Deep confusion
March 6 1988
It was yet another Sunday. Yakko was sitting in the back seat of his aunt's car. His brother sat across from him, staring out the car window. He did the same, he saw houses lined up next to each other.
He sighed, knowing today was going to be another boring day of learning. While he still found it completely aggravating to do boring math all morning, he was starting to tolerate it more. He didn't have the choice to not practice math, his aunt made him do it whether he was in a good mood or not. The only good thing about going to his aunt Arenia's house was getting to look through books about toonilization. Yakko always loved it when he found out that his aunt had bought another textbook for him to look at.
But still, that can even get boring after a while, Yakko thought.
Yakko didn't understand why his brother always came along with him. He couldn't recall Wakko ever having to practice any sort of math. He'd always sit quietly in the corner playing with the Hot Wheels cars he used to play with. Why couldn't his brother just stay home? His dad had the day off today and was looking after his sister.
Though, he was grateful that Wakko came along. Yakko felt better with him around. His brother can sometimes get out of control and throw huge tantrums if things weren't going his way. He didn't want to think of the thought of Wakko being hit by his dad.
Yakko sighed again, trying not to think about the horrible thought.
His aunt then turned her head towards him, a slightly concerned look on her face.
"Is something wrong, Yakko"?
"No", he stuttered," I'm good. I..I'm just feeling tired, that's all".
"Ok, just asking", his aunt replied.
She then turned her head towards his brother.
"And how are you doing, cutie pie"?
Wakko turned his head to his aunt.
"I good", he told her," I feel good today".
His aunt smiled," good to hear, bud"!
She then turned her head away from them, looking back at the road. Yakko smiled slightly, he remembered when his aunt used to call him bud. To think how fast time flies by. If only he was still three years old, back when things were much simpler.
His aunt turned the wheel of the car, and pulled into the driveway of her house. Yakko unbuckled his seatbelt, the seatbelt winded back behind the seat. He looked over at his brother, noticing he was having a hard time taking his seatbelt off.
"Here sib, let me help you", he said, leaning towards Wakko. He pressed his thumb down on the red button on the buckle. The seatbelt winded back up just like it did before.
His brother's eyes widened as he did this. He seemed to be amazed at what he was doing.
Wakko pointed to the seat belt tucked behind the seat. "How you do that"?
"See this button here Wak?", Yakko explained to his brother," pressing this button right here unbuckles the seatbelt".
"That magic button!!", his brother said cheerfully.
Yakko snickered," sort of".
His brother seemed happy after he told him this.
"Magic button unbuckle seatbelt"!!
While Yakko was having this exchange with his brother, his aunt unbuckled her own seatbelt and exited the vehicle. Closing the car door behind her, she came around to where they were, opening the door for them.
He and Wakko came out of the car at the same time, almost tripping over each other. They both landed on their feet, standing side by side between their aunt's legs. Arenia then shut the door afterwards. She made sure the car was locked before she left. After checking, she started walking towards her house. Yakko grabbed onto his brother's hand and followed behind their aunt.
The house was small, had only one story. It was painted yellow, and had a brown tiled roof. To Yakko, his aunt's house pretty much looked like all the other houses in the neighborhood. All of them almost looked completely the same to one another.
They approached the front door of the yellow house. His aunt put the key in the door, unlocking it. Once this was done, she opened the door and entered the house. Yakko followed behind her, dragging his brother along with him.
There were no lights on inside of the house, besides the glare that was coming in from the windows. It was surprising how dark a house was, even when it was daytime.
Arenia turned on the light switch, the house lit up immediately. His aunt's house had a simple layout, the kitchen and the living room connected with each other. The only rooms separated from the main space of the house was his aunt's bedroom and of course the bathroom. It would be silly if a bathroom was exposed out in the open.
Yakko finally let go of Wakko's hand. His brother went running away from him immediately.
Well we're off to a good start.
"Get back over here Wakko", his aunt called to him," I wanna see you for a second".
He stopped in his tracks, turning his head back towards them. Wakko was staring blankly at them, he looked unsure of what he was supposed to do.
