Didn't think you would ever see one of these again, right?
The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me. There are some little babies that do belong to me, though.
Thank you to Chelzie, my dearest beta, who must deal with the cray that is my writing.
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's read "Two Wrongs" and all other one-shots from this universe.
This is dedicated to you.
"Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She'll beat you if she's able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet…"
-The Eagles
From the POV of our wonderful patriarch, Mr. Mellark.
This takes place a little over six months after "Resolutions".
Desperado
By JLaLa
Daly City, CA
"My God, this baby is heavy," Katniss tells my son as we walk up the crowded block. "I feel like I'm about to drop the thing on the concrete." She looks over at Peeta. "I swear—no more."
"Sure, sis," Prim, my daughter, says with a laugh. "Try saying that in a few months when you realize how wonderful your husband's washboard abs are and then decide to push him up against a bakery oven."
"That was a secret, Prim!"
Prim looks over at her fiancé, Cato, who is carrying my granddaughter, India, or Indy as we call her— to see if she is looking at them and she is.
Instead, Prim turns her index, middle and ring fingers out horizontally. "Read between the lines." Her diamond engagement ring sparkles in the evening fog. "That's for telling everyone about the Mayes Oyster Bar incident during the engagement party!"
"Okay, Primmy," Peeta says as he rubs Katniss' back. "We're sorry, okay?"
"Sorry doesn't get my granny panties off their website!"
"Where is the house?" Cato asks suddenly as we round the rows of interconnected houses.
Structurally, the houses are all the same: square fronts with two large rectangular windows, metal gates and large garages. They are painted different colors, though in the fog, it is hard to decipher the colors or the home numbers on the dimly lit signs.
"Ba de ya - say do you remember
Ba de ya - dancing in September
Ba de ya - never was a cloudy day…"
The music comes from the house directly across the street from us. It's a faded yellow with cars parked in the driveway, in front of the driveway and along the wire fence. I can hear the sounds of laughter and from the brightly lit windows, I see people walking about.
It is Carrie's father Rogelio's 60th birthday, and we—the Mellarks—have been invited to attend.
Carrie, my daughter-in-law, insisted.
For someone so small, she could look ten feet tall if she needed to and that's how we all found ourselves here.
"I think we follow the 'Earth, Wind, and Fire,'" I tell them with a smile.
"I'm starving," Katniss says as she rubs her enormous belly. "Two more weeks, right?" She looks over at Peeta with a smile.
"Two more," he assures her before kissing her.
It is hard to believe that Katniss and Peeta ended up married.
Both were great commitment phobes; Peeta loved to play the field, except for that train wreck of a girlfriend in high school, and Katniss was with Marvel, who ended up with my son, Rye.
Yes, my son.
Their daughter, Sonny, is in elementary school now.
"Let me call Carrie."
Prim reaches for her phone as we get to the front of the house, but stops when she sees that the garage is opening.
Inside, square tables are set-up with a group of four playing mah-jong. We walk inside hearing the sounds of tiles being tossed about.
"What is this?" Cato says as he walks to one of the tables.
One of the players, an older woman, looks up at him and winks.
Prim takes his hand and leads him away. "Oh no, sweetheart, you can't play that game."
"HEY GUYS!" I look over to see Rye at the last table with a neatly lined set of tiles in front of him. He looks down at his line before tossing one of the tiles in the middle, then taking one more.
"You know how to play this game?" Peeta asks as we all walk up to him.
"No, I know how to win this game—MAH-JONG!"
Everyone at the table groans as Rye takes the beer in his hand and sips it before he reveals his hand: sets of three in sequential order with the last set of tiles in a pair—all of them are circles.
"How long have you been playing this game?" I ask him, taking the beer from his hand to take a sip then look at the label-San Miguel.
"Rogelio taught me before everyone got here," he explains. "Apparently, I forgot about the—what's it called again?"
He looks over at the girl in front of him. She looks about Prim's age with Carrie's tanned complexion and long dark hair with interlacing blond highlights.
"Filipino time," the girl replies, then smiles at all of us. "I'm Cora—Carrie's cousin. They're all upstairs and so is the food."
