Okay so April now HAS to leave due to the fact that she reminds Ned too much of Olive. YET AGAIN she is moving away from wherever she is. April moves way too often.
Don't own anybody. Ned, Lauren, April, anyone… well… except the twins and stuff but that doesn't count.
"Ned, I'm leaving and I'm taking Nathan," I announce.
"What??? No way!" Ned protests.
"No, he's comin' with me! It's not like he can LIVE in the Pie Hole!"
"NO, he is MY son and I have legal protection over him," Ned argues.
"Well he's MY nephew and I know a lawyer! Anyways, when can you watch him???" I snap back.
Seriously, the only time he watches his kids outside of his work hours is when I'M with them or Olive is with them and sitting around the Pie Hole, my shift over.
"I cold close the Pie Hole for a bit! Then I can watch him!" Ned replies.
"Yeah, close the Pie Hole," I say sarcastically, "Ned, I don't know when Olive's coming back. The least I should do is take care of Nathan!"
Sometimes Olive takes MONTHS to come back!
"I don't want your help April! I want you to go away! Far away!" Ned yells.
"Okay, fine I WILL go!" I shout, "But I'm taking Nathan with me!"
"But you can't, he's my son!" Ned protests.
"Well I'm his aunt as in his mother's sister," I say.
"So???"
"Um… never mind," I finish, out of ideas, "But I know a bit more about handling children than you. I took care of Cookie, Nathan, and the twins while YOU were taking care of your Pie Hole!"
Whenever I'm not working for Ned I'm taking care of his (actually Olive's) and my own… at the same time…
"Well… I…" Ned sighs, "Just leave, April."
"Okay. I will."
I walk off slowly, not looking back.
Another few hours shows me how stupid I am. No one wants a pregnant high school dropout. It's always one or the other. They don't think I'm smart enough since I dropped out of school or they don't think it would look good to have me around WHILE pregnant. I find myself turning to Lauren for help. I don't think it would be a good idea to go back to the Bohemians on this one.
"Can you help me?" I ask walking up to Lauren.
"Oh sure, what do ya need honey?" Lauren asks.
"Um… a job, a home and to make sure I don't eat the wrong foods," I reply feeling guilty for all my neediness, "Sorry."
I really need a LOT, now that I think of it. I even have to be careful with my diet!
"Sure sweetheart," Lauren says, "Olive is almost like a daughter to me and you will be too! Come with me, I have an empty apartment upstairs you can stay in."
An empty apartment??? I can't believe my luck! Well… for a Snook anyway…
"Thank you!!!" I exclaim, ready to hug her or something, "Sorry for all the trouble!"
"No problem at all dear."
"You sure?" I ask, "I could just slip back to my broken down apartment."
Not a very good place but then I'm not causing my friends any problems.
"No, you're not going back there," Lauren says, "You're going to stay here. I don't you gettin' hurt or anything."
"WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK I'M GONNA GET HURT???" I yell.
Ned, Lauren, Mark, EVERYONE!!!
"Because you look like you're going to fall over at any moment."
"Oh that's nice," I say sarcastically, "Thank you for that WONDERFUL piece of information! It's not like I'm a cripple!"
"You look like you ate a bowling ball April, that is the only reason. And when I talked with Olive she told me to make sure you where safe."
"Wait, when did you talk to Olive?" I ask, wondering who's seen Olive since she left.
"Yeah, isn't she at the Pie Hole with Ned?" Lauren asks, "I mean she was just here this morning telling me… not to tell you she was here… crap."
"She ran away again! I'm afraid she's gonna do something stupid."
Like start cutting, strip or drink.
"But she was here telling me she was alright!"
"Lauren, what happened last time Olive disappeared? That would be three months ago."
I would know.
"Well she came here a couple of times she likes to grab food or something before she goes off to whatever she does," Lauren replies.
"And that whatever is cutting, drinking, and possibly strip."
"What??? That is what she has been doing???" Lauren shouts.
"YES!!! Remember when she came back last time??? She drank in my face, knowin' I can't, showed me her cuts and you remember!"
"Yes but she is stripping??? Selling herself??? I can't let her do that! She is like my daughter!"
"Well she did", I say, "I did too, actually. That's how I accidentally got too much attention and then got pregnant."
"Both of you??? Oh God… April, what are we doing to do?"
"How should I know? I just did it because a job was a job and Broadway wouldn't take me. My friend offered it to me. You remember the Bohemians at my birthday? I used to live with them. They took care of me."
"They were sweet folk," Lauren says, "But… Olive… why would she do that to herself?"
"First of all, Mimi is an exotic dancer. That's why Emerson refers to me as a hooker," I say, "As for 'why does she do that?' why do I drink and work at the Cat Scratch?"
"Well we will find her. Do you want me to put your stuff in your apartment for you?" Lauren offers.
"Yes please. I'd rather not drag my junk around today."
"I will get Emerson to do it," Lauren smiles.
Yeah, I'd like to see that. Emerson taking care of MY stuff!
"Thanks. Mark is getting the twins now."
"What about little Nathan and Carrie?" Lauren asks.
"Ned won't let me take Nathan. Cookie ran off. She's missing… OH CRAP! I still need to go find her!"
I start out the door.
"Wait, I'll help you!" Lauren yells and follows.
We make our way around to an area familliar to me.
Crap, Lauren shouldn't be here!
"Okay a quick warning," I say, "This area can be really dangerous but I lived here. If a shaggy guy with a beard says anything just turn him down. He's the drug dealer."
"Alright dear, but you better stay close to me I don't want you gettin' in trouble," Lauren replies.
"Lauren, I used to LIVE here! I know my way around."
"Sorry… just care about you and your baby dear. Don't want you to get hurt."
