Chapter 4 - Michaela's Story
September 27th, 2020 - Tulsa, Oklahoma
I watched wide-eyed as Michelle threw the little plastic ball at bowling pins and knocked them all over. The manager of the side show gaped as Michelle picked yet another stuffed toy from the choice behind him. "My god, that's amazing...." Tweedle-Tay whispered under his breath. "I mean, Taylor's good, but Michelle..."
I nodded. "I know. How does she get so much strength in those bony little arms of hers?" I laughed bitterly to myself. "Oh course! From hitting us whenever we don't give her what she wants!"
We wandered over to where Michelle and Taylor were standing, both clutching an abundance of stuffed toys, though Michelle's were considerably larger. The manager looked at us and smiled. "Your daughter has a real talent. You should get her into baseball or something," he said.
I laughed. "Oh, we don't need to do that! She already gets herself into it, every afternoon!"
The manager whistled. "Impressive motivation. You go girl!"
I saw Michelle make a face, but the manager didn't. I didn't blame her. That comment was *very* 1990s. Michelle couldn't stand anything that was made prior to 2019. Fortunately for the Fly Girls, they had only been put together six months ago, so they were definitely in Michelle's favour. I looked at her, trying to encourage her to respond politely. After a few seconds Taylor said, "Thanks, she will."
And so we wandered off, Taylor and Michelle skipping ahead and Tweedle-Tay and I walking hand-in-hand, much more slowly, behind them. We tried to keep up, but my heels kept on sinking into the grass.
We were visiting Tulsa State Fair, one of the twins' favourite annual events in Tulsa (actually, one of the *only* things that happened in Tulsa all year), on the day that it opened. The twins liked it better that way, because there was no worry of the show bags they wanted being sold out and the side shows were still stocked full with toys. Actually, considering the way those things were rigged, they'd probably still be stocked full next Sunday, when the fair ended. Unless Michelle turned up every day.
The twins came to a stop when they reached the Rainbow and Tweedle-Tay and I started to catch up. "You weren't like that at their age, were you?" I asked him cautiously.
He smiled. "A little. I wasn't *quite* so extreme..... but we all know who was," he replied, looking at me knowingly. I nodded. "You probably weren't ever like that," he continued.
"No shit," I agreed. "That's not to say I wasn't bad and irritating..."
He nodded. "You *were* a spoilt little rich girl..."
I pulled away slightly. "And *you* were a conceited pop star!"
"Hey! Hey! Still am!" he protested.
"Conceited, granted - but not a pop star!" I teased.
Tweedle-Tay looked a little hurt. "I'm *kidding*!" I said, elevating myself so I could kiss him.
Taylor and Michelle bounded over, Michelle grabbing at Tweedle-Tay's hand, pulling us apart. "Come on!" she hissed. "You guys are embarrassing me! What if someone sees you???"
Taylor looked embarrassed. "No one wants to know about your... you know...."
"And we want to go on the Rainbow," Michelle added.
Tweedle-Tay pulled out his wallet. "Here's ten dollars, go buy the tickets," he said, handing Taylor the money.
Michelle frowned. "Don't you have anything smaller? The tickets are $2.50."
"Then buy four," Tweedle-Tay said, as though it was obvious.
Michelle looked at Taylor in excitement. "Two goes each!"
Taylor winced. "I think...."
"We want to go on too," I said.
Michelle made a face. "Okay...." she said, wandering off. Taylor followed. "How embarrassing..." she muttered to him.
"Anyway, I wasn't nearly so hyperactive when I was that age," I told Tweedle-Tay, returning to our previous conversation.
"Only at birthday parties," he replied, smiling slyly.
We joined the twins in the queue to go on the ride. "Bags going with Taylor!" Michelle said quickly.
'And I was just *dying* to!' I felt like saying, but I held my tongue. Looking up at the signs across the fair ground, I said, "Oh! Little Miss Tulsa!"
Taylor's face spread into a mischievous smile. "Yeah Michelle, why don't you enter?"
Tweedle-Tay and I nodded. "Yes, why don't you?" we asked in unison.
Michelle was disgusted. "Because it's a stupid thing to enter! Sabrina Bouvier will probably enter!"
"Well, yes," I agreed. "But don't you like to... kick her ass?"
Taylor looked away. "Don't try to sound up-to-date, Mom," he mumbled.
"I do like to kick her ass," Michelle agreed, looking at me warily. "But I wouldn't.... Sabrina will bat her eyes and swing her non-existent hips and I'll just stand there..."
"But you are *very* pretty Michelle..." I said softly. "Prettier than I was at your age."
Michelle looked embarrassed. "I don't think so..." she said, shaking her head. "Anyway, Taylor's prettier. Maybe he should enter...." Taylor gave her a nasty look. "Besides, even if I beat Sabrina..... Brittany Simpson will win."
