ToonTown, Mina's Manor, 1962
A self-forgetful man is taken care by the winds of destiny.
Mina sighed, cigarette smoke coming out of her mouth.
Stupid fortune cookie that nearly choked her. But the bit of paper inside of it made sense, reflecting on how well Rhoda had done all these years. If self-forgetful could be coined for being silly.
Mina rolled her eyes. Rhoda have academically dim moments but she wasn't that stupid.
She shook her head, still unable to believe how a single mother in a foreign land was able to raise two children on her own.
Rhoda never asked for financial assistance from her despite the fact that Baby Hermina was a toon millionaire (her damn cute face was in almost every infant commercial and billboard for 65 years). Mina simply didn't offer out of respect.
Mina leaned back to on her master chair, enjoying the little quiet time she have. Rhoda was out meeting that sack-of-diapers, Rose and Jack went out to ToonTown. Ever since they came, the noise level of the house had dramatically increased. Rhoda was quite a chatterbox, Jack could never stay still and Rose got some sass whenever Jack picked a fight with her.
A wry grin played in her lips, remembering when she waited for the arrival of her friend and her niece and nephew. She was waiting inside the limo parked outside the tunnel to ToonTown. Tired of waiting (she was never patient to begin with) she got out of the limo.
That's when Rhoda appeared and flung herself to Mina.
They must have been a sight, a two-feet tall infant with a rabbit twice her height happily curled up in her arms. Mina had immediately reacted –yelling and cursing. But it had covered the smile at seeing her friend again. She did have another reputation to keep besides being a giggling babe on screen.
Mina took another long inhale of her cigarette, delicately holding her cigarette holder. Some people never change. Rhoda was still a child in heart. But something… was added.
There was something weary in her gaze, especially when the children weren't around.
She chuckled. There had also been some added steel, remembering Rhoda's determined attitude to move on.
Her friend had come out as a survivor –a loving mother who moved on.
She couldn't be any prouder for her.
Hollywood, 1962, Day 5 in Hollywood
The apprehension from Rose was near to perceptible.
She almost had to jog to keep up with her brother's strides. Her emerald eyes looked sideways at Jack who was eerily silent.
She shivered, remembering what happened.
"Hey, is that our father?"
Rose looked up to see Jack flipped a photo to see it better.
The room temperature suddenly dropped. Rose curled into herself, pulling her jacket closer to her. Despite the sudden chill, she looked around, wondering where it's coming from…
"Jack?"
Her brother was standing frozen on the spot, his eyes were two darkened stones over the photo. The hand that was holding it was shaking, tightening against the paper.
"Jack!"
His head snapped up and he calmly handed the photo to her. Rose took it with a quizzical expression before glancing at it.
Her hand flew to her mouth with a gasp and she reflexively leaned away from her other hand that was holding it.
Their father…
"Is that real?" he demanded.
Rose bowed her head. She had looked at it under a magnifying glass, trying to see even a hint of a white line around his form indicating he had been drawn on a photo and was retaken again. There was none. She had scoured over the folders until she found the file containing his name. It was a mess, but she finally found a group of typewritten papers containing the story of the picture.
Her throat went dry.
"What does it say?"
Her hands gripped the report tighter. She looked up and realized that she won't be able to tone down anything for him. They knew each other that well.
"The report was written by one detective," she said hollowly. "Someone had hired her to get evidence of Maman's philandering husband since it's affecting her performance as a star."
She flipped through the pages. There was even a gossip column about a Mr. Rhoda Rabbit having a date with Miss Martha Acme, a rich businesswoman.
Jack then strode out, his newsboy cap back on his head.
They walked in silence. The detective's office (briefly, she wondered what happened to the other one) was located in the human city so they have to travel quite a bit to get there.
It had taken her by surprise when Jack projected his mood –even more that he projected chill. She had always imagined that if he would ever project, it would be angry fire.
But…
She glanced at him. Jack never brood. Jack was quick to anger but also quick to forget. But until now, his eyes were glaring ahead with cold clarity. He said nothing when they went out of the building and was even more eerily silent when they hopped off the train car.
