Hi, guys, I'm back with another chapter here. I hope you enjoy reading.
The Origin of the Ears
Chapter 3:
Louise was still suspended, which was driving Bob and Linda crazy, if they were honest. Both parents were really struggling to understand why Louise was not allowed back, even after Bob had explained why she needed to wear a hat, her bunny ears in particular.
Every morning, Linda would phone the school. "Hi, can Louise come back today?"
"Is she willing to take the hat off?" came the usual reply.
"No."
"Then she's still suspended."
"Okay then."
"Goodbye, Mrs. Belcher."
"This is ridiculous!" Linda fumed to Bob one morning, as their kids came into the restaurant. "It's been a week!"
"They'll give in," said Louise confidently, climbing up onto a stool. "I didn't break any rules."
"Well, if they've made a new rule, then what can we do?" Bob shrugged.
"She does have a reason, though, Bobby."
"My reason is I need my ears!" Louise snapped. "I'm not going back to school without them."
"Alright, we'll think of something," sighed Bob. "Gene, Tina, you don't wanna be late."
"Bye, Dad," said Tina.
"Don't forget to have my roast beef buffet ready for when I get home!" cried Gene, as they walked out of the door.
"Louise, if you're staying home, then you're going to work," said Bob.
"What?! Are you some kind of sadist?"
"We're not leaving you upstairs alone all day, and you can't just sit here, and do nothing."
"Yes, I can. Watch; I'm doing it now," Louise froze. "See, it's easy."
"Louise, if you're not going to school, then you should work."
"No! It's not my choice to not go to school!" she put on a simpering face. "Gosh, I'd love to go back so much, but I can't," she pouted. "I'll need some alone time to recover from this tragic event."
"This is non-negotiable," he said calmly.
"Your father's right, Louise," said Linda, as she wiped the counter top. "School, or work; your choice."
"I only get one option!" she complained.
"Exactly, sweetie."
"Ugh, fine!" Louise growled, grabbing the condiment bottles, slamming them down on the counter. She angrily kicked the counter, and accidentally-on-purpose knocked over the napkin dispenser, not bothering to pick it up. Louise huffed and puffed as she worked, and Linda gave Bob a significant look.
"Yeah, I know," he sighed, when she came into the kitchen. "I know what day it is."
"Who's going to take her?"
"I will." Bob didn't look thrilled about this.
"Okay. What time will you be back?"
"It depends on how it goes; might have to take her to get some ice cream or something."
"Alright; just be sure to call and let me know."
"I will, Lin." Linda smiled at her husband, before heading back into the restaurant.
At Wagstaff Elementary School, Tina stopped off at her locker before class started. Gene trailed behind, contentedly playing his keyboard, humming an accompanying melody.
"Hey, Tina," she looked to her left to see Regular sized Rudy. Jimmy Jr., Zeke, Tammy, and Jocelyn were close by, chattering and dawdling.
"Oh, hey, Rudy."
"So, when is Louise coming back?"
"Uhh, she said she won't come back unless she can wear her ears."
"Oh. I don't think the principal is gonna back down on this," said Rudy honestly. He was right; Principal Spoors had gone totalitarian on them. Instead of phone boxes, his office now had a 'hat box.' Any student who came in wearing a hat, would have it confiscated for the day, only getting it back when the school day was over. "So, Louise is never gonna come back to school?"
"I don't think so," she said honestly.
"Can she do that?"
"Well, you know how stubborn she is," Tina said.
"Yeah, you're right," Rudy nodded, fully aware of that fact. "Will she go to a new school?"
"The only other elementary school is in Bog Harbour," said Gene. "I guess if the principal stands strong, she might go there."
"Really?" Rudy's eyebrows raised.
"Well, I'm just filling in for her right now. She's not here, we haven't discussed it; so I'm just trying to read her mind."
"What's the deal with those ears anyway? She never takes them off!" said Jocelyn, and Tina noticed the other kids were listening in.