"Well that's so nice of you. Great, now the baby's kicking," I complain (and yes, it has).
"I understand what you are goin' through dear. Now lets look for Carrie."
"We should get movin'," I say, "Ahhh! The baby wouldn't stop kicking all night!"
Why does it have to start NOW??? I'm lookin' for Olive and Cookie!
"Well I guess you have a little soccer player in there, honey," Lauren says.
"Strange for two Bohemians," I reply with a laugh.
"Maybe it is just dancing…" Lauren says, "Were you singing April?" Lauren laughs.
"Actually, I was, I answer, "Mark asked me to sing since I haven't for a while."
"It likes your singing, April"
"I guess so. Wait… doesn't everyone?"
I smirk.
It seems that EVERYONE likes my singing… except Broadway.
"Well that's true."
As we continue down the way I begin to sing.
Suddenly Cookie runs out of an ally.
"Auntie April!!!" she yells.
"Well we should of had you sing before," Lauren observes.
I hugs Cookie.
"Cookie, where have you been???"
"I followed mommy here. She got mad at me and told me go go away. She doesn't like me Auntie April!" Cookie sobs.
I start singin
g to calm Cookie down. I turn to Lauren.
"My singing can calm her down," I whisper.
"Oh alright…"
Wait, Cookie always likes my singing, if Olive can't sing at the time I do. Wow, I'm having a lot of blonde moments."How could I have forgotten!" I exclaim, "Whenever Olive isn't home Cookie asks ME to sing for her."
"Awww April that's very sweet of you to do," Lauren says, "Carrie honey do you want some cookies when we go back home?"
Carrie rubs her eyes and slowly stops crying and nods.
"Well she is my niece," I point out, "I think the baby stopped kicking. Come on, Cookie."
I pick her up.
"Let me carry her," Lauren says and holds out her arms.
"Alright," I hand her Cookie, "I CAN carry her though."
I'm not weak or anything…
"I'm not listening to you April…" she giggles and hugs Cookie, "Let's get going Carrie I have some very good cookies you can have at home."
"Ya think you could help me figure out what I'm doing cooking? I keep trying but… yeah."
Blows up in my face.
"You will have to learn how to cook April, it is kind of important. I will teach you."
"That would be good," I remark.
"Here you are Carrie," she gives Cookie a cookie.
Well that's a strange thought.
"Cookie, I had to move again," I say and get some ingredients, "So…"
Now what?
"Why did you move?" Cookie asks.
"Here's the recipe, follow it exactly April," Lauren instructs.
"Um… daddy doesn't want me around now, sweetie," I say and start trying to follow the recipe. "Um… Lauren?"
It's doin' somethin' weird…
"I want to see NATHAN!" Cookie pouts.
"April, only two cups of sugar not three!"
"What?" I look at recipe, "Oh… oops."
"I want to see Nathan!" Cookie yells again.
"Um… I can't get him. Lauren?"
"Um… Carrie, sweetheart its going to be all right you will see Nathan soon."
"Yeah, um, I just can't go."
I start to redo the recipe.
"Carrie your mommy will come back and everything will be alright again."
"She will???"
"Of course! She always comes back!" I exclaim, but I think I'm trying to convince myself.
"Yes of course…"
I start pounding recipe which is hard as rock.
"Oops…"
"I have enough ingredient to last you all day April, keep trying," Lauren laughs.
"Okay…"
I starts trying to tug the rocky object out of the bowl.
Cookie giggles.
"YES, I know honey," I say but laugh also.
"Auntie April is funny!" Cookie exclaims.
"I guess I am, dear. Lauren, what makes this so hard???"
I can't do anything right! Not even a simple recipe with full instructions!
"It isn't hard to do at all. It is the easiest," Lauren says.
Oh, great!
"You sure?"
I poke the rock hard stuff.
"I'm sure. Maybe you should just let me cook and you can serve the customers," Lauren says.
"Okay. Good idea."
Well I know I can serve customers.
"Well at least you tried."
"I've tried. A few times."
"Well you will get the hang of it sometime," Lauren tells me.
"Hopefully…" I reply.
"Well look at that…" she looks over at Cookie, "She's asleep."
"Awww. She looks so much like Olive"
"I know… acts like her too."
"A lot," I say flatly.
"Sweet girl, though she means well."
"Like me."
"Yes just like you," Lauren replies with a smile.
"I think that's a bad thing," I point out.
As in we do somehtin' wrong meaning well but we can be very stupid.
"Oh well that is true but you are both kind of alike in a way."
"Lots of ways. Like when we're bothered we do something insanely stupid."
As in run off flat broke and get drunk and end up in some kind of trouble.
"Yes that's one," Lauren says.
"The good things are singing and looks," I say.
"You both try to be good mothers on the most part," Lauren adds.
"We're pretty bad at it," I observe (at least I am), "The twins didn't learn to walk (or talk) until Ned helped! I don't know what's gonna happen here with this new one."
What does one do when they couldn't teach their children to speak and is now stuck pregnant again?
"How about Mark? He will help right?" Lauren asks.
"He is now," I reply, "Before that I had no idea what to do, the twins have such a bad mom!"
I REALLY can't do anything right!
"Don't say that April, your a great mom. Some parents don't even try to love their kids, and you give them lots of love."
"I try," I say, "I didn't have parents myself."
I was alone.
"Well I think you're doing a good job for a beginner without parents of their own," Lauren says.
"Are you sure?" I ask, "But if I can't handle twins how am I gonna take care of three???"
This might be bad…
"I will help you no worries."
"Thank God."
"LAUREN COME HERE AND HELP ME!" Emerson roars.
I look and see him carrying a beat up Olive who seems near death (AGAIN!).
"Oh my God!!!" I gasp.