Two Against Two
Chapter 10
December 22, 1990-10:15 A.M. CST
(Christine's PoV:)
"Well, since breakfast is finished, how about you join me for a tour in exploring the house, and help me get reacquainted with the old homestead?" I ask my little brother, who's drinking the last bit of Pepsi from his can.
"Sure," Kevin replies, smiling.
Kevin and I get off the stools, dispose the breakfast containers into the garbage, and begin discussing the details about the house tour. I was getting all excited.
"Which room would you like to see first on this tour of 671?" Kevin suddenly asks. His impersonation of one of those cheesy tour guides catches me off guard and causes me to snicker.
"How about the living room?" I respond, trying to suppress my laughter.
"I like to say, as we start this tour of 671 Lincoln Blvd., that the house was built with a very solid foundation in the year of 1920. The rooms we'll be visiting on today's tour are the living room, study, bedrooms, baths, attic, basement, dining room, sunroom, and back to the kitchen, where the tour will end. Now, let's head over to the living room," Kevin continues to hilariously mimic a tour guide, a very bad one, to be precise.
Kevin and I make our way to the living room, by exiting the kitchen into the foyer. I take a quick opportunity to notice that Mom has made some changes in the foyer, since I last saw it.
She wallpapered the foyer in red and fancied the area up nicely, with expensive tables (dark brown birch), paintings, pottery, flowers, plants, family photos on the wall, next to the stairs, Persian rugs, and nice maroon carpeting on the stairs. Gone are the blue walls, blue carpeting, and the less fancy furniture that I remember.
Kevin begins his tour guide bit and starts talking, "This is the McCallister Family living room. As you can see, it's decorated in a very formal fashion, and it's mainly used to entertain guests, open presents on Christmas morning, or to hold formal family meetings,"
I take a glance around the room. While the purpose of the room is still the same, the décor has changed. A fancy brown leather couch in place of the tacky flower couch from the old house in Indianapolis, fancy tables (dark brown oak), blue-colored drapes in place of flower drapes, a piano in the corner, which is new; several Persian rugs, paintings, and plants that must've been added, when I left.
Kevin notices that I'm ready to see the next room and motions me with his hand to follow him, which I do.
"The next stop on the 671 tour, is the study/den. Follow me, if you will, kind lady,"
I snicker at being called a "kind lady", as I walk to the den, which is adjourned next to the living room. Two white sliding doors that provide privacy.
"This room is the den/study. As you can see, it has a more casual look. It's where the McCallister Family unwinds for entertainment and leisure after a long day of work and school. Family activities, like movie night, board game night, and informal family meetings usually take place here. This room also serves as Dad's office".
Again, the room serves the same purpose, as it did when I lived here. A glance around the room shows me the room décor has changed significantly, since I last saw it. Two brown leather sofas and two brown leather chairs replaced the green sectional couch.
A newer and much larger TV has replaced the late 70's floor TV. The TV itself sits in a cherry entertainment center, that has a VCR, surround sound, game console, a bunch of movies, video games, board games, and lots of odd knick-knacks.
The green drapes from the old home have been replaced with white drapes, new plants, an oak office desk, and cherry tables. The only thing that's the same, is the oak bookcase next to the TV, with an updated library of books. I like the addition of the white carpet. Those hardwood floors were very uncomfortable on the behind.
I make the suggestion for the next room, "Kevin, how about we see the upstairs?"
"Sure," he replies, bouncing. "I want to show you my room."
I just laugh, as I follow Kevin back into the foyer, and we both head upstairs. I take a glance at the family pictures on the wall, and a pang of sadness hits me that there's none of me to be seen.
I quickly turn my attention back to the décor. I notice the red wallpaper from the foyer that runs up the stairway wall, and transitions into a green wallpaper, as I move into the hallway.
The hallway, like the foyer, has paintings, plants, fancy tables, and a red rug that runs center of the hallway floor, with hardwood floors visible on the sides. The upstairs hallway used to be just plain white walls, with brown paneling on the bottom half of the wall and bare hardwood floors, and not as fancy décor and furniture. The hallway itself is one long straight corridor, with a side corridor that leads to the kitchen stairwell.