Taylor's eyes widened. "Brittany Simpson is entering???? Well then...." Taylor looked apologetic. "You probably wouldn't win."
Michelle forced a smile. "See, even Taylor thinks Brittany would win. My own gay twin brother thinks -"
"What???" Taylor asked, horrified.
"Well, you *do* bring in coloured pencils to school..." Michelle said, not in the least apologetic.
"And that makes me gay..." Taylor said sarcastically, shaking his head. "Try to think before you speak, Michelle," I said, sighing. "If Taylor were gay, that would be fine, but coloured pencils do not make someone gay."
"Anyway, who's this Brittany Simpson?" Tweedle-Tay asked.
"Brittany Simpson is a girl in 6R5 who all the guys fancy. You know, blonde, big eyes, developed, dancer... she makes me wanna puke," Michelle said.
"So she's cute?" Tweedle-Tay asked Taylor.
"Oh yeah..." Taylor replied.
"Well I've never seen anyone prettier than you in my *life*, Michelle... except maybe Katie Holmes or Penny Pickard.... so I'd love to see this Brittany girl," I said.
"Whatever," Michelle shrugged.
Finally it we were able to get onto the ride. Tweedle-Tay and I squished into one seat and Michelle and Taylor got into the other. Tweedle- Tay put his arm around me and I rested my head on his shoulder. Then the ride started to rotate and we were flung from side to side. Tweedle-Tay put his hand on my leg. I raised my eyebrows. How inappropriate. He was probably just trying to hang on so inertia wouldn't take over *too* much.
Every time the Rainbow swung around to the top I looked out over the fair. Popcorn, fairy floss, the show bag pavilion - we'd have to go there later, rollercoasters... what was that I saw? We swung back to the bottom. A few seconds later we were up again and I looked at the familiar face more carefully. It couldn't be! Skipper wouldn't have returned to Tulsa, surely after twenty years he would have gotten on with his life. Although, being in jail, he hadn't really gotten a chance to do that. If he knew Tweedle-Tay and I were together...
I removed my head from Tweedle-Tay's shoulder and shrugged his arm away from me. I jolted around the seat a little more, but that was fine. As we swung to the top a third time, I looked for Skipper again. He was gone. I must have been seeing things. Skipper wasn't in Tulsa and we were all safe. Yes, that was it.
September 27th, 2020 - Tulsa, Oklahoma
I watched wide-eyed as Michelle threw the little plastic ball at bowling pins and knocked them all over. The manager of the side show gaped as Michelle picked yet another stuffed toy from the choice behind him. "My god, that's amazing...." Tweedle-Tay whispered under his breath. "I mean, Taylor's good, but Michelle..."
I nodded. "I know. How does she get so much strength in those bony little arms of hers?" I laughed bitterly to myself. "Oh course! From hitting us whenever we don't give her what she wants!"
We wandered over to where Michelle and Taylor were standing, both clutching an abundance of stuffed toys, though Michelle's were considerably larger. The manager looked at us and smiled. "Your daughter has a real talent. You should get her into baseball or something," he said.
I laughed. "Oh, we don't need to do that! She already gets herself into it, every afternoon!"
The manager whistled. "Impressive motivation. You go girl!"
I saw Michelle make a face, but the manager didn't. I didn't blame her. That comment was *very* 1990s. Michelle couldn't stand anything that was made prior to 2019. Fortunately for the Fly Girls, they had only been put together six months ago, so they were definitely in Michelle's favour. I looked at her, trying to encourage her to respond politely. After a few seconds Taylor said, "Thanks, she will."
And so we wandered off, Taylor and Michelle skipping ahead and Tweedle-Tay and I walking hand-in-hand, much more slowly, behind them. We tried to keep up, but my heels kept on sinking into the grass.
We were visiting Tulsa State Fair, one of the twins' favourite annual events in Tulsa (actually, one of the *only* things that happened in Tulsa all year), on the day that it opened. The twins liked it better that way, because there was no worry of the show bags they wanted being sold out and the side shows were still stocked full with toys. Actually, considering the way those things were rigged, they'd probably still be stocked full next Sunday, when the fair ended. Unless Michelle turned up every day.
The twins came to a stop when they reached the Rainbow and Tweedle-Tay and I started to catch up. "You weren't like that at their age, were you?" I asked him cautiously.
He smiled. "A little. I wasn't *quite* so extreme..... but we all know who was," he replied, looking at me knowingly. I nodded. "You probably weren't ever like that," he continued.
"No shit," I agreed. "That's not to say I wasn't bad and irritating..."
He nodded. "You *were* a spoilt little rich girl..."
I pulled away slightly. "And *you* were a conceited pop star!"
