Chapter 5 - "Mama, I Love You" - Michaela's Story
April 9th, 2000 - Tulsa, Oklahoma
"Don't they have lives?" I asked, looking through my binoculars at our family getting into their van. It was a Sunday morning and they were all going off to church, giving us virtually our only chance to get into the house.
"They leaving?" Tweedle-Tay asked, holding out his hand. I handed him the binoculars and he looked towards our parents.
Grubbery laughed. "You should know they don't have lives Michaela, you did live with them for one and a half years!"
I frowned. "Yes, but I was in the attic - remember!"
Our parents began to drive along Stoneybrook Crescent, towards us. We all moved quickly behind a hedge, in one blonde pack. As soon as they'd passed we got up and started to walk down the street towards the car. "So Grubbery, how exactly are we going to get into the house?" I asked casually. Anything to avoid thinking about the grotty thing I'd have to do once we actually got into the house.
Grubbery rolled his eyes. "Spare keys dummy! I know where they are."
"Underneath the blue garden gnome?" Tweedle-Tay asked.
Grubbery nodded. "Yeah."
As we neared the house I felt shivers go up and down my spine. I was so silly! It was just a pretty, brick house with a picket fence in the middle of suburbia. There was nothing creepy about it on the outside really, it was only the things that happened on the inside. "Why are you shivering, Michaela?" Tweedle-Tay asked, concerned. "Are you sick?"
"No," I replied, shaking my head. "Just cold."
He laughed. "It's thirty degrees outside Michaela!"
"Is it?" I asked. "Oh yeah, it is," I said, laughing weakly.
We opened the picket fence and walked into the front garden. Grubbery strolled over to the garden gnome and lifted it. Sure enough, there were the keys. He lifted them up and we all walked towards the front door in a forced casual fashion. "What if the neighbours see us?" I asked nervously.
Tay and Grub laughed. "They wouldn't be around to see us!" Tweedle- Tay said.
"We're smack bang in the middle of the Bible-belt," Grubbery added. "Everyone's at church."
"Yeah," Tay added, with a note of guilt in his voice. Really! He hadn't been to church since we'd been in the attic! Now was no time to start feeling guilty.
"That's good," I said. Grubbery unlocked the door and we all walked inside, Tay shutting the door behind us. I heard footsteps running towards us and screeched and ducked. Tweedle-Tay managed to give me a pissed off look in his panic.
A tabby cat came bounding down the hallway towards us. "Mama!" Tweedle-Tay exclaimed in joy, picking the cat up and stroking it. "Oh Mama! It's been so long since I've seen you!" The cat was equally affectionate towards Tweedle-Tay.
"Tay bought Mama when he was eleven," Grubbery whispered to me. I nodded and Grubbery and I walked into the lounge room, leaving Tweedle-Tay in the kitchen with his cat. "They keep their wedding photos in this cupboard," Grubbery explained, opening up an old, wooden, cupboard.
"I'll help you look," I said. Grubbery and I started to glimpse through the old photo albums, looking for our parents' wedding photos. I opened up the first album which had photo's of Tweedle-Tay when he was little. His fifth birthday. He was sticking his tongue out at the camera. It was sooo cute! I wished I had been there, but I wasn't and I'd never be able to go there. Because of our parents, I was deprived of normal sibling relationships.
"Kay?" Grub said. "Here are the wedding photos...." he said handing me a photo album.
I gave him a little smile. "Thanks," I said, although I didn't really mean it. "Would you mind leaving while I......?"
"Sure," Grub said. "I'll just go off to hang out with Tay." He hastily left the room.
I looked through the photo album. This was going to be the hardest thing I ever intentionally did. I mean, when you picture this sort of thing, don't you just think of a girl with a grubby face, wearing rags? But this wasn't how it was. This was a girl with a perfectly made up face and designer clothes. A girl who had it all but was all messed up. Michaela. A preppy girl from Beverly Hills was sticking her hand up her dress and smearing blood on her parents' wedding photos.
When I'd finished I threw the photos around the room and walked out. When I got to the kitchen I washed my hands with soap and sat down at the table. Grubbery was talking to Tweedle-Tay, who was still stroking the cat. "You finished?" Grubbery asked.
I nodded. Tweedle-Tay smiled sympathetically. "Thanks Michaela. I know that must have been hard for you. I'll bet it was icky..."
I nodded again. "I would say it was okay, but, you know, it's not the sort of thing I want to do again...."
Grubbery walked over to the fridge. "Do you want something? An apple?"
I shook my head. "No thanks. I think I'll just get something at the general store.... I don't really want to be here," I said, standing up.
My brothers nodded sympathetically and got up from the table. We quickly walked out of the house. Once we got onto the street we walked three-abreast, Tweedle-Tay with his arm around my shoulder and Grubbery on my other side, his arm linked through mine. I gave them a little smile. "Oh well, I guess they'll be pretty shocked," I managed to say.
"That's for sure," Grubbery agreed.
"You know what?" Tweedle-Tay said. "I think we all deserve a treat!"
We walked up to the general store at the intersection with Myrtle Street. "TimTams?" I suggested.
Tay nodded and picked them up from the shelf. I picked up a two litre bottle of Pepsi and Grubbery got some Kettle Chips. Ooooo. Yummy. Tweedle-Tay paid for the food and we all walked outside. When we got out on the street I felt Tay's arm move away from me as he turned around. I looked behind me to see this tall, thin, blonde, girl walking into the store. Typical Tweedle-Tay. "What about Alisha?" I asked casually.
"Oh, she won't mind," he answered. "I didn't even talk to her."
