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Bowling: The Sport of the Broken Hearted

New York State of Mind

Chapter 16

Two days after "the incident," Ginny was shipped off to New York and Mac. With Ginny's departure everyone's good moods seemed to depart as well. The old mansion was thick with tension which had led to icy silences all around. Sparrow and Charlie had had a huge blow-out and weren't talking to each other, while Finn was still steaming over Ginny. Even Atticus's sweet temperament had been turned sour by something.

Everyone had retreated to their own spaces contently miserable in their solitude. And that was how it was even now. And that poor misery should be spreading to Earnest right now.

Earnest was not sure how he had found himself in this situation. One minute Mac had been trying to convince him to lose his tie, the next his mother had saddled him with some little girl.

"Earnest we have important things to discuss," she'd begun pushing him across the room to the door. "Much more important then your little running for Mayor thing. Look after the girl. How hard can it be? And if you're so concerned for your campaign phone some reporters up and invite them along. It'll be great publicity. Earnest Lyon likes children blah, blah," with that she had slammed the door in his face.

He was currently standing in the exact same position 10 minutes later. He wanted so badly to bang his fists against the door and tell everyone to get out. But the fear he had of his mother and his self-discipline wouldn't let him. Reluctantly he turned away and came sort of face to face with a little girl.

"I'm Ginny Thomas. I was run out of town because apparently performing an exorcism on your sister while you've trapped the rest of your class in the make-up room is bad."

"Huh," said Earnest. The poor boy had had very little experience with small children throughout his years of bachelorhood. Children annoyed him, particularly the really small ones. They were wildly emotional and inarticulate to the point were they couldn't even tell their parents why they were being so wildly emotional.

"Nice to meet you," Earnest stated uncertain. He offered his hand to the little girl. Ginny took it solemnly. "My name is Earnest Lyon and I am running to be Mayor of New York."

"It's very nice to meet you as well Mr. Lyon." Well this isn't bad at all, he thought. She can articulate quite nicely. And she had her sisters red hair. Not that that was relevant really. "Where are we going?" the little girl asked protruding on his thoughts.

"Well up till ten minutes ago I thought I was going to be in my office doing work, so I must admit I haven't had a lot of time to think about it. Where do you want to go?"

"I want to see stars."

"In the middle of the day in New York City that might be hard to come by for most people, but I know just were to go." Smiling he offered his hand to the little girl who happily took it. Together they headed off into the New York street.

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Sparrow pounded on her mother's door using both of her fists vigorously. A whole ten minutes later Oriole opened the door.

"Sparrow," she began, "Mother-" She wasn't allowed to finish.

"Oriole. GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Shoving her sister aside using a crutch, the enraged woman barged into her Mother's huge, tacky apartment.

"MOTHER! MOTHER! MOTHER! MOTHER! MOTHER! MOTHER! MOTHER! MOTHER! MOTHER! MOTHER! MOTHER! MOTHER! MOTHER!" Hollered Sparrow standing firmly in the front entrance hall until a hand clamped over her mouth.

"Continue what you are doing and you will die. Why are you here?"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO PULL MOTHER?"

"I'm doing what I must." Gwen stood tall in front of her daughter, portraying herself as the picture of noble suffering.

"ACCORDING TO THOSE VOICES IN YOUR HEAD!" Sparrow on the other hand was the picture of violent and powerful anger. She was very close to taking that rod of self righteousness that was shoved up her mother's ass and beating her with it.

"ACCORDING TO WHAT IS RIGHT AND HONORABLE." Mother and daughter suddenly took on a striking resemblance to each other.

"NO. ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU THINK IS RIGHT AND HONORABLE MOTHER. How could you do what you're doing to your granddaughter? Raven and I are one thing, but MAC?"

"I have no Granddaughter by that name-"

"Jesus, Joseph and Mary, Mother."

"because you are no longer my daughter," Gwen said fiercely. Sparrow didn't even blink.

"You've said that already, different variations of it all my life in fact. What you did fail to mention however, was this whole destruction of every aspect of my life and my daughter's life and my brother's life. And let me tell you something else, I was glad when it seemed you were out of Mac's life. It's a pity it didn't stay that way." With the experience that came with age Gwen kept the look of extreme hurt off her face and kept her hand at her side instead speeding toward Sparrow's cheek.

"You know you're doing a poor job to convince me to stop," she responded instead viciously.

"Oh, I didn't come here to ask you to stop. Experience has taught me that's a waste of my time. I came here to yell at you."

"How very mature of you Sparrow, leave now."

"No."

"Sparrow-"

"No. You are going to hear me scream at you for as long as I wish! See how you like it!" And she did. Well until Gwen's security goons showed up.

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"I see your point Ginny. You were clearly only trying to help your sister. And that Mrs. Mullins clearly shouldn't be teaching. "

"I know."

"I tell you Ginny, people get upset over the stupidest things."

"Clearly."

"Ice cream?"

"Yes please!"