"Food?" Katniss' face lights up and she is rushing upstairs.
She can move unbelievably fast for a pregnant woman.
Peeta picks up Indy and kisses her cheek. "We'd better go get Mommy."
"Mommy is scary when she's hungry," Indy tells me.
I laugh and then kiss her forehead. "I can only imagine."
Walking up the stairs, I look at the pictures on the wall. Carrie was an only child, so she is on full display in various stages of growing up.
I grin to myself when I see one of her and Rhiannon—my late wife. I miss her every day. She was the first to breakthrough to Carrie when she and Wheaton were at the point of breaking up.
I don't know if we would be here had it not been for her.
It's not easy losing your partner. You wake up every day expecting to turn around and find them sleeping next to you.
It's a harsh reality when your hand reaches out to touch cool sheets.
"Dad." I turn to see Wheaton, my oldest boy, on the same step as me. He gives me a tired smile and I can see anxiety behind it.
I give him a hug and then look at the picture. "They're both lovely, aren't they?"
He smiles and puts an arm around me. "They always will be."
I look him over. "It's weird not seeing you in a suit and tie," I remark as we walk up the stairs.
Wheaton is in a pair of jeans and a black hooded Giants sweater. His usually slicked back hair is tousled and on his feet is a pair of black and orange Nike low-top sneakers.
"It's not that kind of party," he replies.
The place is crowded.
In the living room, there are people sitting on the couches and against the walls in foldable chairs. A large flat screen in the corner of the room displays the moving lyrics as an older man sings along to Frank Sinatra's 'My Way'. The crowd sings with him.
Through an open doorway across from us, I can see Katniss in the kitchen with a plate in her hand. She is scooping some golden brown liquid from a pot onto a plate of white rice. We walk over to her and look into the pot.
"What is it?" I ask.
"So good," she says. "It's called—Auntie, what is this called?" She looks over to the woman next to her who is putting handmade rolls in a deep fryer. The woman is in her fifties with thick, dark hair piled in a heavy bun and dark lined eyes.
"It's called Kare-Kare," the woman tells her. "Don't eat the tripe, Anak. It's not good for the baby. Is this your Papa?"
"Yes, this is my Dad."
"Tom Mellark." I hold out my hand.
She moves away from the deep fryer and pulls me in for a hug.
"We're family!" she says, her accent making the 'f' sound like a 'p'. "I'm Lorna, Carrie's auntie. Did you eat yet? I cooked for the party."
I shake my head and she leads me out of the kitchen and into the dining room. On the table are aluminum trays of food, I look into each then at Lorna. She smiles and I can see Carrie's familiar grin.
Everything smells delicious, but I feel awkward and unsure about what to do. My children seem to have acclimated themselves into the crowd. I can see Peeta feeding Indy some noodles in a chair by the windows.
Prim and Cato are talking to a group of women who are examining her ring.
"I'm not sure what anything is," I tell Lorna awkwardly.
"Tita Lorna!" I turn to see Carrie rushing towards us breathlessly. "I think you'd better check on the lumpia—it might be burning."
"Help your Papa," she tells my daughter-in-law and then rushes to the kitchen.
Carrie turns to me—tiredness in her eyes. "Hey, Dad. Thanks for coming." She gives me a hug.
"You okay?"
She waves her hand. "Of course! Just being the good hostess—anyway, this is pancit bihon." She points at the dish of thin clear noodles with meat and vegetables, then scoops some onto my plate. "Then this is—"
"Embutido—it's like a meatloaf." I look up to see Prim across the table. She points to some fried rolls. "That's Lumpia Shanghai." She continues down the table. "Then that's kaldereta, pork sisig—"
She looks up to see Carrie and me gaping at her. Cato is to her right, while Peeta is staring up at her from his seat.
Prim shrugs. "What? I know a lot of Filipino nurses and we share lunches—now where's the lechon?"
"It's like I don't even know you," Cato says as he stares at her.
She takes a piece of lumpia and puts it in his mouth.