"It's.. personal," was all she said.
Bob and Louise climbed into the car, Louise looking none too happy, and Bob began to drive.
In many ways, they were lucky, he thought. The accident had not left Louise with any scars. Well, any mental scars. She wasn't afraid of fire, as they had feared she might be. In fact, she loved it a little too much. Perhaps, considering where they worked, it was a good thing. But then again, perhaps it wasn't.
They soon arrived the doctor's office for Louise's routine appointment, and Bob accompanied her inside the sterile room.
"So, hello, Louise," smiled Dr. Oliver King. "How are you doing?"
"Fine," Louise crossed her arms, looking irritated.
"Great. Well, if it's alright with you, I'll take a look at your head, shall I?"
"Fine," Louise repeated, looking as though she'd rather be anywhere else. She set her jaw, and stared obstinately at the floor. "Dad, get out," she ordered.
"Alright. Let me know when you're done." As usual, Bob left the room and waited in the hallway.
"Ready when you are, Louise." Dr. King waited patiently as Louise raised her clenched hands, clutching at the tassels to her precious ears. Her fingers twitched, and she did not remove her gaze from the floor.
King said nothing, and merely waited. He knew how hard it was for her.
Eventually, Louise moved her hand up to the ears, gently grasped one, and slowly removed her hat. She kept her head down, blushing furiously, as Dr. King approached her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his raise his arms, and she really had to stop herself, with every muscle in her body, from slapping him.
The doctor gently placed his hands on her head, examining the bald spot while Louise fought not to squirm, fingers digging into her hat. The patch was still fist-sized, the scars still visible. He nodded to himself.
"Well?" she asked after a few moments, knowing full well what the answer would be.
"It hasn't changed in size or shape," said King, confirming her thoughts, "and the scarring is still there."
"And my ears?" she whispered.
"They look the same," he informed her, taking notes on her ears, the tops of which had a flattened appearance, the top halves smaller than they should be, along with minor scarring. "Well, there's no sign of infection, which is good. You haven't lost any more hair, as it's been for the last five years; the patch is still the same size, again, the same as it's always been." As soon as he started talking, Louise had yanked her bunny ears back on. "So, we can, again, get you fitted for a wig or a hairpiece -"
"No," said Louise, bored of having this same conversation every six months. "They could get blown off, or pulled off; how many times do I have to explain it to you?"
"Alright, fair enough. Well, counselling is still an option -"
"I don't need counselling," she told him firmly. "There's nothing wrong with me. I just want to know if you actually have any decent ideas."
"The only other thing we can offer is another round of tissue expanders."
"I don't think so," she said.
"It would completely cover the bald patch, and hide the scarring."
"No! Not after what happened last time."
"You are older now, and methods have improved since then. That won't happen again."
"No," she repeated. She had no desire to go through that again, with no guarantee that it would actually work, despite what the doctor said. What about the scars on her ears? Besides, she would still be left with the scars and the bald patch on her head, anyway. They would just be hidden. But they would still be there. She'd know.
"Okay," he said, used to her refusal by now. "Well, we won't force you. But have a think about it, yeah? It would be a few weeks of discomfort; that's all." But Louise vividly remembered her first surgery, and what had followed. Discomfort was a very very mild way of putting it. The word 'discomfort' would not even enter her vocabulary, when she thought about that time in her life.
Bob did a little double-take as Louise marched right past him, heading out to the car. He quickly glanced at the doctor, who shook his head. Knowing what that meant, Bob nodded dejectedly, and followed his daughter to the car.
"Wanna go to Moo's Clues?" he asked once inside the vehicle, keeping his eyes on the road.
"Sure you can afford to stay away from the restaurant that long?" she said sarcastically.
"Sure, I can. Or, if you want, we can get something to eat; you can pick?" Louise knew what he was doing; it happened after every appointment.
"Moo's Clues," she said, and Bob nodded.
"You got it," he said. "So... it went the same as usual?" he asked awkwardly after a while.
