Author's Note: Marilyn Arnold next! To be honest I'm not a huge fan of the Arnold twins but they are pretty developed. Like they had plots like matched their personalities, like Carolyn creating a time machine after telling us that she liked science 50 ish books or so later. So I thought to include them. I don't have many more characters to go, so if you have someone in mind let me know.
Happy reading!
Stoneybrook Megavideo was turned into a restaurant not too long ago. Complete with a kids play area and everything. It was the only place Marilyn Arnold could think of that would keep her nieces distracted and still talk to her sister. Which honestly was working, Mina and Erika were running around the play area playing. She sat there poised and ready to talk on the outside. Her kilt and thick white turtleneck paired with her ankle books. She looked cool calm and collected. On the inside she was a mess and ready to cry to Carolyn.
"Alright so what's up?" asked Carolyn turning to her twin, although they looked very different now. Carolyn had on jeans, worn sneakers, and a pink shirt with a white stripe across the chest and on her sleeve.
"You sounded pretty upset on the phone."
She took a sip of her vanilla milkshake looking at her expectantly.
"Um, alright just like a band aid," she mumbled to herself. "Well, Evan and I are getting a divorce."
Carolyn's jaw dropped and hugged her rubbing her arm softly. Honestly, she should have seen it coming and she had a week to process it. Now it was just a matter of her telling people. Moving out and finishing up the paperwork. Her piano classes that she taught would be normal at least since she went to their houses and the recitals were held at the community center. Plus she still had a job teaching music at the high school.
"Marilyn, I'm sorry to hear that. What happened? You guys looked like you were talking things out last I heard. Is it because you don't want kids?"
She took a breath and hugged her back nodding into her shoulder. Carolyn gives great good hugs and she was that person that she went to talk to these things about. They were twins and each other's best friends. They stayed like that for a minute, yep she made the best decision calling her first.
"Among other things. He said I had a strong personality," said Marilyn rolling her eyes remembering that. "And that I was a little controlling."
"Uh Mar, you can be that way. I think two of our baby-sitters called you the one in control and the leader."
"Which baby-sitters were those?"
"Stacey and Mary Anne? I don't know and who cares? Marilyn, maybe the breakup is for the best. Going through a divorce is a bad thing but you're going through a learning experience. At least you don't have to think about children. Plus, you deserve a guy who's going to love you for everything you have. I'm not just saying that because I'm your twin."
Right and that wasn't cheesy enough, but she saw that glint in her sisters' eye to know that it was intentional that she said it that way. What a goofball but she made her smile.
"Thanks for coming and helping me out," she admitted softly and ate a slice of her pizza.
Things were quiet between them as they heard the kids in the play area get louder. Marilyn watched for her nieces. They weren't hard to find in the crowd being one of the few Asian American kids in the play area. Her brother in law is a Japanese man that grew up in Toronto. They had met in college and Carolyn and Nate were an awfully cute couple.
She must have looked pathetic, or rather sad, because Carolyn knew exactly what to say next.
"I know what will cheer you up, gossip! I know how much you love to talk about other people," said Carolyn teasing her. "What's the scoop? I've been living in Japan for like six years now so spill."
Right, Carolyn had gotten that super important job in robotics. Now she lived farther then ever, but it was nice to always see her on holidays and summers whe she could. What's the scoop? Okay she knew how to make her smile as Marilyn fondly remembered the school gossip column, she wrote for the high school paper with that exact phrase as the title. She smiled a little and rolled her eyes.
She thoughtfully took a bite of her pizza and sighed.
"Well did you know that Mel Tucker is in prison?" she said.
"No, really? Wait whatever happened to Margo Pike? I remember her being in my second grade class at one point."
"She had a baby, not sure what the gender is yet."
Their conversation settled into what she could gather from around the town. Not much to talk about considering that most of the people they knew had left. The Hobart parents moved back to Australia. Nicky Pike was in Rhode Island of all places and very rich. Sarah Hill ended up coming out as a lesbian. Danielle Roberts had died. It was the same gossip that had rotated around this part of town. She could only imagine what it would be like to live in those big houses near Stoneybrook Academy or Stoneybrook Day.
The waiter dropped by to fill up their water cups and the kids coming back for a slice of pizza.
"You guys having fun?" asked Marilyn to the girls. "Who are your friends here?"
"Elliot Gray is fun," said Mina pointing to a boy with brown hair joining his mother at a table.
"And Natalie Brewster," said Erika giggling.
She and Carolyn shared a smile over their heads. The girls may not be twins but they were really alike the way they would finish each other's sentences. Both girls even picked off the pepperoni saying that it looked like their pizza had zits. Now that was a new one.
Finally, they joined in the game with the other kids.
"Man, do you remember being that young? The farthest back I can go is having a crush on Nicky Pike at one point. And that made up friend I had. Gozzie Kunka is a name that's hard to forget."
Screw thinking about her ex, she thought, now that was funny. Marilyn and Carolyn both giggled at the thought of that memory from so long ago. It's like she spent a decade of being a seven year old. If only she could go back at this point.
"That time machine I made when I was seven. I remember us dressing up alike a lot. Say have you been to mom and dad's house recently? Maybe we could find our old stuff and show the girls. All those ruffled dresses and tights with hearts on them," said Marilyn. "You know I'll probably end up staying with mom and dad as I sort out where I'm going from here. It would be fun if we all did something together."
"That would be perfect! We should do it and catch up with some friends while we're in town. I know Vanessa is here," said Carolyn. "And Audrey Green owns the coffee shop on main street."
"Sounds perfect to me," said Marilyn finishing off her chocolate milkshake.
You know the saying, the more things change the more things stay the same? That's what this moment felt like. Even though her life was going to be different, she had her sister with there whenever she needed her, like a constant thing. Which was worth everything she had.
