Chapter Four: The Hidden Secret
Laura Lee Winslow looked down the other end of the hallway at her younger sister standing next to their aunt. Laura tried her best to smile but it ended up being just a small nervous looking smirk. Dressed in her pink and white pajamas that were slightly wrinkled from sleep, Laura received a quick hug and kiss from her Aunt Rachel as she let Laura know that she was leaving before heading downstairs to get to work. Seeing Judy just standing there with a melancholy, long face made Laura close her eyes as visions of her nightmare she had last night entered her mind. Not where she was being chased by a giant monster. Nope, not that. Not even being smothered by clones of her next door neighbor who was the same age and unfortunately attended the same high school: Steve Urkel. Now that she thought about it, she was surprised that she had agreed to let Steve Urkel, the "pest" as her father had let him be known as whenever he wasn't around, drive her to Detroit where the cheerleading competition was held. While Laura's team won first place, her mind was still thinking about someone that was very special and important to her, as well as the focus of her nightmare. Judy Winslow. She had dreamed that Judy was helpless, homeless, and left with nowhere to go in the mean streets of Chicago. Laura had tried to follow Judy but she ran so fast she could not catch up, leaving a distraught and depressed Laura to collapse to her knees. Crying with her head in her hands, her tears mixed with the freezing cold rain drops that were falling rapidly and heavily from the sky.
What could she do?
Hearing Judy unconsciously clear her throat brought the sixteen year old girl out of the few images that had popped into her imagination. As Laura began to walk toward where Judy was standing, she could feel the fatigue from the summer cheerleading competition she had the evening before run its course throughout her entire body, wrapping its tight, paralyzing grip around every fiber of her being, including her arms and legs. Just about everything.
Judy. Poor Judy. Laura thought as she was now face to face with her younger sister. Not knowing what to say at the moment, she wrapped her arms around Judy in a sweet embrace and looked down at Judy who was beginning to relax.
"We've got a lot to talk about…" Laura began as they walked together into Judy's room. "And a lot to clear up."
"Like what?" Judy asked as the both of them sat next to each other at the end of Judy's bed. Tilting her head, she patted her hands in her lap as she genuinely started to wait for Laura's answer. Laura sighed and emitted a 'well…' as she slowly began to reveal what had happened to her and why she was "ignoring" her.
Judy and Laura did not get along too well, not even compared to how Laura got along with their older brother or her cousin Richie. But Laura was interested about why Judy appeared less and less around the house. Laura Winslow was compelled to get to the bottom of things.
Laura remembered hearing the yelling from her mother and father. They were both talking in their room, yet it was as if they were screaming their heads off at Judy all over again.
A few days later, Laura asked them what had happened but received no specific answer, except that Judy was in trouble and that she and Eddie were not to talk to Judy again. Even though Laura reluctantly obeyed her parents' instructions, she still wondered what was going on and was curious as to why there was no explanation about Judy's well-being. Laura had tried walking over to Judy's room that night and figure out what had happened.
One knock at the door.
No reply.
Another knock at the door.
Again, no reply.
Well…I tried. I'll try again later on, Judy. I wanna talk to you. Laura sighed as she turned around and left to retreat back to her room and finish reading the play assigned for homework. Plopping onto her bed that was just made, she tossed her shoes off and reached over to the end of the bed to get the play she was supposed to inhale into her brain and regurgitate to the teacher the next day in class. After cracking her small red book open and reading a few lines of the play, Laura slammed the book shut in frustration and tossed it into her backpack that was sitting next to the door.
"Can't they get these things translated? Thee, doth, thou, blaaaaaah!" Laura exclaimed, though she was suddenly interrupted by a few knocks at her window.
"Hidey ho, my pet!"
"What do you want, Steve?" Laura sighed, looking at a peppy and cheery Steve Urkel make his way into her bedroom with his trademark bright red accordion wrapped around his neck.
"Well…you see, I was – AHHHHHHH!"
Tripping and falling onto the floor, Laura shook her head and rolled her eyes as he continued to struggle with getting the accordion from off the top of his body. Finally getting it off of him, he quickly got up and stared at the accordion still lying on the ground.
"I could've sworn if I didn't know any better that that thing is PO – SESSED!"
"And I could've sworn if I didn't know any better that you're a PE – ST!" Laura responded, receiving a blank face from Steve who was obviously thinking 'Wow, I can't believe she said THAT!'
"Is everything okay, Laura?"
"IS EVERYTHING OKAY, LAURA?? IS EVERYTHING OKAY? NO, IT'S NOT!" Laura shouted and flailed her arms, completely surprising the usually calm Steve Urkel as he looked on at her uncharacteristic outburst.
"Uh…uh, Laura?"
"Steve…just leave me alone, okay?" Laura managed to get out of her mouth as if she were running out of breath. She turned her back and pointed toward the open window, her other hand covering her face. She did not want to reveal to Steve that she was crying, or else he would want to figure out why she was doing that and then he would NEVER leave.
"Well…okay…" Steve shrugged as he grabbed his accordion from off of the floor and managed somehow to get out of the room without slipping or falling and descended down the tree to return to his home. Laura didn't even bother to notice as she had already fallen face down onto her bed and unloaded a barrage of tears into her pillow. Hearing a knock on her door followed by soft footsteps getting closer and closer to her bed, she felt a familiar pair of hands rest on her shoulders.
"Laura…what's wrong? I heard shouting in here from all the way downstairs…" The feminine voice whispered as Laura slowly looked up with slightly red eyes at who it was.
"Aunt Rachel…?" Laura asked between hiccups.
"What's the matter, Laura?" Rachel asked as Laura began to get up and sit next to Rachel, who had sat on the side of the bed next to where Laura was lying down. "This isn't anything like you…"
"You promise not to tell anybody?" Laura sighed and shook uncontrollably, still affected by her crying.
"You can tell me anything, sweetie…"
"Well…I was worried about Judy…I was worried that she had been left stranded somewhere, or…or WORSE…"
"Don't worry Laura, she's safe with me. She's in my room."
"…Oh…"
"Laura…I still don't think you're telling the whole truth…" Rachel sighed, giving Laura a stare that would give her sister a run for her money. Seeing Laura suddenly begin to cry again and cover her eyes with her hand, Rachel knew something was not completely right. "Laura…you can tell me anything, you know that…"
"It's just that…two years ago…" Laura sobbed, not wanting to look at Rachel who was looking on at her niece with deep concern. "I…"
"…Yes?"
"…I…"
"Yes, Laura?"
"…I was pregnant also."
To Be Continued…