"Your observational skills are amazing(!) You should work for the FBI," she said dryly.
"Louise.." he sighed. "Maybe it would be good to -" he didn't get to finish.
"Good to what? To get a wig, and have it get blown off in the wind?"
"No -" but he was again cut off.
"Or to have them cut into my head, yet again?"
"Well, maybe you should think about it," he encouraged. "It would work this time."
"But I don't want to have it done," she insisted. "I can just carry on wearing my ears."
"But the school says you can't go back until you stop."
"Whose side are you on?!" she shrieked, waving her arms. "I am not going back to school until they say I can wear my ears!"
"Louise, we've tried talking to them," Bob sighed, regretting even bringing it up. "But they won't budge."
"Well, I won't, either. Can't you get the doctor to write a note? They can't argue with that, can they?"
"I don't think so." Bob couldn't believe that neither he nor Linda had thought of that. It should work; Louise did have a legitimate reason for wearing her hat. Maybe if she had a doctor's note, the teachers couldn't object. "I'll speak to your mother when we get home. Do you.. do you still want ice cream?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course I do!"
"Alright, then."
Once inside the ice cream shop, Bob and Louise got into the queue, and Louise peered up at the board, wondering what to have.
"Two scoops of Cookie Dough, and one scoop of.. Chocolate Fudge," she said to the lady.
Once they had their ice cream, they headed to one of the tables. Due to it being a weekday, the little shop was not very busy.
"When we're done here, do you wanna take a look around some of the stores?" he asked, and Louise looked up at him, doing an exaggerated double-take.
"Did I hear you right? You wanna stay away from the restaurant?"
"I wouldn't put it like that -"
"Wow, you really hate that place, don't you? You're finally learning," she grinned at him. "Pretty soon, you'll find the strength to walk away forever, and when you do, it'll feel so good. Just hang in there, Dad; you'll get there someday." Bob chuckled.
"I just thought it might be nice to do a little window shopping."
"Ugh, window shopping? I know we're poor, but do we really have to show it off? We'd better go inside the stores."
"Alright, fine."
By the time Gene and Tina had returned from school, Bob and Louise were still not back. Thankfully, it had been an excruciatingly slow day, and so Linda had been able to handle things by herself. It was pretty easy to run the restaurant when all she had to do was cook Teddy's burger, and keep his coffee topped up. And listen to his stories, which made the day drag even more.
"Hey, Mom," Tina slid into the second booth, placing her backpack on the table.
"Hi, my babies, how was school?"
"Meh," Gene sat down opposite his sister. "They were running low on fish sticks, so everyone only got two! Which means I only got two! And then, in P.E., I actually had to run! Oh, and I also sat in paint in art class." Gene leaned over and showed Linda a large, red splotch on the seat of his shorts.
"Aw, my little baby! My poor little Genie!" Linda rushed over to him, sweeping him up in a hug. "Ooh! Oh, you need to change out of those shorts."
"Way ahead of you." In one quick movement, Gene whipped his shorts off, waving them proudly.
"Wow, that was quick," said Tina. "Have you been practising?"
"It comes naturally, sister," Gene took a deep bow, before sitting back down, groaning when he realised that he had sat back in the paint stain.
"Where is everyone?" asked Tina as Gene wriggled out of the booth.
"Your father and sister are on their way home; they won't be long."
"Wait, where did they go?" Tina looked confused, before remembering. "Oh, it's for..." she trailed off, pointing to her head, and Linda nodded.
"Yeah, he took her for ice cream afterwards."
"Dad never takes us out for ice cream," Gene complained, pouting.
"I'll take you both out for ice cream next week," said Linda, as Bob entered the restaurant. "Hi, Bobby. Where's Louise?"
"She's upstairs," said Bob, giving his kids a quick hug, before pulling his apron on.
"So... the same, then?" she asked.
"Yep," Bob headed back into the kitchen. "Same as usual."