"What did we miss?" Katniss says as she walks out of the kitchen. Her plate is filled again, but she is scooping everything else onto her plate in minutes.
Wheaton, who refills the tray of lumpia, meets Carrie's eyes for a moment. They communicate silently before she walks away and he goes back to the kitchen.
I know instantly that something is wrong.
And for the first time, my wife is not there to make everything okay again.
I walk into the quiet backyard where I find Rogelio sitting under a tarp tent where a long table is set up. He is fiddling with a guitar and when he sees me, he calls me over.
"Thanks for coming, boss." He stands slowly to hug me before reaching down and taking out a Corona bottle to give me. "Sit with me."
"Why aren't you inside?" I ask as I twist the cap off. A bowl of limes sits on the table, so I take a slice and squeeze the juice out before pushing it through the bottle opening. Taking a sip, I relish in the crisp taste of it mixing in with the pancit I ate.
I need that recipe.
"I like it out here," he replies. Rogelio nods his head over at the fire pit to the far end where a whole pig is being roasted on a spit in a manmade pit. "Also, I have to make sure that they pay attention—OY!"
Two men in their mid-twenties turn to him guiltily before going to each side to rotate the pig.
"Sorry, Tito."
"Tito?"
"It means uncle," he replies. "Why are you out here?"
"I needed some fresh air," I say. "Have you noticed that there's something going on between Wheaton and Carrie?"
He shook his head. "Have you noticed that Marvel isn't here?" I shake my head. "Carrie said that they got in a fight."
"Over what?"
He shrugs. "Sometimes, I'm not sure I really know our kids anymore."
"Ditto."
"I miss my wife," he says suddenly and then turns to me. "Did you ever think that you'd get to this age and not have Rhiannon? I always thought Viv would be here—and then she was gone."
"It's hard even now," I reply as I lean forward to rest my elbows on my knees. "To not have Rhiannon—she always knew how to make things right. Now I feel lost and just keep on hoping that the kids aren't screwing up."
"They're not children anymore." He takes a sip. "No matter how much we want to see them that way."
"I know, but it doesn't stop us from worrying."
He clinks his bottle against mine. "Hear, hear."
Taking his guitar, he strums on it until he begins to sing in a soft, sad voice.
"Are you lonesome tonight, do you miss me tonight?
Are you sorry we drifted apart?
Does your memory stray to a brighter sunny day
When I kissed you and called you sweetheart?"
I hear footsteps and turn to see Peeta leading Katniss out into the yard. He pulls her as close as her belly will allow and they begin to dance.
They've always danced-as children, as best friends, as man and wife, and now as second-time parents.
I've become dependent on their dances—it tells me that the world is still all right.
Do the chairs in your parlor seem empty and bare?
Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there?
Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again?
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?
He puts down the guitar and I see him wipe his eyes. "It was our wedding song—it was silly, but she loved Elvis."
Katniss walks over and leans down to kiss him on the cheek. As she pulls away, she meets his eyes and smiles—I see it.
That same wisp of a smile Rhiannon had.
"Answer the phone, please. Sonny keeps on asking for you. I know that I was out of line about what I said, but I love you, okay?"
Rye sighs and hangs up his cell. He whirls around and blushes when he sees me in front of him.
"Want to talk about it?"
The garage is empty but still open for late entries—everyone rushed upstairs once the roasted pig, or lechon as Prim called it, was brought upstairs.
We both sit at one of the tables and Rye checks his phone once more.
"Where's Sonny? Actually, I haven't seen any of the kids all night!" I remark.
Some grandfather I am.
"They're all in the 'kids room' upstairs with Rhea as their babysitter. Last time I checked, they were all playing hide and go seek—in the dark." We both chuckle, but I see Rye falter. "Marvel wanted to discuss adopting another child."
"It's a natural discussion to have—"
"Dad, I don't think I'm ready," he replies. "We're in a really good place and Sonny is wonderful—I couldn't ask for a better daughter, but…"
"But?"
"I remember how lucky we were to get her in the first place," Rye says, a raw pain in his eyes. "It might not be that easy again."
"And it was easy the last time? Remember Snow—and what he did to those poor girls? To Sonny's birth mother?"
