Two Against Two
Chapter 8
McCallister's Kitchen
December 22, 1990-9:40 A.M. CST.
(Christine's PoV:)
A mixture of bittersweet memories flooded my mind, as I entered the kitchen for the first time in several years. It's changed a lot: new décor, renovations, new furniture, and appliances.
I really like the blue countertop tiling that Mom must of picked out. It looks better than the dull green countertops I remember, from when I lived here. Sadness overcomes me, which Kevin notices, and it causes him to ask why. He's very observant for a kid his age.
I tell him I never thought I would ever see this kitchen again, as I place the breakfast I purchased for Kevin and I on the kitchen island, located in the center of kitchen, before heading to the fridge to grab us some milk to drink.
Opening the fridge, I discover there isn't any. I'm frustrated now, since I'm not going to have my cup of milk.
"What are you looking for?" Kevin asks, when he notices I'm looking through the fridge.
"Some milk to drink with my breakfast, but I can't find any," I reply back to him.
"Mom threw out any milk that was not drank last night, when we had pizza, because it was going to spoil," Kevin tells me, as I notice a frown forming on his face.
"What's with the frown, Kevin?" I ask him.
He promises he'd tell me about what happened last night, if I promise to tell him my story; as in why the family never told him I was his sister, about the reason why there are no pictures of me in the house, and the meaning behind me saying that I thought I'd never see this kitchen again.
I agree, of course, because I want to know the details about how Peter and Kate screwed up in leaving Kevin behind. I grab two Pepsi's out of the fridge and shut the door.
I walk over and take a seat on the counter stool next to Kevin, who's already eating his breakfast. I give him a Pepsi, and he nods a "thanks", since his mouth is full of eggs.
A mixture of happy, sad, and anger sensations flare up inside me, as I began to tell my story, "Well, Kevin, you know our family isn't originally from Chicago. We used to live in Indianapolis, Indiana," Kevin gasps. "And that was where I was born and raised for the first seven years of my life."
"I never knew that," Kevin replies. I shouldn't be surprised that Peter and Kate never told him that… "So, did Buzz, Jeff, Megan, and Linnie live in Indianapolis, too?" Kevin asks, interrupting my thoughts.
I explain to him about Buzz being born, Mom becoming pregnant with Jeff, and Dad getting a better job with the brokerage firm he worked for in Indianapolis; and, of course, a bigger house to support the new additions to the family, which required the move to Chicago.
I explain to him how Jeff, Linnie and Megan didn't come along, until after the move to Chicago. Kevin asks what living in Indianapolis was like with Mom and Dad, and I reply that they were the best years of my life.
I tell him about the two-story white siding house we lived in, and how it was not as big, compared to our home in Chicago. Though, it was nice, and it holds a lot of good memories.
I then go on to explain to him about how Christmas was the best time of the year out of those memories; about how Mom, Grandma McCallister, and the rest of the Aunts cooked dinner. And also how Dad, Grandpa, Uncle Frank, Uncle Rob, Uncle Patrick, and Uncle Buck sat around, playing cards or some other kind of game. I also say how Uncle Frank usually cheated, and was a bad card player; that Uncle Buck usually won most of the games.
I explain to him about how Tia, Heather, and myself usually hung out in my room, since we were the only kids. I tell him about all the tea parties we had with my dolls, or how we just talked about what Santa was going to bring us.
I didn't get to see Heather that often, since she and her parents lived in New York. I would love to reconnect with her again, because we had so much fun together, and it's been a long time. Tia, Heather, and I were so close, like sisters, since we didn't have any siblings to call our own, at the time.
I tell Kevin that Summertime in Indianapolis was awesome, because Tia and I usually had a lot of slumber parties, since there was no school. Tia always joined Mom, Dad, and myself for our annual trips down to Louisville, Kentucky. Heather even got to join us once for a trip.
We had so much fun, riding in the family station wagon. We played all different kinds of car-related games, like pointing out all the Interstate signs or sharing a transistor radio and listening to some awesome music, "awing" at the scenery of Southern Indiana, or gaping at the large buildings that made up Downtown Louisville.
Kevin then explains that Heather has been living with Mom and Dad, because she attends college at Northwestern, and it helps with her expenses by staying with them. Kevin tells me that maybe I can see her, when the family returns.