"Which bedroom do you want to see first?" Kevin asks me.
"How about Mom and Dad's room?" I reply.
"Follow me please," Kevin says, as we make a left from the main stairwell and head toward the very end of the hall, where our parents' room is located..
"This room is where our parents sleep, and where Mom does her work, when she's at home."
Also, where our parents make whoopee," I snicker a little too loudly, getting my brother's attention.
"Did you say something, Christine?" Kevin asks me.
"Nope," I innocently respond, as I take a look around the room. I quickly notice Mom changed the wallpaper from the violet flower wallpaper to a red rose wallpaper. A cherry bed has replaced the maple bed. The tables and dresser are also cherry.
Other than that, the room is still the same. Mom's sewing machine, her oak hope chest at the foot of the bed, and the TV (a newer model) on the nightstand. The hardwood floors have a new red rug to match the rose wallpaper. You can't forget about the new paintings and plants. The master bathroom is also done in a red décor that used to be green.
Kevin quickly directs me to the next bedroom, with excitement. "The next room we're going to see, is mine and Jeff's room," Kevin says, bouncing. "It's right next to Mom and Dad's room to the left." He drags me by the hand, and I just laugh at my brother's antics.
Mom must have changed the rooms around after I left, because Buzz and Jeff used to sleep in this room I'm looking at now. Kevin's room used to be down the hall, across from the twins. "You know, Kevin, Buzz slept in this room, when I lived here," I tell him.
"Really?" Kevin asks.
"Yep," I reply. "Buzz had to share it with Jeff, when they were kids."
"No wonder Jeff has self-esteem issues. He was going to move into the guest room across the hall a few years ago, but Heather needed the room, when she started college," Kevin explains to me.
"Why doesn't Jeff move into the attic, if he wants his own room?" I ask.
"You've got to be nuts to want to have a room in the attic. It's haunted and scary, especially when it storms, but not as scary as the basement," Kevin says.
"The attic is where my room was, you know,"
"Seriously, you must be very brave and not have any fears," Kevin says, in awe.
I just smile at the compliment, as I look around the room, where Jeff and Kevin sleep. It's just a kid's room, with a bunk bed, dresser, bookcase, and a desk all made from a light-colored oak wood. There's also a stereo, and posters of Michael Jackson.
"You both have good taste in music," I say to myself.
The room also has Batman and Superman posters, and two trunks. The walls have multicolored-striped wallpaper and blue rugs on the floor. In other words, nothing has changed. The décor has been updated with newer stuff.
"The top bunk is mine," Kevin chimes in. "So, what do you think of my room?"
"I think the room needs to be cleaned,"
"You sound like Mom," Kevin snarks. I just glare at him for that remark, while he sticks his tongue out at me, causing me to lose my composure and start snickering. "How about I show you Heather's room, sis?"
"Sure,"
Kevin and I head across the hall to Heather's room. "This is the guest room, currently occupied by our cousin, Heather. It has to be the most convenient room in the entire house, because the bathroom is just around the corner, in the side corridor that leads to the stairs, down to the kitchen,"
I take a look around Heather's room. She has it fixed up pretty nice. Some Northwestern posters and interesting paintings are hanging on the wall. I can see pictures of Uncle Rob and Aunt Georgette next to her bed. A trunk sits at the foot of her bed for her belongings, and she also has a stereo.
The room itself hasn't changed much; a desk, a bookshelf full of college books, an older-looking bed, with a blue comforter. It looks a lot like the one I used to sleep in, when I lived here. The walls have the same dark blue wallpaper, and the floor has the same blue throw rug. The room also has some plants.
Kevin nudges me to see the next room. He must be getting bored playing "Tour the House". I really appreciate all the effort in showing me around the home I used to live in, and how much it has changed.
"Next room on the tour is Megan and Linnie's room," Kevin says, as we head down the hall and enter the room on the right. "This room is where our twin sisters, Megan and Linnie, sleep, gossip, or hangout on the days stuck at home."
I take a look around the room. It has really changed, since I've last been in here. I spent a lot of time in this room, playing dolls and having tea parties with my little sisters.