Afraid that his aunt might have accidentally upset him, Yakko started walking towards his brother. He approached his sibling, who had formed a bright smile on his face.
Wakko then stood up on his toes, reaching his arms up to him.
"Pick me up, pick me up", he chanted. Yakko gave in, and lifted his brother up off the floor, into his arms.
"Come on sib, auntie wants to talk to us".
Yakko carried his brother back to where his aunt was standing. Arenia was staring at him, grinning. Her eyes followed him, staring in his direction. She must have been proud of him or something. It seemed like she always grinned at him when he did something brotherly.
He finally reached his aunt. He panted, setting his brother back down on the floor. It was getting harder to carry Wakko, as it seemed like the boy was getting heavier. Yakko assumed that his brother was simply just growing up, just like he was. It wouldn't be long before Wakko was no longer little, and could do things without any of his help.
Yakko hoped that wouldn't happen for a long time.
This time, he made sure to hold his brother's hand just to make sure he wouldn't try running off again. He looked up at his aunt, trying to signal that he was ready to listen. She continued grinning at him, rubbing his head.
"You're such a responsible brother, Yakko", she told him," you know that? Wakko is really lucky to have a brother like you".
"He sure is", he agreed, even though his aunt had told him this countless times before.
"Yes", Wakko piped in," Yakko great brother"!!
Yakko gave his brother a smile, and so did his aunt. His little sibling never missed a chance to show how much he loved him.
"Aww, you're so sweet Wakko", Arenia said," anyway, you probably are waiting to hear what I have to tell you".
He nodded his head," what is it"?
His aunt put her hand on his shoulder.
"Well...I better give it to you straight sweetie. Your brother is going to start his learning today".
"What!?", he exclaimed," Wakko is starting his learning today"?
Yakko's jaw had dropped. He knew that his brother was going to start his learning soon, as he had started around two years old as well. But he wasn't prepared for when it would happen. He didn't even think it was going to happen today.
So many questions popped up in his mind. How will his aunt teach both of them? Will it interrupt his learning time? While that would be sweet as he always hated learning, this confused him and he wanted answers.
"I had a feeling this would throw you off a little bit", Arenia explained to him," but as I told you countless times, all toons start their learning around two years old".
"I know".
"And not to mention your brother had been two for quite a while now. He should have started by now".
His aunt then turned her attention towards Wakko.
"So bud, do you understand what's going to be happening today", she asked his brother.
He shook his head,"No".
"You're going to start your learning today, ok sweetie?", his aunt told his brother, " You're gonna be joining me and Yakko at the big table, alright bud"?
Wakko was silent for some time. He didn't do anything, his expression had no emotion. Yakko was afraid that his brother might take this the wrong way.
"No play with toys?", he finally asked.
Yakko felt like he was going to cry. This was almost the exact same way he reached when his aunt told him this. He remembered those words so vividly.
I don't get to play with the cars?, he had asked his aunt.
I told you bud, you don't get to play with any of your toys until you do some learning with me.
He remembered bursting out into a tantrum after Arenia had told him this, ending with him being sent to the corner. The same thing happened again and again until he finally accepted the fact that his aunt was going to force him to learn no matter what he did or how he felt.
He had long understood that his brother would often throw tantrums if a challenge came his way. Wakko had never thrown a tantrum at his aunt's house before, but he very might do it today. He could see the signs of it. Yakko didn't want to see his brother in trouble with his aunt. True, she was understanding, but she could get quite mad sometimes. He definitely didn't want to see his aunt handle a tantrum the same way his parents did.
As much as he didn't want his aunt to praise him for it, he decided to tell Wakko himself. He could explain things to him more gently, as he was more of his size. And besides, he's his older brother.
Yakko turned toward his brother, putting an arm around him.
"I know you feel unsure about this, sib", he said to him," I felt the same way as you did when I was your age".
"What we gonna do?
"Auntie wants you to practice some math with us".
"What is that"?
"You'll see. Me and auntie are gonna help you. I've been doing this for a long time, I'll make sure you understand this, I promise".
His brother grinned slightly. Yakko could tell that Wakko was still very confused about all of this.
Hopefully I explained it to him right.
"Will I still get to play with toys", Wakko asked him.