Rose shook her head. Twin or not, this was something that she couldn't snap him out of. From what she could tell, he didn't even want to be.
There was a growl and she looked up to see that they were now approaching Acme Studios.
The air around him blurred with frost. This time, Rose touched his arm.
"Keep walking," she said. They crossed the street and walked on the opposite sidewalk of the offending building. But the building itself was a landmark that they're almost back to ToonTown.
Hopefully, they'd get back and confront their mother before-
"Mr. Krupnik! What can you say about actors striking against toons stealing their jobs?"
Both twins froze.
Across the road, they could see paparazzi hovering around a tall figure exiting the building. Flashes of cameras popped around him as questions flew.
Rose stared at the man that was their father. He was just as elegant in the photos and shorts that they've seen. But he was too far to see if she has his eyes.
Her hand that was holding his sleeve was suddenly empty. A blur zoomed across the road-
"JACK! DON'T!"
Hollywood, Valiant and Valiant Private Investigators Office, 1950
Did she believe him? Even for just one moment?
Hell, no.
But it's been three years since the "How-the-hell-did-that-ended up-with-that" case. AKA, RR (Rhoda Rabbit) case.
And that case was closed.
She most certainly did not want to open it up again for a hussy for a husband asking for its evidence.
Especially a toon.
A bitter laugh came out her lips. Toons were wacky and funny. Toons were made to make other people laugh.
Please.
She didn't want any toons bothering her anymore. Especially after what happened to Terrie.
A figure loomed over the frosted glass of her office door. Her brows rose at the certainly masculine form that hesitated for a moment on the opposite side.
The door creaked.
"Miss Valiant."
Emerald eyes, alluring and mysterious, regarded her across the room. There was a click when he closed the door behind him. His bangs fall over one eye, coincidentally seductive.
Edna steeled herself behind a face of indifference. Why did she, along with other idiotic women, find ink and paint attractive?
"Mister Krupnik."
Long legs, like graceful strokes of charcoal, prowled –no, walked, she meant walked- toward her.
"Where are they?"
She tossed him a jaded look. "Where's the money first?"
His hand slipped underneath his jacket and (Edna scowled when his eyes never left her) took something from his chest pocket.
Her eyes regarded the check he was holding. It was real paper.
"Where did you get that?" she asked, suspicious. Toons were commonly paid in toon paper checks where they could convert it in the ToonTown Bank.
"In my new employment," was his smooth reply.
She snorted as she took it, looking for fraud. It was real. Her brows rose at the sum inside it.
"You've got your own bank account outside ToonTown?" she asked, skeptic. "That's a very special treatment they're giving you."
If Jesse grasped what she was implying, he didn't show it.
"Where are the photos?"
Edna held up a larger envelope. Showed the contents then closed it again. Jesse reached to take it-
"Ah-ah-aah," Edna said, pulling it from his reach. "I have some questions I need to ask."
The emerald orbs darkened. Edna ignored the chill radiating from his stony gaze.
"To whom did you get this check exactly?"
He didn't even blink. "Martha Acme."
She cocked her head. "Acme is your new employer?"
Her silent conclusion settled around them like a strong stench.
"I don't even want to know," she muttered.
Still standing, he turned to the dusty memorabilia where Terrie's table resided. "You don't understand how hard it is to be drawn looking the way I do," he said before regarding her coolly with an indifferent gaze that pierced her soul.
She put her elbows on her table, steeping her fingers. "Yeah? Well, you don't understand how hard it is being a woman looking the way you do."
His gaze never changed. "I'm not bad, Ms. Valiant. I'm just drawn this way."
Emerald eyes glanced at the photo of her and her sister. "Just as all toons are not bad since one killed her. You got no right to judge."
Something pulled her from her seat. Annoyance, anger, indignation –she didn't care. She was ready to throw his ass out of her office. How dare he. How dare he…
"I know enough," she said, walking around her table and prodding him hard on the chest. "A singer who married an A-list toon star and threw her away when something bigger came along!"