It no longer has the pink bunny rabbit wall décor. A multicolored-striped wallpaper has replaced it. There also aren't any stuffed animals, either. It has new beds and new furniture. I turn my nose up in disgust, when I see New Kids on the Block posters hanging on the wall, over Megan's bed.
"You can blame Megan for those New Kids on the Block posters. I don't know how she can listen to that horrible music. I think Linnie dislikes it, too, but doesn't say anything, since she and Megan are close, and doesn't want to hurt her feelings," Kevin chimes in.
I just shrug, as I look at all the awards and ribbons hanging on the wall over Linnie's bed, for the poetry she has written, her accomplishments in school, and for her ballet dancing. Wow, Linnie must be the most gifted one out of the McCallister kids.
I close my eyes and whisper, "I'm very proud of you, little sister. Keep up the good work, Linnie,"
I focus my attention back on the room's surroundings. It has the usual stuff, like the other rooms. A stereo, a very large oak desk, with two chairs, an oak bookcase, two hope chests in front of the bed, two dressers, numerous pieces of artwork done by Linnie—with her name on the bottom—pictures of the twins, and a bulletin board. The pink carpet from their childhood is now beige-colored.
The twins have really grown up, and I wasn't here to see any of it. I curse my parents for another wrong they have committed against me.
"You okay, Christine?" Kevin asks me. "You look like you spaced out there for a minute,"
"I'm fine, Kev," I tell him, as I quickly wipe off the tears sliding down my face. "So, whose room is next?"
"Buzz's room," Kevin replies, with a hint of glee. "Not before I take a peak at what's inside both my sisters' hope chests," I hear him mumble very softly, thinking I didn't hear him, as I watch him sneak over that way. I grab him by the collar and drag him out of the room into the hall, before he can do any real mischief.
"What'd you do that for? I wasn't doing anything wrong." Kevin tries to worm his way out of his predicament, while rubbing the back of his neck.
"I think almost violating your sisters' privacy is doing something wrong. How would you feel, if someone looked though your stuff or read your most personal thoughts, without your permission, huh? Most-likely betrayed and angry, like you can't trust that person ever again," I scold.
Kevin just looks down, ashamed. He must be thinking about what I told him. "I don't want to lose the close bond I have with Linnie. She's the only one, who treats me nice and helps me out when I need it, like with my homework," Kevin sobs into my stomach, as he's holding me in a tight hug.
"You won't," I tell him. "As long as you remember what I told you, okay?" I reassure him, while wiping the tears from his face. "Let's go to Buzz's room, and you can show me all the neat stuff he has, okay? Just remember, Buzz has a right to privacy, too, even though he is a bully. We're both taking a higher ground by respecting it," Kevin just nods, as we head across the hall into Buzz's room. "You know, Kevin, this used to be your room, when you were a baby."
"Please tell me you're joking," he speaks, horrified.
"I wish I was joking, but no, this was your room, at one point," I respond. Kevin just sighs. I guess he's too bummed out to explain this room. I just have to look around alone and make my own assumptions.
The room has obviously changed, since it was a baby's room, with baby things, and done in babyish colors. The room now looks like a sports-obsessed teenager has been living here, with all the sports and metal posters that hide the plain walls; a Michael Jordan cutout, a poster of a bikini clad female, which I find to be revolting, and, of course, the usual stuff that I've been encountering throughout this tour: a bed, desk, trunk, a stereo, etc...
A whole wall is dedicated to shelves of sports figures, board games, other sports stuff, etc... My mind suddenly goes numb, as my eyes freeze upon the fish tank. That's when I scream and run out of the room, after seeing the tarantula come out of his little habitat and stare right at me.
"How about we see the attic next?" I quickly suggest after leaving Buzz's room, still startled from seeing that spider. Besides, I've been wanting to visit my old room, since we started this tour.
"If you insist," Kevin replies, bored. "You can do the honors of opening the door, since it's your old room."
"Why, thank you, little brother," I tell him, as excitement fills my insides, after I open the door and start making my way up the stairs to my old room.
Feelings of nostalgia and memories overwhelm me, once I reach the top of the stairwell. "You're still the same old attic that I remember, before I ran away from home. You haven't changed a bit," I say to myself, smiling.