He nodded," of course. But you have to do this first, auntie said so".
At that moment, Yakko felt a hand touch his shoulder. It startled him a little, he looked behind him to see his aunt staring over him with a humongous grin on her face. Her grin felt even cheesier than it was the last time.
"Good job honey", she said," you really are great. I know I told you this already, but you really are".
"I know", he replied, trying to sound cheery.
His aunt freed her hand from his shoulder, then proceeded to scruff his head again. She must have been in a really great mood to be this happy.
"You know Yakko, you gave me an idea", his aunt told him.
"What idea"?
"You already know a lot about basic math. So why don't you take a break today and help your brother out"?
Yakko could hardly believe what his aunt was telling him. She wanted him to teach Wakko?
"What?", Yakko asked, feeling shocked by what she had said. "You want me to teach him math"?
His aunt nodded.
"But...but what if I mess up"?
"You won't mess up. You've been doing this for much longer than Wakko has. You know all of this already".
"What if he has a tantrum"?
Arenia then put her arm around him, pulling him close to her.
"Stop doubting yourself, Yakko", his aunt said," you and your brother have such a close relationship. You explain things to him better than I ever can".
"But auntie"?
"No buts, you can do this. I'll create a basic worksheet for Wakko, and then you can help him work through it. Does that sound good"?
He was unsure about this. His aunt had always been the teacher, and now she was suddenly handing the job to him. He had a bad feeling about this, he knew that something might go wrong.
Though, he might as well do this. He didn't want to disappoint his aunt.
He sighed," Ok auntie, that sounds good".
"Splendid", Arenia said, putting her hands together," why don't you and Wakko sit at the table while I get a worksheet for him".
"Yes auntie", Yakko replied," come on sib, let's go sit at the table"!
He grabbed onto his brother's hand and ran together to the big round table across the room. When they got there, he pulled out a chair for Wakko. He climbed up into it, standing up on the wooden chair. Then, Yakko pulled a chair for himself and sat down.
His brother's mood had changed, he seemed to be happier than he was a little while ago. Yakko felt glad, perhaps this won't be as bad as he originally thought.
Though, he still thought that something bad might happen. He'll try to explain the math to Wakko the best way he can, and hope that he won't throw a tantrum in the process. Hopefully, his brother will catch on pretty quickly.
Yakko decided to forget about the subject for the time being. He turned his head towards his brother. Wakko was pressing his hands against the table, bouncing himself up and down. His tongue was sticking out over his huge smile, something that he hadn't seen his brother do in quite some time.
"You look happy", he smirked," what are you thinking about"?
His brother turned his head towards him.
"I dunno. I feel very happy"!!
He couldn't help but smile a little, his brother was so innocent about everything. When he's in a good mood, Wakko is great to be around. He was so cheery over everything, there right beside him all the time.
"Great to hear, sib", Yakko said to his brother," after we do this, we can play with the toys in the basket".
Wakko got very excited after he told him this.
"Yes, yes, we play with toys in basket"!!
Yakko laughed a little. There was nothing really funny, he just felt like laughing at that moment.
His aunt finally came back, she was holding a piece of paper in her hand. Yakko knew what was coming. She placed the paper in front of him. Basic equations were written out on the white sheet of paper in black ink.
She shot a glare at Wakko, who was still bouncing up and down against the table. His brother had turned his team to look at his aunt. He was smiling brightly, his tongue slightly sticking out still.
"Wakko, please don't lean against the table like that", she demanded," please, sit down the right way".
His brother's smile faded, he took his hands off the table immediately. He sat down sadly in the chair, his head barely poking over the table.
"Now Yakko, I trust that you're gonna do a great job, am I right"?
Yakko nodded his head.
"Ok then, I'll be in my bedroom if you need me. The show is all yours''!
Arenia then started walking away from the table. While she did so, she handed him a bright yellow pencil for them to use.
"And don't just give him the answers", his aunt hollard," your brother has to learn"!
"Yes auntie, I won't", he replied.
Yakko heard his aunt walking away from him. He heard her opening the door to her bedroom, then closing it afterwards. He gave a sigh in relief, he was finally alone. Just him and his brother, sitting at the dining room table.