He suddenly loomed over her and her tongue froze. The heat in his eyes was dangerous –an exhilarating kind dangerous that had the cold edge of a knife. Good lawd, where were all these metaphors coming from?
Before she could berate herself for sounding like a cheesy, romantic novel about bad boys; he leaned closer, angling his head to the side. Those ginger red bangs of his shifted.
"I'm not bad, Ms. Valiant," he said in a low voice, "But it's time to be what people expect me to be."
He stepped back and walked away.
The spell broke when the door clicked close and Edna exhaled, realizing she was holding her breath. She looked at her empty hand, the photos gone.
That prick must have plucked it from her, when he leaned in close. That cad.
She smirked. Only a dumb detective wouldn't have one left just in case.
Hollywood, 1962
Fifteen years.
What have they been doing in the last fifteen years?
He shifted the photo between his fingers.
What were they like?
The young man in the photo looked like a younger version of him –except Jack had rabbit ears… and his mother's eyes. The doe beside him looked more grown up and beautiful. Underneath her long lashes were his green eyes.
They were his and Rhoda's children alright.
Rhoda hesitated for a moment, watching him stare at the photo. "Uhh… you can also have their paint longevity tested if you want to know if they're born and not drawn in case you don't beli-"
"Don't need to," he replied frankly. "I know you wouldn't be here in your own accord."
He continued, ignoring the way her eyes widened and her mouth tightened. "They're the ones who want to meet me, correct?"
She nodded with a look of soldiering on. "Yes."
They both agreed that he should meet the twins on the same place at the same time on the weekend.
"What did you told them about me?" he asked.
For the first time, Rhoda met his eyes. His heart thumped.
"I want them to give you a chance to know you," she simply said. "I just said it didn't work out."
The understatement of the century. Jesse just nodded.
After that, they exchanged addresses and contact numbers just in case.
"What happened to the house?" she asked, reading the unfamiliar address.
"I sold it."
"Oh."
Silence.
She hopped out of her seat. "Well, I guess that's it."
"Wait."
She flinched when his arm reached towards her. But relaxed instantly when she realized he was just handing her back the photo.
"Keep it," she said. She must have noticed a change in him for she smiled apologetically. "It's yours."
She didn't want to see him. That was obvious. Even now, she was an open book.
He firmly closed the doors inside his mind. Enough about her. He already knew where his mind would lead to if his thoughts continued.
Jesse stood up and looked out from the window of his office. From his view, he could see almost the whole studios.
There was one thing that RK Maroon had done right.
Her studios didn't make toons. She would hire them. Maroon had given job opportunities to toons whose artists abandoned them. And they were a lot of them.
Jesse placed the fountain pen back to his drawer.
However, Maroon's goodwill was limited by what she could profit. Toons cost less than human actors. If Martha Acme had sold her land to someone else instead of having toons inherit it, ToonTown would be gone and so would Maroon's profit.
What about the black-and-whites? What about the washed-outs? True, some were not as smart and may not share the same thinking of humans, but they were still capable.
Jesse stood out and began preparing to leave, deciding not to bring anything.
He had enough of humans using toons, disposing toons and drawing more, repeating the same vicious cycle.
His secretary looked up, an ex-choir toon girl, as he opened the door of his office. He gave her a nod before leaving. Striding through the corridors, he inhaled, bracing himself.
The nail that sticks out would soon get hammered. He was open with his opinions on toon-human equality. Someone should be. The media were indignant of the toon who was getting too big for his breeches.
And yet…
"Mr. Krupnik! What can you say about actors striking against toons stealing their jobs?"
They couldn't get enough.
Cameras flashed. Human and toon reporters rushed to meet him. Jesse stared straight ahead, plowing through their harried questions and bobbing bulbs of light. He neared his car, his hand on the handle.
The thing with hordes following you was that when you stop, everyone stops.
He paused. There was a moment of silence but the cameras kept flashing.
Suddenly a woman screamed. Jesse looked up as everyone hurriedly backed away from-
An explosion of pain.
There was a excruciating crash. Jesse opened his eyes he didn't remember closing, finding himself on the ground. Numbly, his cheek stung something horrible. There was a ringing in his ears as he slowly picked himself up, looking for the one who hit him.
