I´m back! It´s been a really busy 7 months. I changed jobs and moved countries, so I didn´t have any time to do any creative writing. Anyway, this will be a sequel and a prequel to the previous story going backwards and forwards in time. Reviews welcome.
I come from a big family, larger than the average American family with 2- 3 kids and a couple of pets. There´s 9 people in my family, soon to be 10 because my sister in law, Hannah, is pregnant and going to have a baby in a few months, something which we´re all very excited about. My family is sort of unconventional in that we don´t have a mother or father living with us but the head of our family is my oldest brother, Adam, who has looked after all of us since our parents´ death 12 years ago. Brian, who is the second oldest was also instrumental in our upbringing and remains so, especially with me and my twin brother Guthrie although the rest of my brothers are pretty much grown. My third eldest brother Crane still lives on the ranch with us and helps run the business side of it and Ford, who is next to Guthrie and me in terms of rank in age has just graduated high school and will be headed to college in the fall. Daniel is home less and less often these days what with playing music with his band; I know it won´t be long before he has enough money to move to L.A to try his luck on the music scene and Evan´s almost got enough to go on the rodeo circuit for an extended period of time too so I know that change is afoot in the house.
It´s been kind of a rough year for me. Guthrie and I just completed our freshman year at high school and while we both did well academically, I struggled emotionally over dealing with the death of my parents which I guess I only really processed this year. I kept my feelings hidden from my family for a long time but as these things do, it all came out in the end rather dramatically and I finally told them how I felt. I´ve been in an extended period of depression for a few months now- I think I could have ended a drought in a rain starved country with the river of tears that I´ve cried over the last few months but I´m starting to feel better: less angry and emotional and a bit brighter. I was seeing a therapist for a long while but we´ve come to the end of the road now and I´m ok with that- I think she´s helped me as much as she can. One thing she suggested to me to help me deal with my feelings was taking up a creative writing course which is offered once a week at weekends at my high school. It´s actually mostly adults that attend but there was no age restriction, and so they let me in. The people are nice and I´ve learned a lot.
Our latest assignment is to write about a period in our childhoods which we remember as being particularly important for some reason or other. As I said, it feels in the house like there´s about to be a major shift. Nothing can stay the same forever and things have to change which is sad but is also exciting. It looks like this year, three of my brothers might leave home although maybe not permanently which will just leave Guthrie and me alone in the house with Adam, Brian, Crane, Hannah and the new baby. I really hope it´s a girl because frankly, at the moment, I´m outnumbered.
So, because of all the changes, I´ve decided to write about a period in my childhood where there was also a period of change: when Crane went to college.
Crane is the calmest, most measured person in our family. He has more patience than both Adam and Brian combined especially with us younger kids and he´s a real soothing influence in the house, especially on Adam and Brian who have somewhat of a temper. That doesn´t mean Crane doesn´t get angry: he does- but he´s got a less explosive way of showing it. Him being away for weeks at a time seemed to cause a chain reaction in our house. Daniel and Evan used to bicker and argue a lot as kids and in their early teens and Crane was really good at offering a measured approach in contrast to Adam and Brian coming down hard. Ford has always been sort of quiet and introverted and Crane is really good at getting him to talk. Crane always seemed to have a sixth sense about what sort of trouble Guthrie and I were about to get ourselves into, gently reminding us that our plans may not be the best idea. With Crane gone, there was no one to do all these things.
The fall that he went to college, Guthrie and I were 8. It was probably one of the most tumultuous times I can remember growing up and that´s why I´ve decided to write about it for this class.
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Crane left for college the week before all of us started back at school for the new academic year. Guthrie and I were going into third grade, Daniel was going into high school and Evan and Ford were going into the 8th and 7th grades respectively. Crane had graduated top of his class at high school and the whole family were real proud of him. Being so young I didn´t pay that much attention to the adult conversations around me, but I had noted that college had been talked about in relation to Crane for a couple of years and so it wasn´t a surprise he was going. Still, it snuck up on us and although us younger kids understood that he had to go, none of us were particularly happy about it and our actions in the weekend before Crane left almost made him decide not to leave in the first place.
The weekend started like any other- with early morning chores and breakfast. Brian would cook supper most nights but at weekends, Adam and Crane were in charge of breakfast because Brian would normally go out on Friday night and be worse for wear in the morning. As Guthrie and I filed in from doing chores, both of them were by the stove making and flipping pancakes and scrambling eggs.
"Morning, babies," Crane greeted us cheerfully as we took our places at the table, "Pancakes, or scrambled eggs, or both?"
"I´m not a baby!" Guthrie protested loudly whilst I told them I just wanted pancakes.