Kevin also expresses how Louisville sounds so awesome to me, and that he wishfully raved about the scenery, too. He tells me that it must've been a paradise, not to have any siblings to bully me, when I was a kid, and that being the oldest must've had its perks. Oh, how I wish that was true…
I mention that it would be great to see Heather again. It, of course, depends on how things go with Peter and Kate. I tell Kevin that maybe I can take him to Louisville one of these days. I also say that, since it's been so many years, Louisville would be a different place. And, to be honest, I always asked Santa for siblings, when I little, so that I could have someone to play with, but I was close to his age, before Buzz was born.
"That would be awesome, Christine," Kevin happily replies. Kevin does the math about the ages and snickers, "You're old. Did our parents have you very young?"
I scowl at being called old, before I tell Kevin that, for his information, I'm twenty-four, which isn't old. I explain that our parents had me, while they were still in college. I playfully swat at Kevin's head, for him calling me old. Kevin ducks and sticks out his tongue. Then, he finally gets around to asking me how I ended up leaving home
I tell him about the time I disobeyed our parents, when I snuck out of the house and went to a Dire Strait's concert in Muncie, Indiana, with our cousin, Tia. I explain that my relationship with our parents has been rocky since the day we moved to Chicago, because I was forced to leave my best friend, Tia, behind.
I tell him about the arguments I had with Mom and Dad since the move. I also explain to him about the big fight I had with Mom and Dad after coming home from the concert, and how I ran away from home, when he was five months old.
I then state about the letter I sent two weeks afterwards to our parents and Old Man Marley. Kevin gasps at the mention of Old Man Marley. I speculate that is why there are no pictures of me in the house and why I was never mentioned to Kevin.
I finish my story, telling him about my relationships that I had with our siblings and the brief one I had with Kevin himself. Kevin blushes at certain parts, when talking about him. I mention my jealousy about Mom having so many kids close together, and my brief jealously that I had for Megan and Linnie.
"Christine, I can understand some of things you told me, but wasn't it kind of selfish of you to run away from home, because you were grounded for disobeying Mom and Dad?" Kevin points out to me.
I just glare at my little brother, which frightens him. I tell him, in a calm voice, with a hint of anger, "You just don't understand, do you?"
Kevin speaks, "You don't think I understand, Christine. Well, let me enlighten you, big sis. You don't have to deal with Jeff interrupting your game of Super Mario 2 and hogging the Nintendo for himself, so he can play The Legend of Zelda.
"You don't have to deal with Megan calling you helpless or Linnie calling you stupid. You don't have to deal with Uncle Frank yanking your shorts. You don't have to deal with Buzz stealing your Halloween candy, stuffing your head in the toilet, or stealing your cheese pizza and pretending to barf it up.
"The worst part is how Mom and Dad place the blame on me. Well, Mom mostly, anyway… That's why I frowned, when you asked me about the milk. I had a fight with Buzz last night over him stealing my cheese pizza, which ended up spilling milk and Pepsi everywhere. Of course, I was the one, who got blamed for it and was sent upstairs to the third floor for rest of the night, but not before being ridiculed by Jeff and Uncle Frank, and glared at by the rest of the family.
"I had a fight with Mom, before I climbed upstairs into the attic. I told Mom I wished I never had to see her or the rest of the family ever again. I think I might've hurt Mom's feelings, but I meant what I said. I do feel guilty about Fuller getting his face squished with the kitchen chair, but you wouldn't know this, since you ran away from home." Kevin finishes telling me.
I hold my head down in shame about how Kevin is treated by the family, as the last statement pierces my heart. Kevin and I are alike in some way, but Kevin is more forgiving and handles things differently.
I begin to question some of my past choices, like running away from home, but asking Mom and Dad for forgiveness is out of the question, after hearing the story Kevin told me.
I tearfully ask Kevin if he can forgive me for not being there for him, when he needed me the most, and if he's willing to let me be the big sister I should've been all those years ago.
Kevin is hesitant for a bit, but a smile comes across his face, as he cranes over from his stool to give me a big hug. I hug him back, crying. I promise him I will never leave him ever again, and I know the perfect present buy him for Christmas…
END