Oh well, at least the girl at the general store was blonde!
April 9th, 2000 - Tulsa, Oklahoma
"Don't they have lives?" I asked, looking through my binoculars at our family getting into their van. It was a Sunday morning and they were all going off to church, giving us virtually our only chance to get into the house.
"They leaving?" Tweedle-Tay asked, holding out his hand. I handed him the binoculars and he looked towards our parents.
Grubbery laughed. "You should know they don't have lives Michaela, you did live with them for one and a half years!"
I frowned. "Yes, but I was in the attic - remember!"
Our parents began to drive along Stoneybrook Crescent, towards us. We all moved quickly behind a hedge, in one blonde pack. As soon as they'd passed we got up and started to walk down the street towards the car. "So Grubbery, how exactly are we going to get into the house?" I asked casually. Anything to avoid thinking about the grotty thing I'd have to do once we actually got into the house.
Grubbery rolled his eyes. "Spare keys dummy! I know where they are."
"Underneath the blue garden gnome?" Tweedle-Tay asked.
Grubbery nodded. "Yeah."
As we neared the house I felt shivers go up and down my spine. I was so silly! It was just a pretty, brick house with a picket fence in the middle of suburbia. There was nothing creepy about it on the outside really, it was only the things that happened on the inside. "Why are you shivering, Michaela?" Tweedle-Tay asked, concerned. "Are you sick?"
"No," I replied, shaking my head. "Just cold."
He laughed. "It's thirty degrees outside Michaela!"
"Is it?" I asked. "Oh yeah, it is," I said, laughing weakly.
We opened the picket fence and walked into the front garden. Grubbery strolled over to the garden gnome and lifted it. Sure enough, there were the keys. He lifted them up and we all walked towards the front door in a forced casual fashion. "What if the neighbours see us?" I asked nervously.
Tay and Grub laughed. "They wouldn't be around to see us!" Tweedle- Tay said.
"We're smack bang in the middle of the Bible-belt," Grubbery added. "Everyone's at church."
"Yeah," Tay added, with a note of guilt in his voice. Really! He hadn't been to church since we'd been in the attic! Now was no time to start feeling guilty.
"That's good," I said. Grubbery unlocked the door and we all walked inside, Tay shutting the door behind us. I heard footsteps running towards us and screeched and ducked. Tweedle-Tay managed to give me a pissed off look in his panic.
A tabby cat came bounding down the hallway towards us. "Mama!" Tweedle-Tay exclaimed in joy, picking the cat up and stroking it. "Oh Mama! It's been so long since I've seen you!" The cat was equally affectionate towards Tweedle-Tay.
"Tay bought Mama when he was eleven," Grubbery whispered to me. I nodded and Grubbery and I walked into the lounge room, leaving Tweedle-Tay in the kitchen with his cat. "They keep their wedding photos in this cupboard," Grubbery explained, opening up an old, wooden, cupboard.
"I'll help you look," I said. Grubbery and I started to glimpse through the old photo albums, looking for our parents' wedding photos. I opened up the first album which had photo's of Tweedle-Tay when he was little. His fifth birthday. He was sticking his tongue out at the camera. It was sooo cute! I wished I had been there, but I wasn't and I'd never be able to go there. Because of our parents, I was deprived of normal sibling relationships.
"Kay?" Grub said. "Here are the wedding photos...." he said handing me a photo album.
I gave him a little smile. "Thanks," I said, although I didn't really mean it. "Would you mind leaving while I......?"
"Sure," Grub said. "I'll just go off to hang out with Tay." He hastily left the room.
I looked through the photo album. This was going to be the hardest thing I ever intentionally did. I mean, when you picture this sort of thing, don't you just think of a girl with a grubby face, wearing rags? But this wasn't how it was. This was a girl with a perfectly made up face and designer clothes. A girl who had it all but was all messed up. Michaela. A preppy girl from Beverly Hills was sticking her hand up her dress and smearing blood on her parents' wedding photos.
When I'd finished I threw the photos around the room and walked out. When I got to the kitchen I washed my hands with soap and sat down at the table. Grubbery was talking to Tweedle-Tay, who was still stroking the cat. "You finished?" Grubbery asked.
I nodded. Tweedle-Tay smiled sympathetically. "Thanks Michaela. I know that must have been hard for you. I'll bet it was icky..."
I nodded again. "I would say it was okay, but, you know, it's not the sort of thing I want to do again...."
Grubbery walked over to the fridge. "Do you want something? An apple?"
I shook my head. "No thanks. I think I'll just get something at the general store.... I don't really want to be here," I said, standing up.
My brothers nodded sympathetically and got up from the table. We quickly walked out of the house. Once we got onto the street we walked three-abreast, Tweedle-Tay with his arm around my shoulder and Grubbery on my other side, his arm linked through mine. I gave them a little smile. "Oh well, I guess they'll be pretty shocked," I managed to say.
"That's for sure," Grubbery agreed.
"You know what?" Tweedle-Tay said. "I think we all deserve a treat!"
We walked up to the general store at the intersection with Myrtle Street. "TimTams?" I suggested.
Tay nodded and picked them up from the shelf. I picked up a two litre bottle of Pepsi and Grubbery got some Kettle Chips. Ooooo. Yummy. Tweedle-Tay paid for the food and we all walked outside. When we got out on the street I felt Tay's arm move away from me as he turned around. I looked behind me to see this tall, thin, blonde, girl walking into the store. Typical Tweedle-Tay. "What about Alisha?" I asked casually.
"Oh, she won't mind," he answered. "I didn't even talk to her."
Oh well, at least the girl at the general store was blonde!