Crane look amused but he tried to school his features to look suitably chastised.
"I´m sorry, Guthrie. Good morning, kids. Is that better?" he asked him teasingly. Guthrie did not look amused and scowled and I looked at him in surprise. It was rare for Guthrie to be in a bad mood.
"Uh oh, looks like someone´s cranky this morning," Adam said, noting Guthrie´s unusual bad mood, "What´s the matter, didn´t you sleep well?" Adam put down the spatula he was holding to look at Guthrie intently.
"No, Adam, I slept fine," Guthrie said to Adam quietly who looked at him for another moment and then went back to stirring the batter.
"And what about you, little miss?" he directed at me.
"I slept good, Adam," I said only to be drowned out by the cacophony of voices belonging to Evan and Daniel who entered the kitchen through the back and who were arguing loudly over what appeared to be morning chores and sitting down at their places at the table.
"I´m just sayin´ that I mucked out the stables last weekend so it´s your turn today," Daniel shot at Evan who replied with, "Nuh uh! Last weekend you did it because you owed me for last month so it´s still your turn today."
"That´s bullshit, Evan, you actually owe me because I did it twice for you at the start of the summer that time when you wanted to go into Murphys with Crane and that time that you stayed the night at the start of the summer at Fred McCauley´s house," Daniel returned.
Evan´s eyes narrowed, "You don´t think I´d remember what I owe, Daniel? Why don´t you just man up and do it instead of complaining like a little girl. I might as well call you Heidi!"
"Hey!" I protested, hurt and annoyed at the unprovoked insult.
"Why are you such as asshole Evan, huh?" Daniel asked him angrily and Evan kicked him under the table.
"Adam, he kicked me!" Daniel protested to Adam.
"He started it!"
Adam blew out air in exasperation. "Cut it out both of you!"
"But-"
"No. I do not want to hear another word from either of you unless it´s to say something decent. Adam waved the spatula at both Daniel and Evan who were looking sulky. "This is why Brian and I are always telling you not to swap chores because you can´t remember who covered whom. Daniel, we do not go around calling each other assholes in this house and Evan, we do not go around kicking each other. Lord, both of you are acting younger than the twins. Apologise to each other!"
Evan and Daniel looked at each mutinously and Adam barked, "NOW!"
"Sorry," they both muttered looking like they didn´t mean it at all.
Guthrie and I looked at Adam in interest- he normally didn´t like it when apologies were insincere but I guess he must have decided to leave it this time because he went back to flipping pancakes.
"Where´s Ford?" he asked us all.
"I think he´s still in the barn," said Evan.
"Heidi, run out and grab him for breakfast," Adam told me and I obeyed him immediately, running out the front door and down to the barn yelling "Fooooord" at the top of my lungs.
I found Ford sitting on one of the hay bales, with his head in hands.
"Ford, Adam says you´re to come for breakfast," I told him in a rush, already turning to leave again.
Ford made no effort to move and then said softly, "Okay, tell him I´m coming in a minute."
I walked up to him and shook his leg slightly, "I´d come now. Adam´s already not happy because Evan and Daniel have been at it," I told him, trying to be helpful.
Ford still didn´t move. I couldn´t see his face because his head was still in his hands.
"What´s the matter?" I asked him, worriedly, "Don´t you feel well?"
Ford shook his head a little, "I´ve just got a little headache is all," he said. "Tell Adam I´ll be there in a minute."
"I´m going to get Adam," I told him and when he didn´t protest, I ran quickly out the barn up to the house and arrived in the kitchen breathless running right up to Adam and tugging on his shirt.
"Adam, I don´t think Ford´s feeling too good. He says he´s only got a little headache but he´s got his head in his hands."
Adam and Crane exchanged a look. "Sounds like another migraine," Crane said and Adam nodded, putting down the spatula and heading towards the door to see to Ford.
"What´s a migraine?" I asked Crane who had taken over Adam´s job scrambling eggs and was now manning both pancakes and eggs at the same time.
"It´s a really bad headache," Crane told me, "Ford´s been getting them lately."
"How come?" I asked.
Crane shook his head slightly, "I don´t know, Heidi, some people just get them. I think Adam was planning to take him to the doctor."
"But why do some people get them?" I asked persistently. Crane put his hand on my head ruffled my hair slightly.
"I don´t know, miss 1000 questions. Now go on back to your seat, I´m just about to dish up." Crane used the spatula to put the last of the pancakes on the plate and set it on the table where it seemed like endless hands reached out to grab them. He scooped the eggs into a bowl and put it down on the table and then poured himself a glass or orange juice before sitting down.