He turned his head towards Wakko, noticing the sad look on his face. He put his hand on his brother's shoulder.
"What's the matter, sib", he asked," you were so happy just a little while ago".
"Can't see", his brother told him," table is in the way"!
It was then when Yakko realized that Wakko was too short to see over the table. That was never a problem at home, as their table was shorter than his aunt's. He couldn't magically make his brother taller, and his aunt already scolded him for standing up in the chair.
He tried thinking of something he could do to help his brother. But he just couldn't think of anything. His eyes then gazed under the table, looking towards Wakko's legs. It was a little shocking, his brother's feet couldn't even touch the floor.
Wait a minute, I think that's it!!
"Say Wak, this might sound strange but have you ever sat on your legs"?
His brother made a weird face.
"What"!?
"Uuh...you know, sitting on your legs. Here, I'll show you what I mean".
Yakko lifted his legs off of the ground. He sat up a little, then he curled his legs underneath him. his brother watched with wide eyes as he did this.
"See, easy! Now you try it".
Wakko looked down at his feet, he looked unsure of what to do. Slowly, his brother imitated his actions. He curled his feet underneath him, now sitting on his legs. His head was now a little bit higher over the table than it was before.
"Better"?
Wakko nodded, smiling.
"I can see now!!", he announced.
"You can also stand on your knees if that's better", Yakko told him as he got up onto his knees.
His brother once again copied him, getting up onto his knees. He looked delighted.
"Much better", Wakko said," Thank you Yakko"!
"You don't have to thank me".
Now that his brother was in a good mood again, Yakko thought it was about time to start working on the math problems with Wakko.
He slid the paper over to his brother, along with the pencil. Wakko tilted his head looking down at the paper curiously. He then looked at him, pointing to the paper.
"What is this?", he asked.
"This is a math worksheet sib. This is what auntie was talking about. We're gonna work on this together, ok"?
"Ok Yakko".
Yakko was surprised how cool his brother was taking this. It seemed he was actually cooperating with him for a change.
"Great, let's begin", he said.
He moved closer towards Wakko, thinking sitting closer to his brother would help him be more engaged. Yakko then pointed his finger at a big number line at the top of the paper.
"You see this sib", Yakko said," these are numbers. The numbers here are one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten".
His brother made a woah sound after he explained the numbers to him.
"You're gonna see all of these numbers in the math problems we're gonna do", he continued. "Auntie wants to make sure you understand this. Uuh...can you name all of the numbers for me? Do you remember all of them"?
Wakko stared at him blankly.
"What are they"?
Yakko sighed, realizing that he shouldn't have made Wakko name all of the numbers right after he just learned them. He named all the numbers once more, making sure to point at each one of them to make sure his brother understood.
"That is cool", his brother stated, after Yakko had finished telling him the numbers once again.
"So now do you know what all the numbers are, Wak"?
"I think so", Wakko told him slowly," I'm not sure"?
Great, I'm going to have to teach him the numbers again, aren't I!!
"Are you understanding this?", he asked again.
His brother nodded, smiling.
"I think I do".
"Can you name some of them for me"?
Wakko went silent for a moment. It looked like he was thinking really hard about this. He tilted his head slightly, his ears were perked up slightly higher than they normally were.
Yakko was worried that he had put too much pressure on his brother. He had only just taught him all of the numbers, and now he had asked him to name them for him. He couldn't think of any other way to help him learn the numbers at the time. Having Wakko name them was the only thing he could come up with to help him understand the numbers.
Why didn't I just ask auntie for help, Yakko thought to himself.
He didn't want to leave his brother alone though, so he stayed put. Yakko watched as his brother continued to stare into space, thinking about the question he had asked him to answer.
"You don't have to name any of the numbers, Wak", Yakko said," we can just start on the math problems if you want".
Wakko shrugged his shoulders.
"I think I know", he said," we do what you want to do".
"Ok then, if that's what you want to do".
Yakko grabbed the yellow pencil on the table and handed it to his brother, who promptly took it from him. Wakko looked at the pencil curiously, cocking an eyebrow. He then turned his head towards him once more.