"Hey! Hey! Still am!" he protested.
"Conceited, granted - but not a pop star!" I teased.
Tweedle-Tay looked a little hurt. "I'm *kidding*!" I said, elevating myself so I could kiss him.
Taylor and Michelle bounded over, Michelle grabbing at Tweedle-Tay's hand, pulling us apart. "Come on!" she hissed. "You guys are embarrassing me! What if someone sees you???"
Taylor looked embarrassed. "No one wants to know about your... you know...."
"And we want to go on the Rainbow," Michelle added.
Tweedle-Tay pulled out his wallet. "Here's ten dollars, go buy the tickets," he said, handing Taylor the money.
Michelle frowned. "Don't you have anything smaller? The tickets are $2.50."
"Then buy four," Tweedle-Tay said, as though it was obvious.
Michelle looked at Taylor in excitement. "Two goes each!"
Taylor winced. "I think...."
"We want to go on too," I said.
Michelle made a face. "Okay...." she said, wandering off. Taylor followed. "How embarrassing..." she muttered to him.
"Anyway, I wasn't nearly so hyperactive when I was that age," I told Tweedle-Tay, returning to our previous conversation.
"Only at birthday parties," he replied, smiling slyly.
We joined the twins in the queue to go on the ride. "Bags going with Taylor!" Michelle said quickly.
'And I was just *dying* to!' I felt like saying, but I held my tongue. Looking up at the signs across the fair ground, I said, "Oh! Little Miss Tulsa!"
Taylor's face spread into a mischievous smile. "Yeah Michelle, why don't you enter?"
Tweedle-Tay and I nodded. "Yes, why don't you?" we asked in unison.
Michelle was disgusted. "Because it's a stupid thing to enter! Sabrina Bouvier will probably enter!"
"Well, yes," I agreed. "But don't you like to... kick her ass?"
Taylor looked away. "Don't try to sound up-to-date, Mom," he mumbled.
"I do like to kick her ass," Michelle agreed, looking at me warily. "But I wouldn't.... Sabrina will bat her eyes and swing her non-existent hips and I'll just stand there..."
"But you are *very* pretty Michelle..." I said softly. "Prettier than I was at your age."
Michelle looked embarrassed. "I don't think so..." she said, shaking her head. "Anyway, Taylor's prettier. Maybe he should enter...." Taylor gave her a nasty look. "Besides, even if I beat Sabrina..... Brittany Simpson will win."
Taylor's eyes widened. "Brittany Simpson is entering???? Well then...." Taylor looked apologetic. "You probably wouldn't win."
Michelle forced a smile. "See, even Taylor thinks Brittany would win. My own gay twin brother thinks -"
"What???" Taylor asked, horrified.
"Well, you *do* bring in coloured pencils to school..." Michelle said, not in the least apologetic.
"And that makes me gay..." Taylor said sarcastically, shaking his head. "Try to think before you speak, Michelle," I said, sighing. "If Taylor were gay, that would be fine, but coloured pencils do not make someone gay."
"Anyway, who's this Brittany Simpson?" Tweedle-Tay asked.
"Brittany Simpson is a girl in 6R5 who all the guys fancy. You know, blonde, big eyes, developed, dancer... she makes me wanna puke," Michelle said.
"So she's cute?" Tweedle-Tay asked Taylor.
"Oh yeah..." Taylor replied.
"Well I've never seen anyone prettier than you in my *life*, Michelle... except maybe Katie Holmes or Penny Pickard.... so I'd love to see this Brittany girl," I said.
"Whatever," Michelle shrugged.
Finally it we were able to get onto the ride. Tweedle-Tay and I squished into one seat and Michelle and Taylor got into the other. Tweedle- Tay put his arm around me and I rested my head on his shoulder. Then the ride started to rotate and we were flung from side to side. Tweedle-Tay put his hand on my leg. I raised my eyebrows. How inappropriate. He was probably just trying to hang on so inertia wouldn't take over *too* much.
Every time the Rainbow swung around to the top I looked out over the fair. Popcorn, fairy floss, the show bag pavilion - we'd have to go there later, rollercoasters... what was that I saw? We swung back to the bottom. A few seconds later we were up again and I looked at the familiar face more carefully. It couldn't be! Skipper wouldn't have returned to Tulsa, surely after twenty years he would have gotten on with his life. Although, being in jail, he hadn't really gotten a chance to do that. If he knew Tweedle-Tay and I were together...
I removed my head from Tweedle-Tay's shoulder and shrugged his arm away from me. I jolted around the seat a little more, but that was fine. As we swung to the top a third time, I looked for Skipper again. He was gone. I must have been seeing things. Skipper wasn't in Tulsa and we were all safe. Yes, that was it.
