Chapter 10 - Michaela's Story
June 6, 1998 - Tulsa, Oklahoma
As the months dragged on Tweedle-Tay and I has less and less to do. School work kept us busy most of the time, but we had soon finished all of our ninth grade text books and were more than ready to go on to tenth grade books. I'd stopped advancing my Math and was concentrating on other areas. There was no point in going ahead to senior mathematics when you weren't even a sophomore.
Soon it was summer. According to the weather woman on Tulsa News it was hot outside (31 degrees Celsius), so you can imagine how hot it was in the attic. To cope with the heat, I had to wear my swimmers with a sarong and Tweedle-Tay had to wear his boardshorts. Due to the heat, our mother was spending less time in the attic when she came up to give us our dinners. She usually just dumped our dinners at the door and left. One would think that she'd be sympathetic to her children and let them out of the attic, but she did not. To cope with the extreme heat, Tweedle-Tay and I drank water constantly and thus went to the bathroom constantly as well.
On this particular night, I was having a shower and changing into my nightgown before bed. I brushed my hair one hundred times and tied it back in plait. I put my dressing gown on and walked out of the bathroom. Lying on my bed, his face pressed against my 'Sixteen' magazine was my brother, Tweedle-Tay. "Yuck!" I screeched. "What are you doing!"
Tweedle-Tay's lips left the magazine. He glanced up at me guiltily, and quickly looked away. "Iwaspracticing," he muttered.
"Excuse me?" I said, my hands on my hips. "I didn't hear you. Would you remind repeating yourself...... more slowly this time."
"I was practicing," he said softly.
"Ewww," I scoffed. "Get off my bed." Tweedle-Tay got up. I looked at the magazine. Poor Cameron Diaz had wet marks all over her face. Tweedle-Tay sat down on his own bed. I raised my eyebrows and held up the magazine. "Practicing? You are so sad Tweedle-Tay..." I said, shaking my head and hopping into bed. I looked at my brother, who sat there silently, looking at his feet. I sighed and turned off my bed side lamp. My half of the attic was in darkness, but my brother's was not. "Tweedle-Tay," I said impatiently. "It's ten-thirty, would you mind turning off your lamp?"
Tweedle-Tay looked up at me. "Michaela? May I ask you something?" he said.
"Shoot."
"Michaela, have you ever kissed a guy?" he mumbled.
"No, but 'I kissed a girl'," I sang. I laughed. "Just kidding. Seriously, yeah, lots of times. I had about four boyfriends before I moved here," I said.
"Right," Tweedle-Tay said, getting into his bed. There was silence. "Michaela, have you ever had sex?" he continued.
"What???" I said, sitting up. "Are you serious? I am NOT that easy. I was only fourteen when I moved here, remember?"
"Sorry," he said. "It was just a question."
"Mmmmm....." I said. I lay back down, trying to go back to sleep, although it was very hard, considering the light shining on the other side of the room.
A few minutes later Tweedle-Tay spoke again. "What's it like?" he asked.
I sighed. "What's what like?"
"You know..... kissing," he mumbled.
I sat up again. "Tay, do you mean to say that for six months you had thousands, possibly millions of teenybopper girls following you around, desperate for you to take advantage of them, and you never once did?"
"Well, yeah," he said.
"How noble of you," I replied.
"Well, I didn't think it was right. I always figured there'd be plenty of time later," he said.
"Well obviously there wasn't," I countered.
"That's why I was practicing with the magazine," Tweedle-Tay said.
"Whatever...." I paused. "Would you mind not practicing on my magazines again?" I added.
"Sure," he said slowly. "I'll find something else to practice on."
"Good," I said firmly. "Good night Tay."
"Good night Kay."
"And," I added. "Would you PLEASE turn off your lamp???"
"Sure," Tweedle-Tay said, hastily turning off the lamp. "Good night, Kay."
I sighed. "Good night Tay."
June 6, 1998 - Tulsa, Oklahoma
As the months dragged on Tweedle-Tay and I has less and less to do. School work kept us busy most of the time, but we had soon finished all of our ninth grade text books and were more than ready to go on to tenth grade books. I'd stopped advancing my Math and was concentrating on other areas. There was no point in going ahead to senior mathematics when you weren't even a sophomore.
Soon it was summer. According to the weather woman on Tulsa News it was hot outside (31 degrees Celsius), so you can imagine how hot it was in the attic. To cope with the heat, I had to wear my swimmers with a sarong and Tweedle-Tay had to wear his boardshorts. Due to the heat, our mother was spending less time in the attic when she came up to give us our dinners. She usually just dumped our dinners at the door and left. One would think that she'd be sympathetic to her children and let them out of the attic, but she did not. To cope with the extreme heat, Tweedle-Tay and I drank water constantly and thus went to the bathroom constantly as well.
On this particular night, I was having a shower and changing into my nightgown before bed. I brushed my hair one hundred times and tied it back in plait. I put my dressing gown on and walked out of the bathroom. Lying on my bed, his face pressed against my 'Sixteen' magazine was my brother, Tweedle-Tay. "Yuck!" I screeched. "What are you doing!"
Tweedle-Tay's lips left the magazine. He glanced up at me guiltily, and quickly looked away. "Iwaspracticing," he muttered.
"Excuse me?" I said, my hands on my hips. "I didn't hear you. Would you remind repeating yourself...... more slowly this time."
"I was practicing," he said softly.
"Ewww," I scoffed. "Get off my bed." Tweedle-Tay got up. I looked at the magazine. Poor Cameron Diaz had wet marks all over her face. Tweedle-Tay sat down on his own bed. I raised my eyebrows and held up the magazine. "Practicing? You are so sad Tweedle-Tay..." I said, shaking my head and hopping into bed. I looked at my brother, who sat there silently, looking at his feet. I sighed and turned off my bed side lamp. My half of the attic was in darkness, but my brother's was not. "Tweedle-Tay," I said impatiently. "It's ten-thirty, would you mind turning off your lamp?"
Tweedle-Tay looked up at me. "Michaela? May I ask you something?" he said.
"Shoot."
"Michaela, have you ever kissed a guy?" he mumbled.
"No, but 'I kissed a girl'," I sang. I laughed. "Just kidding. Seriously, yeah, lots of times. I had about four boyfriends before I moved here," I said.
"Right," Tweedle-Tay said, getting into his bed. There was silence. "Michaela, have you ever had sex?" he continued.
"What???" I said, sitting up. "Are you serious? I am NOT that easy. I was only fourteen when I moved here, remember?"
"Sorry," he said. "It was just a question."
"Mmmmm....." I said. I lay back down, trying to go back to sleep, although it was very hard, considering the light shining on the other side of the room.
A few minutes later Tweedle-Tay spoke again. "What's it like?" he asked.
I sighed. "What's what like?"
"You know..... kissing," he mumbled.
I sat up again. "Tay, do you mean to say that for six months you had thousands, possibly millions of teenybopper girls following you around, desperate for you to take advantage of them, and you never once did?"
"Well, yeah," he said.
"How noble of you," I replied.
"Well, I didn't think it was right. I always figured there'd be plenty of time later," he said.
"Well obviously there wasn't," I countered.
"That's why I was practicing with the magazine," Tweedle-Tay said.
"Whatever...." I paused. "Would you mind not practicing on my magazines again?" I added.
"Sure," he said slowly. "I'll find something else to practice on."
"Good," I said firmly. "Good night Tay."
"Good night Kay."
"And," I added. "Would you PLEASE turn off your lamp???"
"Sure," Tweedle-Tay said, hastily turning off the lamp. "Good night, Kay."
I sighed. "Good night Tay."