"Well, that's that, then." Linda knew that trying to coerce Louise would end badly for everyone, so there was nothing they could do. Louise only went to the appointments because she absolutely had to; it was one of the very few things that Bob and Linda wouldn't back down on. "Still, she should keep going to them."
"Oh, yeah," Bob's head poked through the hatch. "Perhaps one day she'll see that -"
"She can cover it for good," Linda finished.
Louise remained upstairs for the rest of the day, which Bob and Linda had no problem with her doing. She was fine; she wasn't angry, or in any kind of bad mood, so it was safe to leave her alone.
"Wha – what happened?" Linda had to laugh as she looked around the apartment after closing that night. Every available surface was covered in black stickers, all of which read, 'Property of Louise Belcher,' 'Hands off this belongs to Louise,' and 'Now under new ownership'. "What is this?"
"Oh, yeah, when we were out shopping, Louise found a label maker. I forgot to mention," Bob looked around sheepishly. "She really wanted it."
"Yes, I can see." The stickers even covered the stairs and banisters, every DVD and VHS, and the remote. She kind of dreaded seeing what the kitchen looked like. "Louise! Louise, where are you? What is this?" She gestured around the living-room when Louise appeared.
"Oh, just marking my territory," she grinned, looking around the label-dotted room.
"I'll mark my territory, too!" Gene cried, pulling his underwear down, and facing the potted plant.
"Gene..." Bob warned, but it was too late, and Gene had started peeing. Bob groaned; he often wondered just how on Earth that plant was still alive.
"Louise, you can cover your room in stickers, but that's it," Linda continued.
"Sorry, Mom; I own all this now. I mean, it's not much; it'll probably only get me a hundred bucks if I sold it, but it's mine. The labels said so."
"No, it's not, Miss Missy."
"Yes, it is; you can't just go against what the labels say. It's simple; every time you want to use something, just ask me, and I'll decide whether or not you can."
"No, Louise; the stuff in this house belongs to everyone."
"Well, not according to these labels."
"Louise, if you wanna do this, you can cover everything you own with labels," said Linda.
"I'm not doing that!" Louise looked aghast. "That would ruin them!"
"Wait, what?" Bob looked up from the sofa, having ignored the labels peppered all over it.
"Gotta go!" Louise called over her shoulder, as she dashed to her room.
Linda began removing the stickers, having to use some white spirit to get some of the marks off. The kitchen was just as she feared; stickers on the table, on the chairs, on the fridge, the oven. Louise had even put labels on every single item inside the fridge.
Bob came in to make a start on dinner, while Linda continued cleaning.
"At least she's in a good mood," said Linda, scraping away.
"Yeah, I mean, it could be worse. It has been worse," Bob agreed. Honestly, covering the house in stickers was the least terrible thing Louise had after one of her appointments, so they couldn't complain.
"What... is this?" Louise looked disgusted as she was presented with a pile of papers when she sat down in front of the coffee table after dinner.
"It's homework," said Tina.
"Why the hell do I have homework?! I'm suspended!"
"Louise, you still have to do work; being suspended's not a vacation," Bob told her, as he walked through to the kitchen.
"Of course it is! That's why I'm at home; they could have done in school suspension."
"Well, not really; the whole thing was that you don't go to school with your ears on."
"Then what's the point in making me do homework? Surely, that falls under the category of school work, right? It's basically the same thing as in school suspension!"
"Mm, not really" Bob poked his head through the doorway. "This is homework; work for home, so it doesn't count."
"Ugh!" Louise swept the various papers off the table.
"Louise, are you training to be a road sweeper?" asked Gene.
"Right, you kids go to bed," said Linda, setting her glass of wine down, defusing a potential land mine. "Goodnight, my babies."
"'Night, Mom!" called Gene.
Linda gave them time to brush their teeth, and get into their pyjamas, before she went in to properly say goodnight, with lots of goodnight kisses and hugs.