Cato showed us a picture of her once—so young…too young.
I can't bear to think about the day that Rye and Marvel will have to tell Sonny about her mother.
"I know," he tells me. "Marvel understands that, but I don't know if I can take the pain of being turned down. It broke me every time we got a rejection."
"It broke me, too." We look up to see Marvel standing in the driveway looking at Rye. He pulls out his cell phone from his jean jacket. "Got your message and you weren't out of line—but you at least have to tell me why the answer is no and not just walk out with our daughter in tow."
"I know," Rye agrees again.
Standing up, I walk over to Marvel and put an around him. He is a patient man, especially with Rye, who was once upon a time too impetuous for his own good. My son's husband has always been the steadier of the two, but I can see his insecurities.
He is afraid that he is not enough to keep Rye grounded.
When in reality, he is the only one who can keep him grounded.
"I'm going to leave you two alone, but I wanted to say that we need to appreciate what we have and who we have in our lives because nothing is guaranteed—we as a family know that."
I think of the cool sheets and my chest clenches.
"And every day I wake up realizing that."
The crowd has thinned out as many have gone outside to smoke in the backyard. The women of the family all sit in the dining room talking amongst themselves. There are still some singers at the karaoke mic.
Lorna hands me something wrapped in a banana leaf on a plate, along with a fork. "Suman—I made it."
I wink at her. "Then I know it will be good," I reply before she goes back to the other ladies. They all look over at me before quickly turning away and giggling.
"I think she has a crush on you." I turn to see Peeta on the couch. I sit next to him and unwrap the leaf, finding some sticky rice inside.
"Or she thinks I don't eat," I joke before taking a bite. The texture is not bad and it is not overtly sweet—a nice in-between flavor. "I think I should come to more of these parties."
"I'm stuffed," he replies. "I'll need the energy, though."
"You ready?"
"Katniss and I are never ready, but it's always been that way for us," Peeta replies with an easy grin. "And it's always worked out."
"Your Mom always knew that you would," I reply. "Always the scrappy one."
"I miss her," he says suddenly. "Going to family gatherings like this remind me that I won't turn around and see Mom on your arm or in the kitchen helping everyone cook."
"She would've sang karaoke," I add and he nods sadly. "I know, son."
"You two might want to see this."
I look up to see Rhea in front of us. She is thirteen now with dark hair, pale skin, and her mother's eyes. She has Wheaton's long limbs, so I know she will tower over her mother in time, but I know that won't stop Carrie from putting it down when need be. "Follow me."
We follow her past the stairs and straight into the hallway where there are a bunch of closed doors.
She opens the last one, the master bedroom, for us and we step in—then I almost pass out.
Because there, in front of a three-way mirror, is Prim in a wedding gown and I hear someone choke back a sob.
I don't know whether it's me or Peeta.
She meets my eyes in the mirror and then turns to me. "What do you think, Dad?"
I can't speak, but Prim is an angel.
The sweetheart neckline with the organza overlay and cap sleeves fit her perfectly. A pure white sash is tied around her waist and a ballgown skirt flows over her long legs.
Another knock sounds at the door and Rhea opens it, revealing Wheaton, Rye and Marvel, who quickly walk into the room.
"Holy shit—you're gorge," Rye says when he catches sight of her.
"Where did the dress come from?" Peeta asks.
"It was my mother's," Carrie tells us from the open closet to our left. "I would've worn it, but it didn't work out like that." The last words are spoken quietly but I see Wheaton turn to look at her, which she doesn't acknowledge. She brightens quickly and turns to Prim. "And now it's yours."
There's one more knock and we know who will be last to see Prim.
Rhea opens the door for Katniss.
"I told Cato to stay downstairs, but why-"
My daughter freezes in place, looking at the girl in the white dress.
Slowly, Katniss walks over to Prim and places her hands on each shoulder. She is speechless as she takes in her sister—whom she raised with Peeta—in the dress that she will be married in.
Their eyes finally meet and she presses her forehead against Prim's. "You are perfect, wonderful and everything else."