"What is this"?
"It's a pencil, Wakko", he told his sibling, " you write with that. Try writing your name at the top of the paper".
His brother looked down at the paper, staring at it intensely. He grasped the pencil between his fingers, trying to figure out how to properly hold it. Wakko lowered the pencil down onto the paper, the eraser touching the table.
Yakko smirked at his brother's antics, knowing that he was holding the pencil upside-down.
"Flip it over, Wak".
"What?", his brother asked, sounding confused.
"The pencil", Yakko clarified," see that pointy thing, that's supposed to be touching the paper, not the eraser".
Wakko twiddled his fingers as he proceeded to flip the pencil over so the led was touching the paper. His brother seemed pleased with himself after doing this.
"Great, you doing good so far!", Yakko said, trying to sound motivated. "Now try writing your name at the top of the paper".
"Ok Yakko", his brother responded as he looked down at the paper.
Wakko tilted his head slightly, he looked nervous. He was lightly tapping the pencil on the table repeatedly. He did this for a while, until he fiddled with his fingers once more, smacking the pencil against the paper.
"Don't slam the pencil down on the paper too hard, Wakko", he warned Wakko. "You could break the pencil, and I don't know where the pencil sharpener is"?
His brother let out a loud sigh.
"I don't know what to do", he whined," how do I do this"!?
"Here, can you give me the pencil for a second"?
Yakko grabbed the pencil from his brother, grasping it in his hand. He placed the pencil down on the paper, and proceeded to write out his name. After he did this, he lifted his hand off of the paper.
-Yakko Warner- was printed out in bold letters on the paper. He had drawn a small happy face next to his name as well. His brother stared down at what he had written.
"That's your name", Wakko announced.
"I know. That's how you write your name. Why don't you try writing your name right below mine".
He handed the pencil back to Wakko. His brother once again fiddled the pencil around in his hand until he was holding it in the right position. He lowered his pencil down onto the paper and started scribbling.
Yakko watched his brother desperately tried to write his name, just like he had done. He could tell that Wakko was trying his best to write it exactly as he did.
A few minutes had passed and Wakko finally lifted his pencil off of the paper. Yakko leaned his head closer to take a look at what his brother had written.
- Wakko- spelt incorrectly as Waco. His brother's handwriting was sloppy, it looked as if he had tried drawing spaghetti but failed miserably. His brother wore a huge smile on his face, he looked very proud of what he had done.
Yakko grinned, he couldn't be mad at his brother for writing his name so sloppily. It was the first time Wakko had written anything at all, so he couldn't blame him too much for struggling.
He rubbed his sibling's head.
"You did good, sib", he said to Wakko," not bad for a first timer".
His brother started giggling intensely, followed by him. The giggling went on for a short while until it finally tamed down.
"I'm good at this", his brother said at random.
Yakko figured that they really had to get started on the worksheet. He knew they couldn't joke around for the whole time they were there, knowing that his aunt would not like that.
"Now that you wrote your name, why don't we get started on these math problems"?
"What is that"?
"What do you mean?", Yakko asked, raising his eyebrow.
"What is this….math problem thingy"?
Oh no!! More time we have to waste!
And just as things finally seemed to be going his way, it all had to be ruined by Wakko stating that he didn't know what math problems were. Yakko sighed loudly, he already struggled to teach his brother to write his name. And already, another challenge comes his way.
He could only hope that he could explain this to Wakko as quickly as he could so they can finally get something done.
"Uuh...take a look at this problem", Yakko said, pointing to the math problem 11. "Do you know what that number is"?
Wakko thought for a second. He stared down at the paper in front of him. He then pointed to the 1 on the number line.
His brother grinned as he turned his head towards him.
"That one"!
"Right, sib. Do you know what that number is called"?
Wakko's smile faded, his face looked confused once again.
Please tell me he didn't forget the numbers again, has he!?
"It's the number one", Yakko interrupted his brother," can you say that for me"?
"One", his brother repeated," that is one"!
He was pleased with himself, glad to know that his brother was finally understanding all of this. And to think he was doing this all on his own.