Bulbs flashed against a silhouette of a young man… with rabbit ears.
But through the shadowed form, he could see Rhoda's eyes.
Rhoda's eyes full of hatred.
The young man stood there, ignoring the flashing cameras and reporters as they stood in a circle around them. Jesse stared, his heart stopping.
A girl's voice screamed.
"Jack!"
Maroon Cartoon Studios, 1946
Mina actually thought Rhoda was boyfriend-proof.
It's not that Rhoda wasn't a catch. It's just that Rhoda was so platonically childlike to almost everybody; it's hard to imagine her grasping the concept of romance.
And she was right. Mina had been there when the rabbit was faced with a giant sudden uncertainty when someone point blank told her that he's interested in her. Jesse Krupnik of all people.
"Jesse! Catch!"
The humanoid toon turned around only to have something soft and fluffy flung into him. Adjusting their added weight, a small smile formed in his lips when he found Rhoda in his arms.
"What?" his girlfriend asked, mirth brightening her blue eyes. "Were you expecting a ball?"
Mina wrinkled her nose. It hurt not to roll her eyes.
He was about to respond but he closed his eyes, humming, when she rubbed her nose on his. "Actually, this is better," he replied after.
"Oh gross! Get a room, you two," she muttered, walking by past them. She shook her head.
Rhoda fell and she fell hard when she reciprocated that guy's feelings. She's almost as bad as his fangirls.
Jesse, who was never a touchy person, practically basked at her friend's kamikaze hugs.
A mismatched yet disgustingly happy couple.
It's not that she was jealous. Heck no. She had a lot of boy toys to know enough when people were after something else.
Because why else would a guy date a middle aged lady in an infant's body?
Jesse could be one of those people.
Because why else would a humanoid date a Hollywood success of a rabbit?
Hollywood, 1962, Day 5 in Hollywood
"Jack!" Grabbing his hat on the asphalt, Rose ran across the road.
It was chaotic. The reporters went nuts, surrounding Jack and their father in a circle. She tried to get through the throng of people and one of them spotted her.
"Are you with the rabbit boy?"
FLASH!
Her eyes watered against the brightness but Rhoda stubbornly tried to look for him.
"He looks like Mr. Krupnik, is he his son?"
"You're beautiful, what's your name?"
The others were surrounding two tall figures in red, before they got obscured by harsh popping lights.
FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!
"Are you his sister?"
"Are you related to Rhoda Rabbit?"
Blinded, Rose tried to block away the cameras hovering around her and screamed louder. "Jack!"
There was a rush of wind and Rose found herself in Jack's arms, his brother glaring at the flashing lights.
With one last loathing look at their father, Jack sped off home.
ToonTown, 1947
Three days. Rhoda was absent for three days.
Unbelievable.
Mina shook her head, scowling at the house before her. She knew Rhoda could be very affected when someone's mad at her. But Rhoda never skipped day jobs just because Mina threw a diva tantrum and the director threw a fit whenever Rhoda made mistakes.
The "baby" jumped out of her limo and stomped towards the door with her short legs. Her angry speech was already being written, checked and signed especially for her rabbit friend when she rapped impatiently at the door.
"Rhoda!"
No answer. The house was strangely silent.
"Rhoda! Come out of there!"
Still silence.
"RHODAAAA!"
Just when she was about to stomp her foot and give up, the door opened.
"Mina."
The "baby" scowled all the way up to his face. "Where's Rhoda?" she asked impatiently.
His face went unchanged. "She left."
"What?"
He proceeded to walk by past her. "She left ToonTown. I checked on the Town Hall."
His words reached her numbly. "Waitwaitwait! She just left? She's not in ToonTown anymore? Why?" she asked in confusion, following after him.
Mina had more luck getting a response out of a rock.
A flash of insight stopped her in her tracks. "What did you do?" she growled. She never believe in gossip but…
He paused, tossing over his shoulder a cold look. "You think I did it?"
1962, ToonTown, Mina's Manor, Day 5 in Hollywood
Rose pushed herself off Jack's when he reached the front door.