Then Katniss bursts into tears, which has not been an uncommon occurrence with the impending baby.
The vision in white grins, her own eyes misty. "So are you, Sis."
Prim looks over at me as Peeta leads his wife away. "You okay there?"
I walk up to her and look at her in the mirror. She beams, her blond hair falling onto the white beautifully and her cheeks a pretty pink.
Putting an arm across her collarbone, I pull her to me so I can kiss her temple as she leans her back against me.
Behind us, everyone has gone silent; I am remembering the first time we ever met her.
I think we all are.
For me, it was the day that I visited my old friend, Suzanne, and her doppelganger, the newly born bundle with the soft tufts of sunshine yellow sprouting from her head, pink lips, and the same round eyes that look at me in the mirror.
"I'll dread and cherish the next time I see you in this dress," I whisper to her.
Her eyes fill, making her bright blues look like pools and she nods her head. "I know."
"I don't want to talk about it!"
I'm walking up the stairs to the living room as Wheaton and Carrie stop in front of it.
"I made a mistake, Carrie," he tells her angrily. "I'm allowed to make one every once in a while."
She looks up at him. "Not about this. Whether you like it or not, it's happening and if you're not happy, then you can leave like the last time—"
"Don't bring that up!" He moves closer and she meets him square in the eye, unafraid. "Don't you EVER bring that up!"
"And why not?" she asks in a quiet, steely voice and sighs. "I have to help clean up the kitchen."
"Carrie—" His shoulders drop as she pushes pass him to go to the kitchen. Wheaton looks down and spots me standing awkwardly on the stairs. "Dad, were you spying on us?" He walks down so that we meet halfway.
"What the hell is going on?" I ask him.
"It isn't your business—"
I feel my anger rise. "The hell this isn't my business! I'm YOUR father and hers—"
"-Carrie is pregnant, okay?" He looks around. "Can we go somewhere more private?"
We walk down to the garage, and this time it is closed. I sit back at the same table where I sat with Rye.
It has been a busy night for me and this table.
"Okay, so she is pregnant," I say and smile. Another baby is never a problem for me—I love being a grandpa. Then I see the guilty look on his face. "What did you do?"
"When she told me, I freaked out," he admits. "I started asking her if we really wanted this and how could this happen because we were so careful. It was just this one time—"
"One time is all it takes."
"I know that!" Wheaton runs a hand through his hair. "Then I messed up—"
"This gets worse?"
"I accused her of getting pregnant –on purpose," Wheaton tells me.
For a moment, I don't process what he just told me.
Then my Rhiannon's face flashes in my mind. What would she have done? She would probably tear him in half.
Right now, I feel exactly the same way.
"What the FUCK do you think you're doing?" I rarely curse.
On the other hand, I don't think I've ever been so frustrated with my kids.
This is worse than when I caught Rye rolling a joint in his bedroom, or the time that I caught Peeta letting a drunk girl out of his window after homecoming.
Granted, that girl was Katniss, but they had stolen some beer from our fridge.
But I digress.
I stand up, looking down at my oldest.
"Of all the things to say or do, Wheaton, this is by far the stupidest thing you've ever done. Do you know how lucky you are to have her? This woman loves you and you accuse her of doing that? YOU REALLY ARE AN IDIOT SOMETIMES!"
The words echo in the garage.
"I KNOW THAT!" he yells back. "And I know that I could turn around and she'll be gone because Carrie can live without me-but I can't live without her. Or Rhea. Or Leo." He sits back down and puts his head in his hands. "Oh God—I really fucked up."
"Yeah." I put a hand on his shoulder. "What are you going to do about it? Because whatever you do—it had better be big. Something that's not well—you."
He glares up at me and I try not to grin. That's the thing about my oldest boy—bait him and he will take the challenge.
It's how I got him to go to his first day of Kindergarten.
Standing up, he walks out of the garage and I follow him as he determinedly stomps up the stairs. Cato and Prim are suddenly behind us.
"What's happening?" Cato asks.
"The rare event of a Wheaton freakout," she replies.
My son goes into the living room and grabs a small binder from a nearby seat.