Yakko decided that this was a good method, repeating the numbers over and over again until Wakko understood. Keeping that thought in mind, he pointed to the number 2 on the number line.
"This is the number two, Wak", he said, " what is that number"?
"Two", His brother responded.
Yakko couldn't believe this was actually working. His brother was understanding. He found a way to teach Wakko the numbers. He figured that if he kept on doing this over and over again, then his brother would be able to do math problems in no time.
"Good, what about this one", he asked Wakko, pointing to 3 on the number line.
"Um, is that three?".
"Yes it is", Yakko replied, giving his brother a high five.
He was so proud of Wakko at that moment. His brother was understanding this so quickly. Even though he knew that this is probably not what his aunt would have wanted them to do, Yakko thought this method was much better than trying to start right away. He would definitely keep doing this.
"You are so smart, Wakko", he told his brother.
Arenia Peter's was glad that she had the day off today. She didn't have a break from her busy life at work all the time, so she always made the most of her day every time she was given a break.
She was sitting on the queen size bed in her bedroom, reading the latest magazine. The Toon times- Sacramento settlement was her favorite magazine to read at the moment. It wasn't your average magazine as it only specialized in covering stories about other toons and toon related events.
In this issue, there was an article about toon chancellor John Crosby retiring from office. Toon chancellors had existed since Edward Crosby took on the role in 1934. Being a toon chancellor was sort of like being a president. The chancellor rules over all of the settlements across California, and is fundamentally in charge of keeping the settlements afloat.
Only members of the Crosby family have ever served as chancellor. Edward ruled from 1934 up to his death in 1961. His oldest son, John Crosby, inherited the role and served up until this year. John retired last week on February 27 1988. His oldest, William Crosby, has taken on his role as the third chancellor. It had been revealed that John simply didn't want to hold the responsibilities of chancellor anymore and has said that he simply just "moved on".
As a studying Toon historian, Arenia could tell that John Crosby's stress had finally caught up to him. From what she knows, John was said to have a tendency to flip out when put through a challenge. He had a very flawed ruling as the chancellor, as toons who were not starring in big roles in Hollywood had gotten much poorer, and poverty was increasing rapidly. She assumed that John Crosby didn't want to be the blame if toon settlements crumbled, so he just upright left his position before it could happen.
What a coward, Arenia thought. He didn't want to deal with the pressure so he just left his poor son to do all of his work? Pathetic!!
Just then, Arenia heard the creak of a door opening. She looked up from the magazine to find her two nephews standing outside the doorway. Her oldest nephew, Yakko, was holding the worksheet she had given them in his hand.
"Hey boys", she said," come on over, I wanna see how you did".
Her nephews walked side by side towards her bed. She noticed Yakko was holding his brother Wakko's hand as well. Arenia thought they looked adorable together. Both Yakko, followed shortly by Wakko, climbed up onto her bed, scooting their way towards her. She ruffled both the boys' heads.
"So sweetie", Arenia said to Yakko," how'd it go"?
"Good", he told her," I taught Wakko all of the numbers. We got some of the problems done".
Yakko then handed the paper to her, Arenia took a quick look at it. Her nephew was right when he said they only did a few problems. They only got three problems done on the worksheet.
She smirked," Wakko gave you trouble"?
"Not really, he did well", her nephew explained. "He said he was hungry, I didn't want him to throw any tantrums".
"I'm hungry, auntie", Wakko interrupted," I want food"!!
"Ok, I'll get you something, bud. Wait in the kitchen, ok? I want to talk to your brother for a second".
Almost instantly, the small child practically jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. Wakko could run very fast for his age, not even Yakko ran that fast when he was two years old.
She turned her head to her nephew, who was giving her a confused look. She could tell that Yakko felt nervous. Arenia put her arm around her oldest nephew, pulling him closer to her. The boy gazed his eyes up at her, he looked innocent.
"What is it, auntie"? Yakko asked.
"Don't worry bud, you're not in any sort of trouble", Arenia told him. "You looked sad in the car earlier. I'm not sure how you're feeling now, but I wanted to know what was bugging you"?
Yakko looked away from her instantly. He looked down at the bed, slowly shaking his head side to side. She could tell that he was nervous, he was definitely hiding something.