"I hope you're okay, brother," she coolly said, her back a cold wall as she walked inside the manor.
Jack closed the door behind him. "What? You're angry at me now?"
She whirled around to face him, her eyes a cold chartreuse. "That was very stupid of you. What were you thinking?" she asked; the air around her becoming frigid.
"What he deserved," he replied back coolly. "I don't care if there are other people out there."
"That's not what I'm talking about," she said lowly. "You-"
"Hey, kids! I got some great news!" Maman's voice called out.
None of them looked up to see that their mother and Aunt Mina appeared.
"Kids? What's going on?" Maman looked at each of them worriedly. The air between the two was tensed.
"Jack punched our father across the face in front of the paparazzi," Rose calmly stated, her hard eyes never leaving Jack.
Rhoda's head snapped to her son, her eyes wide. "What?!"
There was silence as they waited to hear more but the twins continued glaring at each other. Rhoda looked in panic at her old friend.
Mina shrugged. "Well, he did have it coming for 15 years."
"Mina! This is not the time!"
Jack broke the glaring match to turn to their mother. "I changed my mind. I don't want to meet him."
It irked him when her ears drooped. "Are you sure?" she asked worriedly.
"I still want to meet him," Rose replied.
"You're kidding, right?" Jack said in disbelief. "We both saw him play patty-cake with a middle-aged lady and you still want to meet him?"
Their mother clutched her ears. Horror dawning in her eyes as reality sank in. "You... what!?"
Rose reluctantly held up the photo. "We found this in an ex-toon detective's office," she said apologetically.
Even from afar, by the way their mother reacted; they knew she recognized the photo. Their mother covered her face with both hands.
"I didn't want you to find out like this," she mumbled.
Rose began to approach her. "It's okay, Maman."
"It's not okay," someone said coldly.
All attention turned to happy-go-lucky Jack. "I changed my mind. I'm going with Rose."
Rose raised a brow. "You just said, you weren't going to."
His look became stony. "I don't trust that guy with any of my family."
"If you're going to be this unpleasant, I'd rather you'd stay at home," she replied, ice edging her voice.
"Rose…" their mother said, trying to placate.
The room temperature dropped with Jack's voice. "After what he did to Maman? I can't believe you're choosing him over her."
Rhoda looked in surprise as their breaths began to fog. "Jack…"
Rose stared hard at him, the air frosting white between them. "She told us to give him a chance and I'm giving him one."
"If you want to meet him so badly, why don't you go live with him?" he asked calmly but frost began to spread beneath his feet.
"Children…" Rhoda pleaded, looking back and forth between them. Jack hit his father. The paparazzi saw them. Jack and Rose, for the first time, were actually fighting for real.
When did everything go wrong?
Frost flowered the walls as Rose's hands slowly clenched. "It's not like that and you know it."
"Is it?" he asked with derisive chill.
The temperature drooped as their glares intensified. Rhoda yanked her ears and pressed them hard to her face as the frost became stalactites, jagged and sharp.
"You're the one who badly wants to meet him. I can't believe your daddy issues are more important," he continued.
"You're one to talk," she softly said. The ice on the floor cracked.
"ENOUGH!"
A burst of fire engulfed the whole room. Everybody coughed at the sudden steam inside the hallway. Only Rhoda stood, smoke coming out of her.
The fire in her eyes were gone but the look she levelled them was still burning. "Both of you. To your rooms. Now."
The twins gave each other one last glare before they both walked out, pointedly ignoring each other.
Mina blinked, swiping away remnants of steam. She looked at Rhoda who was still standing on the same spot, breathing deeply.
"Mina," she began, "I'm sorry you have to see that. It seems like your prediction is going to come true."
The "baby" nodded but then Rhoda took a deep breathe, her eyes still steely.
"I need to think. Go get yourself some milk and cookies. I'll talk to you later."
Without another word, she stepped outside.
The "baby" stared at the door, left alone in the steaming hallway. It's funny how parenthood could change people.
"Sure, Mom."
ToonTown, 1947
Their house.