Katniss and Peeta, who sit on one of the couches, both look over at me. All I can do is shrug.
Wheaton flips through the binder, mumbling to himself, before finding what he's looking for. He grabs a remote from the coffee table and practically breaks it when punching in the numbers.
"Dad." I turn to see Rye looking at me. Behind him, Marvel is holding his hand and staring Wheaton like the rest of us. "I'm scared—he hasn't been this way since—ever."
"Have faith in your brother," I assure him.
Some of Carrie's family are still in the dining room and they are all curiously watching the Mellark family drama.
Piano notes fill the room with the help of the surround sound speakers—I wonder if the neighbors ever complain.
"Nightswimming deserves a quiet night…
The photograph on the dashboard taken years ago,
turned around backwards so the windshield shows…."
It takes me a moment to recognize that the singer is Wheaton.
And he's good.
"Your brother can sing," Marvel whispers to Rye. "That's incredibly hot."
I look around and see Carrie at the kitchen doorway, hesitantly looking over at him.
Behind her, Rogelio meets my eyes and he gently pushes her forward towards Wheaton.
She doesn't seem surprised to hear his voice, but more by the fact that he's singing in front of everyone. The stragglers of the party come out of their hiding places and are all gathering to listen to him. Rhea walks up the stairs and then stands next to me.
We watch Wheaton move towards Carrie, microphone at his mouth and as he looks into her eyes, one hand reaches forward to her still flat belly.
"Nightswimming, remembering that night
September's coming soon, I'm pining for the moon
And what if there were two
Side by side in orbit around the fairest sun?"
"Oh God," Rhea groans. "They've spawned again."
I chuckle and kiss the side of her head—just as sassy as her grandmother.
He hands the microphone to the closest person, who happens to be Rye, and he takes over in a more warbled version of the song.
Wheaton is on his knees in front of Carrie, arms around her waist and his head on her abdomen.
My daughter looks down at him and then at all of us before running a hand though his hair.
All is forgiven.
"This is seriously too much for me to handle," Prim says loudly. "What is going on?"
"We're having a baby," Wheaton announces with a rare, bright smile and everyone cheers at the announcement as he stands and pulls Carrie close to kiss her thoroughly.
When they pull away, her face is scarlet and she buries her face against Wheaton's chest.
"Of all the songs, why that one?" Peeta asks, his hand on Katniss' belly.
"It has—" Carrie looks up at her husband before finishing the sentence. "—sentimental meaning for us."
"Why would a song about skinny-dipping have sentimental meaning for you?" The question comes from Rye, but then he snaps his fingers.
He looks over at Marvel. "Remember during the camping trip two months ago—when we went for a walk and I swore I heard two people doing it by the lake?" He turns to look at the couple. "Or in the lake?"
"Shut up, please!" It is Rhea. "Before my ears bleed and I need serious therapy."
She hugs her parents, however, before rushing down the stairs.
"So was that you?" Marvel inquires.
The couple in question doesn't reply, but Carrie taps her nose twice in affirmation.
"That was almost two in the morning," Wheaton says suddenly. "What were you two doing up at that hour?"
"Just walking," Rye replies, his tone unconvincing.
"Bullshit."
"We wouldn't have been up if certain couples weren't being so loud in the cabin next to us," Marvel informs us as he looks over at Katniss and Peeta.
"Eh," Katniss responds as she plays with the tail of her braid. "I'm pregnant and horny—what else are you going to do up there?"
Peeta just shrugs.
"This is a very interesting family I'm marrying into," Cato remarks.
"You're just noticing?" Prim looks over at everyone suddenly and glares. "So while Cato and I were sound asleep watching all of YOUR children—you snuck around a forest or a lake to mess around?"
"You're not married yet, Primmy, so none of that for you," Peeta tells her.
"Oh, go turn on an iPod, big brother, because next year when I am married—I'm getting you back."
Next year, I decide, we're going to Disneyland.
The party is over.
It's almost midnight, but we all decide to stick around and help clean up.