The only change I notice, is a hideaway couch, that looks like it's been slept in, sits in the spot, where my bed used to be. Everything else is the same. Even my car and Rock and Roll posters are still hanging on wall, just worn from age and neglect.
"I've always wondered about those posters," Kevin pipes in. "I guess they were yours, right?"
"Yep," I reply back. "I was a tomboy, growing up. I didn't really care for the things that girls my age were interested in," Kevin just looks at me, in awe. "How about we come back up here later, and I can go into more detail about what my room was like and what kind of stuff I did up here?"
"That would be awesome, Christine," Kevin replies, as we head back down the attic stairs and make our way towards the side corridor that leads to the kitchen stairwell.
I take a quick peek at the upstairs bathroom, before heading back down to the kitchen. The décor is done in a grayish blue. It used to be lime green, when I lived here. "What room would you like to see next?" Kevin speaks up, as we arrive in the kitchen.
"How about the basement?" I reply. That's when I notice Kevin suddenly freeze up, with a look of fear on his face.
"You sure you don't want to see the dining room, instead?" he asks, terrified.
"Don't tell me you're scared of the basement, too..."
"Even more so than the attic, and it's okay for me to be scared, since I'm a kid," Kevin says, smugly.
I don't bother to ask why he's scared, because more than likely, I'm going to find out why. As we make our way down the basement stairwell—which is located in the kitchen, next to the stairwell that leads to the second floor—I notice Kevin beginning to shake. I look around the basement to see what's changed and what's the same.
"AHHHHH!" I hear my brother scream, as we get close to the part of the basement, where the furnace is.
"What's got you all scared, little brother?" I ask, worried.
"That black monster furnace is what scares me. It always has. The nightmare I had about it two weeks ago, where it came to life and tried to kill me, doesn't help matters, either. This is the first time I've been in the basement, since the nightmare," Kevin stutters, still scared.
"It's going to be okay, Kevin," I reassure him, as I give him a tight hug. "There is no need to be scared. The furnace isn't going to come alive and eat you. It's just your imagination, that's all. The next time it happens, you need to stand up to your fear and tell it to shut up, because if you don't, the fear will just keep coming after you." We then make our way back upstairs after I explain this to him.
After that interesting visit to the basement, Kevin and I head over to the dining room. He's still scared shitless from the basement. Not much to say about the dining room, as nothing has really changed, except for the new plants and paintings.
Mom isn't about to part with these cherry dining furniture antiques, as they're heirlooms from her family. I should know, because it involves one of my earliest acts of rebellion. To just say, carving your name on the dining room table was not the wisest of things for a fourteen-year-old to do.
Let's just say that Mom was super pissed, and the wrath she brought down upon me was enough to stop me from standing up to her. I was scared shitless, in other words. I look to see if my handiwork is still on the dining room table, because I was too scared to check, when I lived here.
It's no longer there, as I lift the placemat, where I committed the devious act. I'm not surprised, as Mom would quickly fix her precious heirloom. That's when I head toward the double French doors that head to the sunroom, only to discover it's locked tight.
Kevin suddenly gets his voice back and explains that the sunroom has been sealed up tightly for the Winter, and there is nothing interesting to see, unless I'm interested in gardening. Mom uses it as a greenhouse during the Summer to grow her plants and some vegetables. We now make our way back into the kitchen.
That's a big change, since I lived here, because the family spent a lot of time during the Summer, sitting in the sunroom, with the large windows that surrounded the entire room, so that the sun could shine brightly through, providing its own lighting during the day. It was like a second family room.
Kevin and I leave the dining room into the main foyer to return to the kitchen. The downstairs half-bath décor is done in white. The décor was yellow, when I lived here, after taking a quick peek inside, before heading into the kitchen.
As for the kitchen, nothing really to say, except that the appliances are black, instead of white; the floor tile is red, instead of green; the table and chairs are a light brown, replacing the dark brown table and chairs I remember. There wasn't any flower wallpaper, just plain walls.
