Chapter 11 - Neuton's Story
September 25, 1997 - Staten Island
The show had been spectacular. The girls had screamed, we'd played well, and the reviews would be great. I was on top of the world. I couldn't decide how many female fans to let backstage to meet the band.... Five? Ten? Maybe only one......... I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn't notice Tweedle-Tay walk off behind a glass door. When I finally noticed he was gone I figured that he was checking out his reflection in the mirror and went off to see the security guards. I was just in the middle of telling them who to let in when I heard a scream. It wasn't a scream of the breathy, high pitched, female fan kind, it was the scream of my own brother, Tweedle-Tay. Of course I ran to see what was wrong at once.
When I finally reached the glass door I cried "Tay, what's going on?" It was then that I saw it. I didn't believe it at first. "Oh my god!!!!!!" There was not one Tweedle-Tay in the room, but two. And they were hugging. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I was not seeing double. Then one of the Tweedle-Tays approached me.
"Hi," they said. "You must be Neuton. I'm your fourteen year old sister, Michaela. I'm also Tweedle-Tay's identical twin sister."
I looked at the girl. Maybe I wasn't seeing double after all. Then the other Tweedle-Tay said,"Relax Neut. It's okay. You're not seeing double. I'm the real Tweedle-Tay and that really is a girl called Michaela. She tells me that she's my long lost twin sister. I don't know whether she's telling the truth though.............."
I looked carefully at the "twins". "I don't think she is telling the truth. If she was, I would recognise her, after all I was there at the birth."
Tweedle-Tay and I both looked doubtfully at Michaela.
"Bloody hell!" she screamed. Tay and I took a step back in horror. "I look exactly like Tweedle-Tay and I have a birth certificate to prove that I'm your sister, what more proof do you need????"
Tweedle-Tay looked at me and frowned. "Think hard Neuton. Do you remember one baby or two? We don't want to send our sister away."
I thought really carefully but, as most people my age could understand, it's really hard to remember what happened when you were two. Then I saw an image in my brain. A photograph. A Polaroid photograph. The photograph showed two babies, one wrapped in blue, one in pink. The baby in pink had eyes that glowed red. The baby in pink was a devil baby. The baby in pink was Michaela. Michaela was the devil baby! "No!!!!!" I screamed and turned around, but it was too late. My parents and brothers and sisters were standing in the doorway, blocking the entrance. Dad was angry, Mom was happy and Grub, Lizzie, Kessie and Mackie? Well, they just looked confused.
"Well, this may be a wild guess," my father said. "But I think that these two identical people are Tweedle-Tay and............ Michaela."
Michaela walked towards Dad. "Yes, I'm Michaela, your long lost daughter. Pleased to meet you."
Dad laughed. "Long lost daughter........ did it ever occur to you that we might want it to stay that way?"
Michaela's face fell. Tweedle-Tay looked at Dad curiously. "So she really is my sister? Why did you send her away?"
Our father didn't answer. Nobody did. Finally I said,"Because Michaela is evil. Tay, Michaela is your........ evil twin."
Michaela burst out laughing. "Evil? Me? As if! I've come here to live with you all because I'm your daughter, or your sister, depending on who you are. My adopted grandmother is dead and I have no place to go. I want to be a Manson and make you all proud. I just want to be a part of the family."
My mother started to cry. "You can be a part of the family dear. I've missed you so much. You are so gorgeous!!" She ran over and hugged Michaela. Grub, Kessie, Lizzie and Mackie did the same. Tweedle-Tay walked over and joined the hug.
But, I couldn't get the image of the devil baby out of my mind. Obviously Dad couldn't either. That's why he said,"No. Michaela cannot stay in our house. Fergie, you remember how we discussed this the day the twins were born...... we can't have the devil in our house."
"No." I couldn't believe it. My mother standing up to my father? "No," she repeated herself. "America is a democracy. Therefore our house is a democracy. I want Michaela to stay with us and so do Tweedle-Tay, Grubbery, Elizabeth, Kestrel and MacArthy. I think Neuton wants her to stay too, don't you Neuton?"
"I don't think he does," said Dad.
"Neuton?" prompted Mom.
"Well, uh, I don't really care one way or the other." I tried to get out of one sticky situation. Michaela looked hurt but I couldn't get the devil baby to leave my mind. I'd have to be careful around Michaela.
"Anyway," Mom added. "Even if Neuton hadn't wanted Michaela to stay it wouldn't have mattered, it would still have been six against two. Besides, what sort of man would want to throw his daughter out on the street?"