She put her hand under her nephew's chin, moving his head upwards. Yakko's eyes looked empty, a sad look was on his face.
"Tell me, what's wrong"?
He said nothing, his eyes were looking away. Tears were starting to form from his eyes, starting to drop down his cheeks. He bit his lip, his long ears drooped over his forehead.
"Tell me", Arenia said again, sounding nervous," what's bothering you, sweetheart"?
"I...I don't know", Yakko stuttered.
"There's something wrong", she said to her nephew," just tell me, it's ok".
Yakko hesitated, he was starting to cry.
"Mom and dad don't help me", he finally said.
"What"?
"Mommy and daddy don't help me take care of Wakko and Dot", the boy explained." They aren't home anymore".
Arenia wanted to know more.
"What do you mean your parents aren't home"?
"They're always out", Yakko explained, he had stopped crying by this point. "They're always at work. They come home late".
"And when they come home, do they then take care of your siblings for you?", she asked.
Yakko shook his head, shedding another tear.
Her jaw dropped, she couldn't believe what her nephew had just told him. She knew her sister had been stressed from her work, but that's no excuse for doing something like this.
Arenia always knew that her sister, Ellenia, wasn't the most organized person. Ever since they were little, she always had a tendency to be lazy and take shortcuts. Being the older sister, Arenia tried teaching her that she couldn't take the easy route in life and that she had to work hard for what she wanted. But Ellenia never listened, she always scoffed and told her that she was being bossy.
Her behavior only got worse when she married Rocko. After they had their first child together, she quit her job to take care of Yakko. Though most of the time, she relied on her to babysit when she and her husband went out.
This was the case until Rocko got fired from his job at Toontown Sacramento settlement storage facility. After that incident, Her sister was forced to work at some deli across from the apartment complex where they live now.
It seems like Ellenia is always complaining about her job nowadays. She goes on and on about how stressful her job is, and how the customers are so rude to her.
She put this on herself, Arenia thought, if she didn't want to end up like this, then she should've made better choices for herself.
No words could describe how mad she was at her sister. She had one job, to be a mother, and she's not doing that. And now, Yakko is upset.
Arenia knew that she had to do something.
Focusing back on reality, she pulled her oldest nephew close to her. She put her arms around him, she squeezed Yakko tightly.
"It's ok, bud", she told him," you shouldn't have to be taking care of your sibs all by yourself".
Yakko sniffed," I don't"?
"Of course not", Arenia continued," your parents should be there for you. I know they're busy, but they should be helping you out around the house"?
"It's ok auntie.."?
"No, it's not ok", she interrupted," you parents need to be there for you. They should be there for you. You shouldn't be doing this all alone".
The little boy looked up at her, he was crying again.
"I'm going to talk to mommy when I bring you and Wakko home. I want to talk to her about this".
She hugged her nephew tighter.
"I want what's best for you, ok"?
Yakko looked up at her, he was smiling a little now.
"Ok, auntie", he said softly.
Just then, a tiny head poked in through the doorway. Wakko was standing there with his tongue sticking out, smiling gleefully.
"Auntie come", he shouted," I want food please"!!
"Alright bud, I'm coming".
She lifted her arms off from Yakko and got out of the bed. She walked towards her youngest nephew, who grasped onto her leg. Wakko did that a lot.
"Yeah, get off of me kiddo"!
"I like this", he stated.
Arenia laughed. Her oldest nephew came behind her, he was laughing too.
"Wakko likes your leg", Yakko told her.
She snorted, as that statement came out of completely nowhere. Both of her nephews were the best things ever. She couldn't ask for better little boy's to be apart of her life.
The elevator doors opened on the fifth floor. Yakko, who was holding his brother's hand, walked out of the elevator with his aunt. He was glad to be home.
His aunt had told him earlier that she's going to talk to his parents about something. He remembered that she told him that he doesn't have to take care of his siblings all on his own. Yakko thought he could manage fine, but it would be nice if his parents were there for him more so he could get a much needed break. Both his siblings could be too much for him sometimes.