Just as we were starting to eat, Brian appeared looking worse for wear and rubbing his eyes. He ran his hand over my hair and then sat down in his place next to Guthrie and across from me and helped himself to a couple of pancakes and some eggs.
"Where´s Adam and Ford?" he asked the table in general and then noticed the general sulky faces of Guthrie, Evan and Daniel. "Hey, what´s the matter with you guys?"
Daniel took the opportunity to plead his cause. "It´s Evan´s turn to muck out the stables but he doesn´t remember because he´s got the memory of a goldfish," Daniel said petulantly. Brian´s face clouded over with impatience. Evan opened his mouth to retaliate when Crane butted in.
"Come on, guys, Adam already told you two what´s what about this. Truth is that you´ve both probably forgotten who owes who a million times over. Why don´t we settle this now by tossing a coin and then I´ll help whoever loses."
"You don´t have to do that, especially on your last weekend at home," Brian told Crane a little impatiently rubbing his temples. He got up and poured a large cup of coffee. "You two," he said, pointing at Evan and Daniel, "are old enough to be responsible about your chores. You will both muck out the stables and that´s the end of it."
Both Daniel and Evan opened their mouths to protest but Brian held up one of his hands.
"I don´t want to hear it. I´ve got a massive headache and if I hear another word out of you two on this, you´ll be grounded the whole weekend. Is that what you want?"
Evan and Daniel looked mightily unhappy but they shook their heads.
I turned to Brian. "Brian, do you have a migraine?" I asked him curiously.
Brian took a sip of his coffee. "No, Heidi, it´s just a regular headache."
"Crane says that Adam´s going to take Ford to the doctor because he has migraines. How come you always have a headache on a Saturday morning?" I asked innocently. It was not until I was older did I realize that Brian´s headaches were self-inflicted and at that moment, I was genuinely curious.
Brian ignored my question and turned to Crane, "Damn, Ford has another migraine?"
Crane nodded, "Adam´s out in the barn with him now."
"How come, Brian?" I asked again. I hadn´t eaten much breakfast yet because I had been watching the various dramas unfold. Brian noticed my almost full plate.
"Eat your breakfast."
"But you haven´t answered my question!"
Guthrie, who had been uncharacteristically quiet the whole time and quietly eating his breakfast turned to me. "It´s because he gets wasted every weekend stays out really late and gets laid," he said with authority.
Crane made a choking sound and I looked at him to see that he had turned very red but he didn´t look embarrassed. He looked like he was trying not to laugh. Brian was staring at Guthrie, looking almost dumbfounded.
"What does gets laid mean?" I asked the table and Evan and Daniel started laughing and hooting until Brian glared at them furiously and then both looked down at their plates and concentrated on eating and trying not to laugh.
"Where did you hear that, Guthrie?" Brian asked him in a dangerously low voice. When he used that voice, you knew you better run and run fast, but Guthrie didn´t seem to notice and shrugged nonchalantly. "Heard it at school."
Brian´s eyes narrowed and pointed at him, "Listen, little brother, that´s-"
Guthrie was saved momentarily at the moment because Brian was interrupted by Adam who opened the door with his arm around Ford´s shoulders, leading him into the house and immediately up the stairs. Ford was leaning against Adam´s side and he had his eyes half closed. "Let´s get you to bed," Adam was saying to him. Seeing Ford clearly in so much pain distracted Brian from confronting Guthrie about his words and he got up from the table and followed Adam up the stairs.
Crane turned to Daniel and Evan, "If you two are finished breakfast, I´d get going on the stables."
Both of them started grumbling about how unfair it was but Crane told them that considering the start to Brian and Adam´s mornings, he didn´t think it was a good idea to tangle with either of them and so both boys put their dishes in the sink and trudged reluctantly outside.
Crane then turned his attention to Guthrie. "And you! Make yourself scarce and wait for Brian to cool off. I can´t believe you said that to him!"
Guthrie´s eyes widened. "What´s the big deal, Crane? Frank at school told me that his big sister told him that Brian lays a different woman every weekend."
Crane shook his head. "Guthrie, do you know what getting laid means?"
Guthrie, for the first time, looked a bit unsure and uncomfortable. "I think so…"
"Well, what does it mean?!" I demanded, glad that my question would finally be answered.
"Well… I think it means-" but it was at that moment, we heard loud hollering; an aggressive primal sound different to the sound of people calling to one another or messing around. Crane was up and out the door like a shot. Guthrie and I followed him out onto the front porch to see Daniel and Evan down by the stables throwing punches at each other, dragging each other to the ground in the process and wrestling in the hay much like a pair of angry bulls…