"Well, that concludes the tour of the McCallister home," Kevin says, as he takes a seat on one of the stools, while I lean on the corner of the countertop to process everything that has happened, so far. Memories of the good and bad times soon flood my mind. The fights with Mom and Dad, playing with my siblings, babysitting Kevin, doing crazy stunts with my motor scooter just to scare Mom, visiting Mr. Marley, the holidays, graduating at sixteen, etc…
My thoughts are interrupted, when I hear a rustling noise outside the house, and see two shadows suddenly appear at the kitchen door. I hear the two shadows talking, but I can't make out what they're saying. I look around to see if I can find Kevin, as my heart pounds rapidly, in fear. I quickly find him curled up in a ball on the other side of the counter, shaking in fear. I embrace him to let him know everything is going to be fine.
The fear spikes in the both of us, and I have to put my hand over Kevin's mouth to keep him from screaming, when the shadows begin banging hard against the door, as if they're trying to come in. I quickly suspect these shadows are burglars. That's when it comes to me: my car has a panic alarm for situations, when you feel threatened. I quickly grab my keys from the counter, and my shaking fingers push the red panic button.
Kevin holds his ears, as the alarm from my car honks, in fury. I notice the shadows stop their banging and flee away. I have a sick feeling that they're going to be back. That's when another shadow appears at the backdoor and starts knocking. Kevin and I just scream and flee for safety in my old room...
(Harry's PoV:)
"I can't believe our dream about hitting house 671, the land of silver tuna, is about to happen in just a few short moments," I say to myself, as Marv and I load up the loot we seized from the Murphy's house. "Hurry up with that loot, Marv. I want to start raiding the McCallister house of its riches." I load the last bit of things we nabbed from the Murphy's.
"I'm moving as fast as I can, Harry. This shit is heavy," Marv complains, as he finally reaches the van and starts loading up the stuff, which does not take very long.
"Come on, Marv, let's get across the street, before someone spots us," I order him. I'm not about to mess up now, since we're so close to finishing cleaning out this block.
"What about the van, Harry? We're not just going to leave it and the stuff behind, are we?" Marv asks, thinking ahead, which is, for his IQ, not too often.
We walk across the block, making sure no one sees us. It's a shame that Mr. Marley didn't go on vacation. It would be one more house to loot, and one less person to worry about catching us. I just feel the old man is on to us. I've got a bullet set aside for his skull, just in case he wants to start any trouble.
"The van will be fine, Marv. We're just going to leave it here long enough, that we can open the McCallister house up and get inside. We'll come back for the van, once we start looting the place,"
"Oh, good," Marv replies, as we walk down the driveway towards the back of the house. "Hey, Harry, look at this car just sitting out here in the open, waiting for someone to take it. You don't think anyone's home, do you?"
"Nah, no one is home. I made sure, when I scoped out the place. It's most-likely a relative's car. Before you get any ideas, Marv, we're not going to break into the car, steal any parts from the car, or steal the car itself, because it's not worth the time, since we have the van. Plus, we have this big house to loot, and we don't want any unwanted attention, either,"
Marv just raises his hands, in denial. "So, how do you want to break in?" he asks, already with a crowbar in his hand.
"We're going though the backdoor," I pull out my crowbar from my coat. Marv and I approach the door slowly, making sure no one is around. "Okay, on my signal, we both start working the door with the crowbars. Once the door is open, we make sure the place is clear. After confirming it's clear, which it should be, we go back across the road and get the van. We loot the place, fence the goods, and then, New York, here we come!"
"Gotcha, Harry,"
"Okay, now," I give the signal, and we both begin working on the door with our crowbars, while making sure the coast is clear; especially of any sign of the old man, since we're making a loud racket.
HONK HONK HONK
"What the fuck is that?!" I ask, startled.
"It sounds like a car alarm, Harry, and I think it's coming from the car we passed by in the driveway," Marv tells me.
"Fuck! Goddammit!" I scream, in frustration. "We better get out of here, Marv, because that car is going to be attracting unwanted attention real soon or maybe even a cop,"
"What about the house, Harry?"
"The goddamn house has to wait, but, rest assured, no fucking car alarm is going to stop the Wet Bandits from looting this house!" I shout, as Marv and I make a hasty retreat back to the van, so we can get the hell out of this neighborhood...
END