Jesse paused, finding himself in front of it. Strange, he didn't remember anything between leaving Leroy's flat and going home.
She had probably seen yesterday's gossip column.
What would he do?
What would she do?
She probably noticed something already. He'd been coming home late to get closer to Ms. Acme, getting up earlier than her so as not to face her. He had to be distant to do what he must.
He closed his eyes tight against the memory of Rhoda's open, trusting expression.
With a firm resolve, he unlocked the door with his key.
"Rhoda? I'm home," he announced quietly.
No answer. Rhoda's ears were sharp. She'd usually show up when she hears him.
"Rhoda?"
He paused, looking at the toon furniture. They all looked sad, their eyes following him.
Something was wrong.
Jesse strode past the living room and into the dining room. The first thing he saw was a single white envelope on the dining table. Strange, Rhoda would usually put the mail in the kitchen.
He picked it up and read it.
ToonTown, Mina's Manor, 1962, Day 5 in Hollywood
Jack glared at the wall, frost spreading on its surface like a plague.
Already, he felt disgusted with himself.
He came from that man?
His eyes stared hard at his hands that were unlike his mother's hands, tanned and large. He would never be able to look in the mirror again without seeing the face of their "father."
Jack made a sound of disgust. Their father was a cheating bastard. Where was he when Maman raised them alone? Did he run off without a single glance to be with someone rich?
The frost on the wall became larger.
He couldn't sleep.
Eight-year-old Jack got up, glancing at his sleeping sister. Grabbing his stuffed toy, he tiptoed outside the room, looking furtively at the dark corners.
Only the kitchen light shone. Jack approached as quietly as he could.
"Maman?" his blue eyes peeped from the doorway.
He could see their mother asleep, her floppy ears spread among the many papers that gathered on the table. One hand held loosely on the pencil against papers riddled with many numbers.
"Ma…" he shook her awake.
She sat up abruptly, looking around. "What? Wha- Jack?" she asked in confusion.
"I can't sleep," he simply stated. "Can you also sleep now with us? Aren't you going to work tom'row?"
His mother smiled. "Aaw… Jack, I still have some things to do."
Jack glanced apprehensively to the pile of papers. Most of them had a lot of numbers and the word "bill" on it. Bills always had something to do with other people wanting her money.
She must have seen him looking worried because she tipped his chin towards her. "Hey," she beamed, "Maman can handle this."
His fists closed tighter. There were perpetual edges of exhaustion around her and sometimes, her near verge to tears at the stress of raising them alone. And no matter how bright the smiles she made to cover them, Jack could see –no, could feel right through her.
Rose didn't get it. She couldn't be that unfeeling not to feel what their mother went through for them -on her own.
"Jack?" a soft voice said through the door. The door quietly clicked open. Jack hadn't bothered to lock it.
"I got this from him, didn't I?" Jack asked as soon as she had approached him.
Their mother glanced at the ice covering the wall he was glaring at. She shrugged. "Well, he could also be cold when he's mad."
"I'm not going to meet him, if that's why you're here," he stubbornly said, remembering her disappointed face when he told her that before.
"I know you're mad, Jack-"
"Why didn't you tell us?!" he cried, standing up. "He left you for a rich old lady!"
There was a twinge of hurt in her eyes but it was gone so soon, he wasn't sure if he saw it in the first place. She placed a hand on his arm.
"Jack," she said quietly, "I'm not expecting you to let it go so easily-
"And you did?" he asked bitterly.
"You and Rose are more important."
What anger that was rising in his throat died.
She smiled at him, looking both wise and vulnerable and weary and tender, it hurt Jack to look at her. How could she do it? How could she make everything simple that it all boils down to...
He tore away his gaze.
...love?
It had hurt her too.
His lips pressed together, hating how they want to tremble. He inhaled deeply. The man that played the part of bringing him and his sister in this world? He never deserved her.
Rhoda sighed when he didn't respond. Her son could be so protective to a fault.
"Don't hold on to grudges, it doesn't do you any good," she let go of his arm, "I'll go check on your sister."
