeted Melinda with a little finger-wiggle-wave.
"Hmmm," Melinda glared then sat down next to her little girl. She stared into Skye's eyes with her most intense glare. "So, have you changed your mind?"
"Have you?" Skye's eyebrows shot up in anticipation.
"Skye," Melinda warned as her voice rose in pitch.
"Momma," Skye whined back. "You gotta stop treating me like a baby."
Melinda clenched her teeth and counted to ten in her mind. "Skye," she breathed. "This has nothing to do with being a baby and everything to do with safety. You are absolutely not going to ride your bike to school. End of discussion."
"But, Momma," the girl whined again.
"Enough, Skye, I'm done. No more." Melinda warned.
Skye stood and stomped one foot. "You never let me do anything!"
Melinda folded her arms over her chest. "Absolutely, I keep you locked away never allowing you to swim or skate or what was that you wanted last weekend…." She tapped a finger on her temple and looked to the ceiling. "Oh yeah, paintball and climbing that rock wall and let's see soccer and basketball and…"
"That's not what I mean." Skye shouted. "I mean things I want to do."
Melinda half smiled a little inverted pout and pointed to herself. "You're saying I made you do all those things?"
Skye shook her head. "No, but you won't let me do what I want." She drew a deep breath determined not to cry.
"Baobei, what you want to do is dangerous and it is much too far for you to go alone and we have been all over this." Melinda took the girl's hands in her own and explained again.
Skye pulled free and stomped again. "It's not fair!" She quickly pointed a finger at her mother. "And don't tell me life isn't fair! That's not fair either!"
"You are getting dangerously close to a very uncomfortable situation, Skye. I've had just about enough of this whole thing." Melinda warned as her eyes narrowed, but her little girl did not take the hint.
"So have I!" Skye shouted, fists clenched at her side.
Melinda drew a deep breath, took her little girl by the upper arms and sat her down on the bed. "I think it's time you took a breath and reined it in. Apparently, an hour was not nearly enough time for you to calm yourself."
"There aren't enough hours," Skye mumbled into her own chest.
Melinda put a finger under the girl's chin and lifted it to look into her eyes. "If you have something to say, I suggest you say it out loud."
Skye pulled her head away. "No, you'll just get mad."
"Oh, I am way past angry, Skye and you are way past a few hours in your room." Melinda exhaled.
"I don't care!" The little girl shot back.
Melinda stood and glared down at her defiant child. "Then it won't matter that you stay here while I take a few minutes to calm down."
"Whatever," Skye growled back.
Melinda drew a very deep breath and narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice to a calm, quiet growl. "No bicycle until you understand the dangers I've explained three times."
Skye's mouth dropped opened. "You can't!"
"Can't I?" Melinda replied as she moved to the door. She pulled it open and turned back to the little girl still snarling silently. "You can stay here and wait for me because when I return you and I are going to have that very uncomfortable conversation and I promise you will remembering it for quite a while." She exited the room and pulled the door closed quietly.
Skye waited until she was sure her mother had gone to the first floor. She grabbed the pillow from the bed and flung it at the door. "I don't care!" She shouted at it.
But she did and Momma was really mad and she was really gonna get it and she really needed to learn when to stop yakking.
Maybe she was crazy…
xx
It lasted longer than Skye thought and Momma was right she wasn't going to forget it for a long time. She was pretty sure there were handprints this time because she could feel them simmering on her seat even though she was curled into Melinda's lap on that ever present rocking chair. In times like this she was glad she was petite and still fit comfortably.
Momma let her cry and didn't lecture. It wasn't necessary. They'd been through it all before Momma pulled her over her knees. Her attitude was uncalled for and totally disrespectful, there were no excuses and if this was the way it was going to be they would be having an awful lot of these discussions.
"Momma, do you think I'm crazy?" Skye asked around a sniffle.
Melinda smiled and patted the girl's backside gently. She kissed the top of her head. "No, baobei I think you're growing up and sometimes getting just a little too big for your breeches."