Even before she went into the hallway, she could hear Tina groaning, and she found her eldest standing at the entrance to her bedroom.
"Tina, what's wrong, sweetie?" she asked, coming up behind her daughter.
"I don't think I'm allowed in there," said Tina.
"Your room?" she asked, and Tina nodded. "Why?"
"It's Louise's." Tina gestured, and Linda looked inside. Every surface was covered in stickers, even the bed, pillow, and bedspread. "I have to ask her for permission."
"No, you don't; Louise was just playing."
"But.. everything says 'Louise' on it, so that means it belongs to her. So, I have to ask her, but she's in bed. She'll be asleep soon, and then I'll have to sleep on the couch in my clothes..." Tina began to groan again, and Linda hugged her tightly.
"Come with me," she took Tina down the hall, and opened Louise's bedroom door. "Louise!" she called, and Louise, already in bed, looked up. "Tell Tina she can sleep in her own room."
"What?"
"You covered your sister's room in labels, and now she thinks she can't sleep in there, so tell her she can." Louise looked slightly amused.
"You can sleep in your own room, T."
"Oh, thanks. Can I wear my own pyjamas?" she asked, and Louise fought to not roll her eyes.
"Yes, Tina."
"Okay, cool. Cool, cool. What about -"
"Tina!" Louise threw her arms up. "Everything in your room belongs to you!"
"But the labels say -"
"Forget the labels!" Louise yelled. "They don't mean anything! They're just stickers!"
"Oh. Okay." Tina nodded slightly, and walked to her own room.
"Alright, Tina, I'll be in in just a minute, baby!" Linda called down the hall. "You're cleaning up all these stickers tomorrow, Louise. No negotiations."
"Oh, come on!"
The following day, once Gene and Tina were at school, Bob watched the restaurant, while Linda took Louise to the doctor.
"Alright, what seems to be the problem?" asked Dr. Bailey. She looked down at Louise. "You look as though you're in good health."
"Well, we're looking for a doctor's note," explained Linda. "Her school has a new rule, that you can't wear hats, and Louise needs to wear her hat, so we need a note."
"Mm. And is there a medical reason for wearing the hat?" she asked, eyeing the bunny ears, and Louise nodded fervently.
"Yes. She hasn't been to school in over a week, now. I think if we have a note from you, they'll let her come back."
"Okay, fair enough." Dr. Bailey nodded. "And what is the reason for wearing the hat?"
"It's a very important reason; that's all you need to know," said Louise.
"Well, if I don't know the reason, then I can't write you a note."
"All you need to know is I need to wear my ears."
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can write you a note just because you want to wear your hat," said Dr. Bailey apologetically.
"Louise, sweetie, why don't you go wait outside for a minute?" Linda suggested. "I just wanna have a private word."
Louise knew exactly what Linda was doing, but she hopped down from her chair anyway, and went into the hallway. "The thing is," Linda said, after Louise had left, "she really needs to wear her hat."
"Okay, but why?"
"When she was little, we had a fire." Linda's heart twisted at the memory, "and she got burned on her head; she has a bald spot. She wears the hat to cover it."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said Dr. Bailey genuinely, "but unless there's infection, or possibly of contagion, I don't think I could write a note." Linda sighed dejectedly.
"Could you.. maybe write one so she can wear it for..." she paused, "like, her mental health, or something? Doesn't that cover it?"
"Do you believe that it affects her mental health?"
"... Yes," Linda admitted. "She completely breaks down if she doesn't have the hat." Her first thought had been 'no', but she'd seen first-hand the effect of not wearing her ears had on Louise. "She just doesn't want people to see her like that."
"Okay." Dr. Bailey nodded once again. "Well, that sounds like reason enough; I'll write you the note."
"Oh, thank you!" Linda beamed.
Louise was still in the hallway, playing with the blood pressure machine, when Linda left the office. "Good news; you can go back to school!" she grinned. Louise dropped the cuff, and turned to face her mother.
"I can wear my ears?"