Walking down the stairs to take some trash to the bins in the garage, I pass the picture of Carrie and Rhiannon again. My hand reaches to trace her smiling face. She had lost a lot of weight at this point.
It has been one hell of a night and I managed to make it through with my family intact.
"Did I do a good job, darling?" I suck in my tears as I look into her eyes.
She doesn't answer.
I hear a giggle and look up to see Rye carrying Sonny as he tickles her. Our eyes meet and he smiles at me before heading down the hall.
Both he and Marvel have decided to take the chance and try to adopt again.
Heading down the stairs, I reach the garage and toss the bag, then head into the house. Before I go upstairs, I head into the den to check on my grandchildren.
Indy and Leo are asleep on the couch. The television in front of them is playing some Disney movie.
Rhea sits on the longer couch with Rogelio's guitar in her hands. She is strumming it softly when she looks up to see me.
"Hey, second-time big sister," I greet her and Rhea smiles softly. She makes space for me and I sit beside her. "You ready for another baby?"
She nods and looks over at Leo. "He's going to freak, though. Leo is like Dad—they're never good with change."
"You'll help him," I assure her. "Do you know how to play?"
"Lolo has been trying to teach me," she says. "I have this dream sometimes where I hear another song in my head, though. Maybe it's a memory, but I don't know anyone else who can play."
"Yes, you do."
"Who?"
I take the guitar from her. "Me." My fingers find the strings and I play the first notes of a tune.
"That's it," Rhea tells me, her eyes brightening.
"When you were a baby, your grandmother and I would sing that song to you," I tell her. "It was a song that we would sing on long road trips before we had children—before all of you."
"Play some more, please." Rhea lies against me and yawns as she puts her head on my shoulder.
I nod and clear my throat before I place my fingers again to sing her the lullaby.
"Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You been out ridin' fences for so long now…"
I look up when I hear the soft steps and I look up at Katniss along with Carrie. They go to Leo and Indy, both women taking their child and laying their heads against their laps.
Katniss nods at me, one hand in Indy's long hair and the other on the side of her belly.
Oh, you're a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow…"
As I sing, I remember the heat of the car and the way the wind would fly through her curls. It is painful to hear her laughter in my mind, even now.
I don't even realize that my eyes are closed until I open them and find Prim and Cato sitting on the floor.
"Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walking through this world all alone…"
Marvel and Rye walk in with Sonny, who rushes over to sit next to Rhea. My oldest grandchild's eyes are still closed, but a small smile rests against her lips. She puts an arm around Sonny, who lies against her.
I think Rhea is wishing for a younger sister.
"It's hard to tell the night time from the day
You're losin' all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away?"
Peeta and Wheaton have entered the room. They both stand at the doorway and I can see Peeta mouthing the words to the song along with me.
This was his lullaby, too—and only his mother singing it could get him to sleep as a baby.
"It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you- before it's too late…"
The song ends. We're all silent for a moment—everyone lost in their own thoughts.
My own are both, like in the song, high and low. I am happy for what I have and at the same time desperately sad because she isn't there with me.
Am I doing a good job, darling? I just need a sign.
"Oh God—" Katniss sits up suddenly and then looks over at Peeta. "My water broke."
Suddenly there is a lot of screaming, and none of it is coming from Katniss.
I move the guitar off of me and stand up. "EVERYONE SHUT UP!" My family goes silent.
"Cato, get the car," I instruct. "Peeta and Prim, help Katniss up and bring her out to the driveway. Carrie—call her doctor and let them know that we're heading over. Wheaton, let Rogelio know that the kids will be staying over for the night."
The sleeping children begin to wake up, so I turn to Rye and Marvel. "Get them some warm milk and something to eat." They both nod and go upstairs.
Everyone rushes off and I look up with a grin. "That was one hell of a sign, darling."
FIN.
I hope you enjoyed this snippet of life with the Mellarks! Happy 'Catching Fire' Day!
Notes:
Daly City is a small town next to San Francisco (from where I live in SF, the border is five minutes away); it is also surrounded by South San Francisco, Brisbane, and Colma.
It is also my hometown. About a little over half of the population is Asian, with about 30 percent of that being Filipinos. So yes, it really is a Filipino-centric city. Our sister city is Quezon City, Philippines.