September 25, 1997 - Staten Island
The show had been spectacular. The girls had screamed, we'd played well, and the reviews would be great. I was on top of the world. I couldn't decide how many female fans to let backstage to meet the band.... Five? Ten? Maybe only one......... I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn't notice Tweedle-Tay walk off behind a glass door. When I finally noticed he was gone I figured that he was checking out his reflection in the mirror and went off to see the security guards. I was just in the middle of telling them who to let in when I heard a scream. It wasn't a scream of the breathy, high pitched, female fan kind, it was the scream of my own brother, Tweedle-Tay. Of course I ran to see what was wrong at once.
When I finally reached the glass door I cried "Tay, what's going on?" It was then that I saw it. I didn't believe it at first. "Oh my god!!!!!!" There was not one Tweedle-Tay in the room, but two. And they were hugging. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I was not seeing double. Then one of the Tweedle-Tays approached me.
"Hi," they said. "You must be Neuton. I'm your fourteen year old sister, Michaela. I'm also Tweedle-Tay's identical twin sister."
I looked at the girl. Maybe I wasn't seeing double after all. Then the other Tweedle-Tay said,"Relax Neut. It's okay. You're not seeing double. I'm the real Tweedle-Tay and that really is a girl called Michaela. She tells me that she's my long lost twin sister. I don't know whether she's telling the truth though.............."
I looked carefully at the "twins". "I don't think she is telling the truth. If she was, I would recognise her, after all I was there at the birth."
Tweedle-Tay and I both looked doubtfully at Michaela.
"Bloody hell!" she screamed. Tay and I took a step back in horror. "I look exactly like Tweedle-Tay and I have a birth certificate to prove that I'm your sister, what more proof do you need????"
Tweedle-Tay looked at me and frowned. "Think hard Neuton. Do you remember one baby or two? We don't want to send our sister away."
I thought really carefully but, as most people my age could understand, it's really hard to remember what happened when you were two. Then I saw an image in my brain. A photograph. A Polaroid photograph. The photograph showed two babies, one wrapped in blue, one in pink. The baby in pink had eyes that glowed red. The baby in pink was a devil baby. The baby in pink was Michaela. Michaela was the devil baby! "No!!!!!" I screamed and turned around, but it was too late. My parents and brothers and sisters were standing in the doorway, blocking the entrance. Dad was angry, Mom was happy and Grub, Lizzie, Kessie and Mackie? Well, they just looked confused.
"Well, this may be a wild guess," my father said. "But I think that these two identical people are Tweedle-Tay and............ Michaela."
Michaela walked towards Dad. "Yes, I'm Michaela, your long lost daughter. Pleased to meet you."
Dad laughed. "Long lost daughter........ did it ever occur to you that we might want it to stay that way?"
Michaela's face fell. Tweedle-Tay looked at Dad curiously. "So she really is my sister? Why did you send her away?"
Our father didn't answer. Nobody did. Finally I said,"Because Michaela is evil. Tay, Michaela is your........ evil twin."
Michaela burst out laughing. "Evil? Me? As if! I've come here to live with you all because I'm your daughter, or your sister, depending on who you are. My adopted grandmother is dead and I have no place to go. I want to be a Manson and make you all proud. I just want to be a part of the family."
My mother started to cry. "You can be a part of the family dear. I've missed you so much. You are so gorgeous!!" She ran over and hugged Michaela. Grub, Kessie, Lizzie and Mackie did the same. Tweedle-Tay walked over and joined the hug.
But, I couldn't get the image of the devil baby out of my mind. Obviously Dad couldn't either. That's why he said,"No. Michaela cannot stay in our house. Fergie, you remember how we discussed this the day the twins were born...... we can't have the devil in our house."
"No." I couldn't believe it. My mother standing up to my father? "No," she repeated herself. "America is a democracy. Therefore our house is a democracy. I want Michaela to stay with us and so do Tweedle-Tay, Grubbery, Elizabeth, Kestrel and MacArthy. I think Neuton wants her to stay too, don't you Neuton?"
"I don't think he does," said Dad.
"Neuton?" prompted Mom.
"Well, uh, I don't really care one way or the other." I tried to get out of one sticky situation. Michaela looked hurt but I couldn't get the devil baby to leave my mind. I'd have to be careful around Michaela.
"Anyway," Mom added. "Even if Neuton hadn't wanted Michaela to stay it wouldn't have mattered, it would still have been six against two. Besides, what sort of man would want to throw his daughter out on the street?"