"Yes; the doctor wrote you a note."
"Too bad it won't get me out of school," said Louise, as they made their way out of the building.
"Well, at least you can keep wearing your ears; that's the most important thing. I'll go down to the school later today, show them the note, and explain, and then you can go back."
"Yay(!)" said Louise.
"And when we get home, you're going straight upstairs, and cleaning up all those stickers. Every single one."
"What?! No!"
"No negotiations, Louise," said Linda firmly.
After they arrived back at the restaurant, Linda made sure Louise went upstairs, and got back in the car, and drove down to Wagstaff. Pretty soon, she found herself back in the office of Principal Spoors.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Belcher, what can I do for you today?" he asked politely.
"Well, uh, good news; Louise can come back to school now."
"She's going to take the hat off?"
"Uh, no, but we have a doctor's note," Linda produced it from her bag, and handed it over.
"'Mental health issues'?" Spoors raised an eyebrow after examining the note.
"Yeah; it's a real reason." Spoors placed the note on his desk, and surveyed the woman.
"Mrs. Belcher, I've been at this school for over twenty years; your daughter has been coming here for three years. I know mental health issues; Louise does not have them," he told her. "Believe me; I've dealt with many students with mental health issues; your daughter doesn't fit the bill."
"That's because you've never seen her without her hat on. We told you that's she's insecure without it. Kids can be cruel; surely you know that? She has a bald spot, why should she have to have it on show?"
"I'm sure there are other options," said Spoors.
"There aren't any!" Linda didn't mean to snap, but he just wasn't listening. "If she wore a wig, it would only irritate her skin. The hat helps."
"Look, Mrs. Belcher, I understand that she has a reason to want to wear the hat, but rules are rules. I really don't want to be getting constant phone calls from the other parents. I already told you that I've been accused of favouritism."
"So, you're just doing this because you want a peaceful life? This doctor's note is completely valid," said Linda. "I don't care what you think about mental health; if Louise can't wear her ears, then she changes. It's like she's a completely different person. Plus, I'm not gonna let her endure the teasing she'll get from the other kids; I'm not putting her through that, and if you're a halfway decent person, you won't either."
"Well, Mrs. Belcher, there's no guarantee that she would be teased. I would speak to the students, and let them know to treat Louise nicely." Linda laughed in disbelief.
"Did you even go to school? It doesn't matter what you say, there are certain kids who will be bullies, no matter what. And I'll tell you this; if my little Louise tells me she's being bullied, you'll wish you never took this job." Spoors sat there silently, observing her crazy eyes.
"I'll think about it. I'll gather the staff together, and we'll let you know before Monday morning." It wasn't the best answer, but it would do.
"Good; just don't forget that my daughter is missing out on her education, and you can change that," was all she said, before leaving the office.
"What did he say?" asked Bob, when Linda arrived home.
"He said he'll think about it, and let us know soon," said Linda, pulling on her apron. "He didn't think much of the doctor's note," she added.
"Oh, you got one? What does it say?"
"Well, it says that she needs the hat for mental health reasons." She noticed Bob was staring at her through the hatch. "It's kinda the truth, right? I mean, you've seen what she's like without it."
"I suppose you're right. That's a good point," said Bob, wiping the prep table, if only to have something to do.
"It's not like she's wearing it for the fun of it," Linda continued, leaning against the counter. "She does have a reason, and I don't see the harm in letting her wear it to school."
"Yeah, but.. what if the other kids get jealous that Louise is the only one allowed to wear a hat? What if they're.. mean to her?"
"As long as Louise has her ears, she can handle anything!" said Linda confidently. "By the way, has she finished cleaning up those stickers yet?"
"Oh, I didn't know she supposed to be cleaning," Bob admitted.
"She hasn't done it, has she?"
"You know it."
~ X ~
Done! What did you think? I've been trying to focus on dialogue a bit more in this story, as I feel like I'm getting to know the characters better, and I can flesh out their personalities a bit more.