When I was little I thought my mommy and daddy were perfect in every way.
Mommy loved us and never neglected us and daddy, although he was always
going away on trips, cause of his job, always showered gifts and kisses and
hugs on us when he was home. He was supposed to be home three hours ago.
Uncle Gerald and Aunt Phoebe were with us and so were a few other people we
knew. I looked at mommy. She had this look on her face that I had never
seen before. She was scared. Mommy was never scared.
"Helga" Uncle Gerald said getting up and walking over to mommy. "Maybe you've been replaced," he said. Mommy glared at him. They didn't like each other, and according to daddy never had.
"Now if only he would replace you, we could all be happy" she retorted, her voice dripping with poison. "Oh! Here come's a car now," Aunt Phoebe said. Gerald and Phoebe aren't really our aunt and uncle. But we grew up calling them that so that's what we always called them.
"Jessica, James" she said turning to look at us. The worry had left her face, which was good. I think. She looked out the window again...then suddenly paled. "Oh God," I heard her whisper. She rushed to the door and opened it.
"What's wrong?" Gerald asked getting up. Phoebe looked over at us then at him and shook her head.
"Jessie, James, go find Keith and Keri," she said to us. We turned and started upstairs to the playroom and got the twins and came back down just in time to see mommy collapse and cry. She looked up at us when Keri had said "Mommy?" I looked out and saw the police car driving off and looked again at mommy. She didn't have to tell me anything. I screamed.
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We had never ever met mommy's family and they had never met us. The pain of daddy's death was still fresh in our hearts. No one liked to mention his name. If mommy saw a photo of him or heard his name she burst into tears. It was horrible. The flight attendant told everyone to put up their seats and their trays away and fasten our seat belts because we were landing. We were going to stay with our real aunt, Olga. If I hadn't been so sad I think I would have laughed at the name. What a stupid name. Olga. Then I thought it could be mistaken for Ogre. Mommy laughed when I said this. "If Olga is anything its not an ogre," she muttered and had gone back to packing. We grabbed everything except the kitchen sink (and mommy would have taken that too, if she had known how to remove it) and left. We sold the house and it was sad to give it up. We had so many happy and loving memories there.
Quarter of an hour later our plane landed and we stared getting off. We walked through the tunnel thing that led out to arrivals. Mommy kept telling us to think of it as an adventure. That's what she did. Apparently mommy was good at sticking her head in the sand. A little too good I sometimes thought.
"There she is," mommy said uncertainly looking at a woman who was pretty, in a fake, patronizing way. She looked over at us and smiled. But it wasn't a smile full of warmth and love or even friendliness. It was a show smile. The kind you put on when you were actually incapable of really, truly smiling. I didn't like her.
"Hello Olga" mommy said in a clipped voice. She saw through the disguise too. After all mommy was a REALLY good actress. She used to work at the local theatre and was really popular with the regulars.
"Helga" she said in a voice coated in sugar. Now I didn't trust her or like her. Bad combo as Uncle Gerald would have said. "And these are the...children...you and....Arnold?" she spat the word out like it was a sour lemon. Had? "Cute," she looked at the twins and her eyes started glowing with a really weird light. It made me kind of scared...
"I had twins...a couple of years ago...but one died and the other followed suit not long after..." Her voice trailed off as she continued to look the twins over. She nodded and smiled then lifted her head to glare at mommy. "Well, if your coming hurry up, Jonathan is waiting for us in the car," she said softy and turned on her heel. She started to walk away but stopped and turned to look at the twins. "May I?" she asked me taking Keri's hand and then grabbing Keith's. I looked to mommy to stop her and saw her wearing the strangest expression. She must have known I was watching her for she turned and forced a smile.
"Well let's go," she said and started towards the thing that had people's luggage. We hadn't taken much, just clothes, some toys and anything we had a sentimental attachment to.
When we had our stuff we followed Olga out to the front where she hopped in a car and a shuifour helped mommy put our bags in the boot...then we were off.
"Helga" Uncle Gerald said getting up and walking over to mommy. "Maybe you've been replaced," he said. Mommy glared at him. They didn't like each other, and according to daddy never had.
"Now if only he would replace you, we could all be happy" she retorted, her voice dripping with poison. "Oh! Here come's a car now," Aunt Phoebe said. Gerald and Phoebe aren't really our aunt and uncle. But we grew up calling them that so that's what we always called them.
"Jessica, James" she said turning to look at us. The worry had left her face, which was good. I think. She looked out the window again...then suddenly paled. "Oh God," I heard her whisper. She rushed to the door and opened it.
"What's wrong?" Gerald asked getting up. Phoebe looked over at us then at him and shook her head.
"Jessie, James, go find Keith and Keri," she said to us. We turned and started upstairs to the playroom and got the twins and came back down just in time to see mommy collapse and cry. She looked up at us when Keri had said "Mommy?" I looked out and saw the police car driving off and looked again at mommy. She didn't have to tell me anything. I screamed.
************ ******************* ********************** **************
We had never ever met mommy's family and they had never met us. The pain of daddy's death was still fresh in our hearts. No one liked to mention his name. If mommy saw a photo of him or heard his name she burst into tears. It was horrible. The flight attendant told everyone to put up their seats and their trays away and fasten our seat belts because we were landing. We were going to stay with our real aunt, Olga. If I hadn't been so sad I think I would have laughed at the name. What a stupid name. Olga. Then I thought it could be mistaken for Ogre. Mommy laughed when I said this. "If Olga is anything its not an ogre," she muttered and had gone back to packing. We grabbed everything except the kitchen sink (and mommy would have taken that too, if she had known how to remove it) and left. We sold the house and it was sad to give it up. We had so many happy and loving memories there.
Quarter of an hour later our plane landed and we stared getting off. We walked through the tunnel thing that led out to arrivals. Mommy kept telling us to think of it as an adventure. That's what she did. Apparently mommy was good at sticking her head in the sand. A little too good I sometimes thought.
"There she is," mommy said uncertainly looking at a woman who was pretty, in a fake, patronizing way. She looked over at us and smiled. But it wasn't a smile full of warmth and love or even friendliness. It was a show smile. The kind you put on when you were actually incapable of really, truly smiling. I didn't like her.
"Hello Olga" mommy said in a clipped voice. She saw through the disguise too. After all mommy was a REALLY good actress. She used to work at the local theatre and was really popular with the regulars.
"Helga" she said in a voice coated in sugar. Now I didn't trust her or like her. Bad combo as Uncle Gerald would have said. "And these are the...children...you and....Arnold?" she spat the word out like it was a sour lemon. Had? "Cute," she looked at the twins and her eyes started glowing with a really weird light. It made me kind of scared...
"I had twins...a couple of years ago...but one died and the other followed suit not long after..." Her voice trailed off as she continued to look the twins over. She nodded and smiled then lifted her head to glare at mommy. "Well, if your coming hurry up, Jonathan is waiting for us in the car," she said softy and turned on her heel. She started to walk away but stopped and turned to look at the twins. "May I?" she asked me taking Keri's hand and then grabbing Keith's. I looked to mommy to stop her and saw her wearing the strangest expression. She must have known I was watching her for she turned and forced a smile.
"Well let's go," she said and started towards the thing that had people's luggage. We hadn't taken much, just clothes, some toys and anything we had a sentimental attachment to.
When we had our stuff we followed Olga out to the front where she hopped in a car and a shuifour helped mommy put our bags in the boot...then we were off.