"Addie, just out of the sake of curiosity, why does Ginny think I'm possessed by the devil?" Atticus didn't even look up from his computer. He had been wondering when Finn would finally ask him this very important question. How unfortunate that she should ask it when he was in such a bad mood.

"You breathed," he answered without pause.

"ATTICUS."

"Finn, it's Ginny." Atticus said annoyed, "It could be anything." Finn starred at her brother for a long time.

"I think I may hate her."

"No you don't," said Atticus bluntly turning toward his sister from the computer chair. He sighed heavily at her. He didn't want to have this conversation right now. He was not in the mood to placate her and explain the incredibly complex thing that was Virginia Thomas, six year old hell child. He was not in the mood to put up with compulsive dire threats from Finn Thomas. He was not in the mood to convince Finn that she did not hate Ginny and Ginny did not hate her. In fact he was not in the mood to deal with anymore girls. They were all freaking nuts as far as he was concerned and for one afternoon they could leave him alone. But no, Finn has to ask the complicated, loaded question that's answer could mean the difference between a reconciliation between Finn and Ginny or the two girls never speaking with each other again for as long as they both shall live. AND HOW THE HELL DID IT FALL ON HIS HEAD TO BE THE ONE TO HAVE TO FIX IT ALL THE TIME? HUH!

"No, I don't." Wow, she accepted that a lot quicker then I thought she would. Atticus looked at his sister stunned. Maybe this won't take as long as I thought. "But you have to admit I would have good reason to," finished Finn.

"True. But you're not as small as that." And he was right. They both knew it. Because though Finn tried to hide it by threatening bodily harm and death to anyone that annoyed her (she had never actually done it had she?) she was incredibly patient with people when she chose to be (hence why Ginny was still alive right now).

"Ginny doesn't hate you," began Atticus deciding that this sudden, unexpected reasonableness of his sister should be rewarded with his co-operation. "You just have a very complicated relationship, as most things are with Ginny."

"It isn't a complicated relationship. It's actually really simple. I'm the evil dragon and she's the annoying Knight on horseback with blond hair trying to kill me and steal my Princess." As she said this, Finn began flipping through a paper back on the coffee table. Atticus smiled at her.

"She was trying to save your soul when in it comes down to it, Finn." He turned back to the photo on the screen. "Everything else is just Ginny crazy logic. In all honestly, I think you were more of a tool to be used in Ginny's plan to get back at Mrs. Mullins."

"So you're telling me by forcing me to undergo an exorcism in front of an entire audience of people while she kept her class hostage in the make-up room was actually meant to show how much she loves me?"

"That and to stick it to Mrs. Mullins."

"That's crazy."

"That's Ginny."

"That's very true." Atticus went back to his photos and Finn remained on the couch starring at the black screen.

"Stupid little puke kid." Finally Finn was beginning to understand her little sister.

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Earnest and Ginny in their quest for stars had ended up at the Museum of Natural History. The Museum had a show running that month about the beginning of the universe. It included enough stars to satisfy Ginny for the day at least.

"That's not how it happened." Ginny was dead serious. She and Earnest had just left the museum and were headed to a park.

"No?"

"It couldn't have been that…chaotic."

"Well, I don't know. Swirling gas can be pretty violent," said Earnest in an actual attempt at a joke. The little girl in her round glasses looked up at her companion as they strolled along hand and hand in a puzzled, serious and very guilty way. The expression didn't match her age, but it matched Ginny. Insanity makes you ageless.

"It just showed up one day in my opinion. In silence. Peacefully."

"Well the universe isn't that way anymore," replied Earnest who no doubt was thinking back to the last month and deciding he'd just made his largest understatement of the year.

"You're right," Ginny agreed, "but the sky is very silent and clouds are peaceful."

"What about thunderstorms?"

"That's not clouds. That's God making a lot of noise because clearly he doesn't like silence all that much. Look at me. Nope, clouds are simply fluffy. Can't really hurt someone when you're all fluffy," Ginny finished on a wishful note. Earnest looked down at the little girl beside him in concern and surprise. He had heard about what had happened back in Stoneybrook from Ginny all day long and the girl had been unrepentant. But were those justifications she used to try and hide her guilt? He had no doubt she had no remorse about Mrs. Mullins. She'd barely come up in the conversation, but her sister Finn had. Quite a few times in fact.

"If you were fluffy like a cloud you could still suffocate someone you know."

"Yes, I guess that's true."

"So, Ginny?"

"Yes, Earnest?"

"Watch out for killer clouds eh?"

"Alright."

"And Ginny?"

"Yah?"

"Don't ever become a normal, everyday, none killing cloud. Life would be incredibly dull that way. Imagine never doing anything to cause a thunderstorm?"

"I think there is very little chance of that Earnest. Thank You."

"Though you know, when the thunder and lightening is done generally the clouds open up and let a little sunshine through."

"Point taken."

"Good. Now let us commence with the swinging."

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Mac had a lot of things on her mind. But she forgot all about it when she reached the park and found her boss and little sister. It appeared they were building New York City in the sandbox. It was one of the sweetest things she'd ever seen. Earnest was actually laughing. He was actually kind of cute when he laughed.

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