Skye sniffled into the tissue she held. "I don't have britches." Melinda chuckled and kissed the girl again.
"But I could be crazy. Jemma says that doing the same thing over and over and thinking things will be different is being crazy. She says some people think Einstein said that and he's the smartest guy ever. But it coulda been Ben Franklin or Mark Twain.".
"You are not crazy, baobei. I promise you are just having a hard time understanding you aren't an adult and I am having a hard time letting you turn into one." She hugged the little girl closer.
"Does that mean I can ride my…" Skye started, hushed with Melinda's finger over her lips.
"Does it also mean you want another spanking?" Melinda whispered close to her ear. Skye shook her head and snuggled closer to her mother.
"See, I'm doing it again. You keep telling me about my sucky attitude and I keep doing it anyway and then you tan my butt and I just do it again."
"Don't say sucky, Skye." Melinda sighed.
"What if the lady that birthed me was crazy? What if that's why she left me at St. Agnes? What if I'm crazy like her?" Skye sat up, put her hands on Melinda's shoulders and stared into her face.
Melinda tucked the girl's hair behind her ears then took her hands into her own and kissed both. She looked back into her baby's eyes. "Honestly, Skye we don't know anything about your birth mother. She left no clues and no one has ever come forward. Some people think she was crazy for leaving you, but I always believed she was brave and loved you very much but just couldn't give you everything you needed so she put you where she knew someone would find you and make sure you got to the family who would do just that."
Skye searched her mother's eyes and found the truth then laid her head back against Melinda's shoulder. She listened to Melinda's heartbeat and relaxed into the back and forth motion of the rocking chair.
"Momma?" Skye sniffled.
"Mmmm?" Melinda smiled.
"I'm sorry." The little girl whispered. "I'm sorry I talked back and hurt your feelings."
"Hurt my feelings?" Melinda wondered. She felt Skye nod against her chest.
"It hurts when people you love talk mean to you, even if you're a mom. I was really mean so I'm sorry." Skye breathed.
Melinda smiled. "Well, thank you Skye. That means a lot." She kissed the girl's head and rocked a bit slower.
"Momma?"
"Yes, Skye," Melinda smiled again
"Do I have to grow up?"
"I think it just happens, baobei. No one can stop it."
"But we won't be able to talk like this anymore." The little girl sniffled and quickly wiped her nose.
Melinda hugged her closer. "Oh, baobei I will always have time to talk with you no matter how big you get."
"But I'll be too big to sit on your lap and rock in this chair." Skye sighed.
"Mmmm," Melinda chuckled. "Then maybe I'll sit on your lap."
Skye laughed. "That would be silly. Maybe we can get a bigger rocker and we can both sit in it."
"Maybe we can, but for right now we can just sit here and enjoy being close." Melinda sighed.
Skye nodded and was quiet for a few moments. "Momma?"
"Yes, baobei."
"I think I'd like our talks more if they didn't have a spanking with them."
"Me too, baobei."
"Maybe we could do this everyday, like when I was really little."
"I'd like that."
"Me too"
"Momma?"
"Mmmm"
"Can you show me how to Tai Chi?
Melinda stopped rocking and looked down at her daughter. Skye had often sat and watched as she went through the calming exercise but had never shown interest in participating. "Of course, baobei. I would love to teach you."
"Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow," Melinda resumed the slowly rhythmic rocking.
"Momma?" Skye asked around a yawn.
"Skye?" Melinda smiled.
"I want to be just like you." The little girl sighed as her eyes fluttered closed and her breathing became slow and steady.
Melinda rocked, patting her child's back softly. She recalled the many times she'd sat with her mother and talked well into the night about important things and about nothing. She thought of the times she spent chatting with Fitz when he could not sleep and the many conversations she shared with Jemma.
Yes, she would be there for her baby and yes eventually she would have to let go and let her youngest spread her wings despite the dangers out there…but not today.
Today she'd rock and hum and maybe just close her eyes and remember.