"Ma…"
Rhoda was suddenly embraced, feet dangling in the air and she smiled. He felt her pat his shoulder comfortingly as though he's a little child all over again. Jack tucked his chin over her head, wanting to draw strength from her yet protect her at the same time.
He vowed that bastard will never hurt his mother again.
"And apologize to your sister; you know she could be sensitive."
Jack groaned.
"Also when you two make up, there's something that I have to tell you both."
Jack groaned louder. It's just like their mother to hold a carrot over his nose.
ToonTown, 1947
Jesse…
Jesse climbed the stairs, taking two at a time, his heart racing.
I know I'm going to babble again if I don't get straight to the point. You probably noticed the big pile of crumpled papers on the bin and I'm really sorry for the waste and the trash. Garbage day is still days away and anyway, I'm doing it again. (Darnit, Rhoda, get straight to the point!)
He burst into their bedroom, looking around. In his mind, he could see how ink swelled a blot in the page before continuing the next sentence.
I saw the pictures of you and Martha Acme.
The closet doors slammed opened. All of her clothes were gone. The letter on his hand was gripped tighter.
There was a lot going on inside my head and chest after that. But through it all, why didn't you tell me?
The childish scribbles had become shaky then dark. It was as if the hand trembled before writing harder against the paper to control it. He shook his head and ran to the bathroom, panic rising.
Remember when you told me about the caged bird? The bird is beautiful; it sings beautifully and yet is imprisoned in an equally beautiful cage. You felt like that bird, you told me.
No one. Her toothbrush wasn't there. Her towel wasn't there.
Was I caging you, Jesse? Are you not happy anymore?
The letters on the last word were blurred as though it got wet by a drop of water. He sped to the attic, looking around.
I know we've been getting distant these past weeks. I just thought we're both just busy. I didn't know you weren't happy with me anymore.
Her suitcase was gone. Gritting his teeth, he ran down the stairs.
I'm going to let you go now, Jesse. If you're even reading this, I've already left ToonTown. Don't worry. I legally left. You don't have to report me to the Missing Toons Department.
The kitchen, the living room, the closet; desperately trying to find a trace of her. The letter continued inside his head, almost unreadable, scratched up and riddled with lines as though to take back what she had written.
I don't know how to say goodbye. It's probably for the best that we don't see each other again. What's the point of saying "I love you so much it hurts and I don't know why I still do" when I don't think you want to hear it?
The front door slammed open and Jesse stopped, looking around outside, the suburbs empty. The letter fell from his limp hand. The wind fluttered, revealing its last sentence.
Just be happy, Jesse. I know you've been through a lot.
ToonTown, Mina's Manor, 1962, Day 5 in Hollywood
On the room across Jack's bedroom door, a lonely figure stood facing the window.
Was she being stupid, selfish, wanting to meet him?
"After what he did to Maman? I can't believe you're choosing him over her."
Rose clenched her fists, her gloves straining.
"You're the one who badly wants to meet him. I can't believe your daddy issues are more important."
Of course, he didn't understand. He didn't understand feeling the odd one around them. He didn't understand feeling left out when he and their mother seem to have more connection then she could ever have with her. He didn't have the invisible gap with Maman because of contrasting personalities.
As sweet and loving as their mother was, Maman just couldn't get her.
Their mother had moved on, Rose could see that. Maman was never the type to hold grudges. But was she being selfish, still wanting to meet the man who hurt their mother? Shouldn't she be righteously angry for her?
There was a soft knock. "Dear? Can I come in?"
Sighing, Rose strode over to open the door to reveal their mother.
Rhoda smiled at her before giving her a hug.
"I'm so sorry you have to find it this way," their mother said over Rose's shoulder.
Rhoda held her daughter by the shoulders with the most curious expression. "How did you end up with that photo by the way?"
Rose was about to answer but Rhoda just hugged her back again. "Never mind, with you two together, I should have known."
"That Jack is going to go berserk and assault our father in front of people?" Rose asked dryly.
She felt her mother freeze before Rhoda burst out laughing.
"And who said you don't have a sense of humor?" her mother asked, giving her one last squeeze.