They walked together down the long, narrow hallway. One of the lights above was flickering on and off. All of the lights were dim, and the whole hallway was mostly dark. Yakko never liked walking down the hallway, his heart was always pounding inside. He was super aware of his surroundings, always looking behind him just to make sure he was safe.
Luckily, they made it to the apartment door safely. His aunt knocked on the door a few times. Yakko heard some shuffling coming from behind the door. The door then opened, his mom was standing in the doorway, balancing a sleeping Dot on her left hip. His mom had bags under her eyes, it looked as if she had just woken up a little while ago.
She held her right arm out, Yakko ran towards his mom giving her a hug.
"Hi Yakko", she said softly," you have a good day"?
"Yes mommy", Yakko told her," I had a good day".
Wakko ran towards her shortly afterwards. He grasped onto her leg, squeezing it tightly.
"Hi Mama", he said happily.
His mom then shook both of them off for some reason. She muttered something under her breath, but Yakko couldn't make out what she was saying. He assumed that she was simply in a bad mood.
Arenia stumbled closer to the door. She was breathing heavily, she looked stressed. His aunt then looked down at him with serious eyes.
"Hey Ellie", she said," can we talk alone"?
His mom shrugged her shoulders.
"Sure", she said," come on in".
"Boys, why don't you go to your room so me and your mom can talk", His aunt said.
"Yes auntie", Yakko said," come on Wak"!!
He grabbed onto his brother's hand and the two of them pushed past their mom and ran straight to their room immediately. Yakko closed the door behind him, he stood on his tiptoes and flipped on the light switch.
A bright light filled the room, he flinched a little when the light turned on. Wakko ran towards the bed. He climbed onto it and started on it. The little guy seemed to be very happy at that moment.
But that happiness didn't last.
Everything stopped in one second. Yakko froze, his brother stopped jumping on the bed. Both their smiles disappeared from their small faces. He could hear loud screaming coming from behind the door.
"How could you do this!?", he heard his aunt yell. "How could you think that was a good idea? Are you crazy"!?
"I didn't do anything!!", his mom screamed back.
"Bullshit you didn't! You left your son all alone to take care of his siblings. You couldn't have at least tried helping him"?
"I do take care of my children!! I do, I swear!! How was I supposed to know he was stressed out"!?
"He's six years old for christ sakes!! And what about you, Mr dad of the year!! What do you do"?
"I don't know what you're so angry about", his father fumed. "Yakko is fine"!!
"He was crying!!", Arenia scolded," your taking the child out of him and forcing him to act like an adult at SIX"!!!
He didn't say a word. Wakko didn't say a word. Both boys stayed completely silent as their parents argued with their aunt. Yakko felt tears coming out of his eyes, Wakko had started crying too.
He ran over to his brother, climbing up onto the bed. His brother was balling out tears, Yakko had never seen his brother cry this hard before. He pulled Wakko in his arms, giving the tightest hug he possibly could.
"Mommy, Daddy, auntie are fighting!!" Wakko sobbed.
Yakko didn't know how to calm his brother down. He was crying too, he scrunched up his face as tears dripped down his face.
"Don't cry, bud", Yakko told his brother, trying to control his tears. "It's ok, I love you".
Multiple thoughts were crossing his mind. Why was his aunt so mad at his parents? Why did this upset him and Wakko this much? Why did this need to happen?
He heard his sister start crying, which just made him cry harder. Yakko wanted to run out of his room and hug his sister so badly. He knew he couldn't though, he would probably get into big trouble if he left his room at that moment.
Yakko remained where he was, hugging his brother tightly, just hoping the fighting would just end already.
This was exactly why he always hated when his parents got into arguments. It was the feeling. He always felt so empty when they were yelling at each other. But this was different, he'd never heard his aunt get mad at his parents before.
Why can't the world just be a happy place!?
End of Chapter 15
A/N Sorry that I haven't updated this story in a while. I had been busy revising most of the chapters of this story. I still have some more revising to do, but I'm almost done, so I think I'll be back on track with updates soon.
Also, I've changed the name of Yakko's dad to Rocko. I just thought the name fit better for him.
Thank you to all who posted reviews on my story. It means the absolute most to me.
-Artiques