The particular neighborhood in this one-shot, Hillside, is actually closer to Colma, which is a cemetery town.
The weather is usually overcast and foggy in Daly City, except for sometimes in October.
Mayes Oyster House is restaurant located in the Tenderloin district in San Francisco. At night, it becomes a club, so yes—it was a very drunken engagement party for Prim and Cato.
A lot of the party references are from the parties that my family threw in Daly City and Pittsburg, a city east of the San Francisco Bay, where my Auntie also had a house. So yes-we did have mahjong tables in the garage in Pittsburg. My family did build a fire pit in our house to make lechon.
Yes, there was a lot of karaoke.
Also, we did have a 'kids room'—usually the biggest bedroom—where the little ones would play games like 'hide and go seek in the dark', then we would watch Rugrats or some other Nickelodeon cartoon.
Rogelio refers to his wife, Viv—short for Vivian. Rhea's full name is actually Rhea Vivian, named for both of her grandmothers—this was mentioned in 'Two Wrongs'.
Some terms:
'Filipino Time', which I also referred to in 'Two Wrongs', is arriving later than the arranged time for events, parties, etc.
'Anak' is a term for 'child'. I know Lorna refers to Katniss as 'Anak' (though she is clearly not one) but it is an affectionate term. My mother still calls me 'anak' even though I'm almost 30. LOL.
'Tita' and 'Tito' are the Tagalog terms for Aunt and Uncle. 'Lolo' is the Tagalog term for grandfather.
Okay, let's talk about food.
'Kare-Kare'- a stew made with ox-tail, sometimes it can also be made with beef or seafood. Tripe is usually put in it and isn't considered healthy for pregnant women or anyone, really. There is also eggplant and Chinese cabbage, as well other vegetables, dependent on whoever the maker is.
The most distinctive part of this stew is that the base is peanut butter and flavored with bagoong (shrimp paste). Some people love Kare-Kare like me, some people don't—it's an acquired taste.
'Lumpia'- a deep fried egg roll with either ground meat or vegetables, sometimes both. 'Lumpia Shanghai' in particular is made from ground pork or beef with minced vegetables. I wanted to make sure that this one was featured because there are about four or five different variations of lumpia.
'Pancit' – a noodle dish made with mixture of meats, noodles, and vegetables. 'Pancit bihon' uses thin rice noodles and is flavored with lemon as well as patis (fish sauce). The variations are dependent on the noodles or sauce.
'Embutido'-a Filipino style meatloaf usually made with ground pork along with peppers, carrots, hard-boiled eggs and raisins. It is really dependent on the cook's recipe on what they keep and omit from it.
'Kaldereta'- a stew that is tomato based and usually uses goat meat. My dad makes a great goat meat version of Kaldereta. However, you can use beef, pork or any other meat. Potatoes and bell peppers are used, though my family puts garbanzo beans and peas in ours.
'Sisig'-a meat or fish dish using vinegar or lemon juice, then seasoned. It is broiled and then fried or grilled with onions and jalapenos. You can order sisig at restaurants on a sizzling dish and they sometimes they put an egg on top for you to mix into the meat.
'Suman'-a rice cake wrapped in a banana leaf. Glutinous rice is mixed with coconut milk and topped with sugar, then wrapped.
San Miguel Beer is the largest beer producer in the Philippines. The brewery was founded in the Philippines in 1890.
Songs:
"September" -Earth, Wind, and Fire
"My Way" -Frank Sinatra
"Are You Lonesome Tonight?" –Elvis Presley
"Nightswimming" -R.E.M.
"Desperado" -The Eagles
These songs are connected to special men in my life including uncles, guy friends, past boyfriends, and my husband.
The last song, "Desperado", is my Dad's favorite song.
And yes, new babies for everyone except for Prim—for now. What can I say? That was one hell of a camping trip the Mellarks had!
Feedback is always welcome, reviews are love, and simple hellos through PM or through Tumblr are always appreciated.
Thanks for reading, my lovelies.
-JLaLa