Rose felt a surge of pride but instantly looked solemn.
"Jack is right," she said to her mother, "I'm being selfish."
"What do you mean?"
"That I still want to meet him even after seeing that photo."
"Hey," her mother gripped her shoulders firmly. "That ship has sailed. Your father and I are practically divorced."
She looked at her daughter straight in the eye. "This is about you, your brother and your father. Jack will come around. You can still meet your father."
Rhoda felt something glowed inside her chest when her daughter smiled at her words -not a polite one but an actual one. "Merci, Maman."
Their mother sat down on the edge of the bed and Rose sat beside her. "Rose, I know we don't think the same or see the same. I got the feeling your father will be able to relate with you more."
Rose's heart sank with guilt at her dissatisfaction. Perhaps, their mother did understand her more than she thought. "Oh Ma, I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to apologized," Rhoda replied. She gave her a one-arm hug, nuzzling her cheek on her daughter's head. She the ran her hand through Rose's similar floppy ear before speaking again.
"And if he tries to take my baby away from me," all humor suddenly vanished in her face. "There will be war."
Rose laughed, albeit a little nervously. Their mother could be quite scary when determined.
"After you and Jack make up, there is something else that I have to tell you both," she said, giving her one last hug before standing up.
Rose resisted a groan. Trust her mother to dangle a carrot before their noses to make them make up.
Rhoda closed the door behind her and looked ahead determinedly.
There was one thing left to do tonight.
France, 1960
Jack and Rose sat in the dark among other kid toons. Spotlights suddenly flashed on the empty stage.
"When you're on stage…"
They all jumped when Rhoda appeared beside them in the dark.
"All of the spotlights are turned to you and the darkness covers your audience."
There was a whirl and the entire class found themselves on the stage, gazing at the harsh light and beyond that was an abyss.
"The audience is silent. But are they bored? Impatient? Politefully attentive? How would you know?" Rhoda said to her class.
She turned off the spotlights and turned on the lights of the room.
"One way to know, class," she said, "is to feel the air."
They all looked at her quizzically. But some nodded.
"You'll develop it later the longer you perform. The goal in the stage is to connect to the audience. The second one is to make them feel what you want them to feel. You won't be able to achieve the second one without achieving the first."
She laughed. "Sometimes, feeling the air can be very handy outside the theater."
"Like where?" a cub toon piped up.
"Well, like when people are mad but they don't want to show it," Rhoda said. "Or to people who are sad or scared but don't have anyone to tell to."
A rabbit ear twitched and Jack felt the sudden shift in their mother. Rose glanced at her twin when he cocked his ear. He just felt something, she knew. The problem was Jack wouldn't get why. She looked back at their mother to decipher.
But Rhoda shook her head as though trying to forget something. Everybody jumped when her cute, squeaky voice suddenly became a bullfrog's.
"Alright kids, who wants to learn how to sing like a fat man in an opera?"
Jack grinned at Rose excitedly while the rest of the class hooted with laughter. But Rose thoughtfully looked back. Jack simply shrugged. He knew they'd be talking about what he felt and what she thought later on to make sense of it.
ToonTown, 1962
The young humanoid had looked at him with Rhoda's eyes, his gaze an arctic hate.
Jesse shook his head from the memories that afternoon. Even in the window's reflection through the night sky, he could see the sizable bruise in his cheekbone that was still not going away.
He didn't have to hear a girl call the young man's name. He already knew who he was. Jack had then vanished with near-rabbit speed at the sound of her voice.
He had been able to get a glimpse of a rabbit girl in Jack's arms before Jack gave him one last glare and disappeared. Jesse then quietly but quickly escaped the distracted reporters after.
The way Jack had looked at him; it was like no words existed excruciating enough to stab him with.
DING-DONG!
Jesse grimaced. The last thing he needed was company. But if he ignored it, the accursed doorbell would just keep ringing.
Sighing, he strode over to make the visitor go away. He opened it, ready to get rid of-
All-too-familiar blue eyes looked up to him.
"Jesse…" Rhoda said.
End of Chapter 3