Authors Note:
Hello everyone.
Just wanted to say thanks for reading once again. As before, I just wanted to say this chapter contains another flashback, and remind everyone that all things happening in the flashback are written with italics.
Getting to the end, let's keep at it!
Chapter 86
Ten minutes had passed since Tabby left the living room to retrieve coffee for her and her guest. In the time between, she had returned to the table with two red cups, passing one to Chuck as she took a sip of her own. As typical, a nicotine craving was induced by the caffeine, causing her to ignite another cigarette as she and her friend continued their conversation.
As Tabby reached for the shoebox containing old photographs of her and her friends, Chuck was in the process of completing a story that he rarely told; a story that was in fact quite hard for him to tell. As he completed his final sentence, Tabby decided to react.
"I'll be damned," said Tabby with surprise, "Marfan Syndrome... I did always wonder how she became so tall. I mean, Jill is a tiny little thing, and John is just a few inches taller than you, so it was odd seeing such a huge difference in height between parents and child. I figured it was one of those weird generation skip things, but looking back it all makes sense. At least now you know that Little Tiffany shares the condition, and you can have her properly monitored."
Tabby paused.
"It's such a damn shame..." said Tabby, "If only...we..."
Tabby's bottom lip began to quiver, at which point she swallowed, regaining control of her emotions. Simultaneously, Chuck turned away from his friend, facing the window as his eyes began to glaze over.
At that point, Tabby leaned slightly forward, flicking her spent cigarette ash into the tray as she took hold of the picture box.
"So," said Tabby with a smile, attempting to lift Chuck's emotions, "Ya wanna take a look at what I have in this box? I mean, I didn't spend all night digging them out after ya called and said you wanted meet up for nothing, did I?"
Tabby cackled as she punched Chuck in the arm; the small man rubbed his bicep with his left hand as he smiled in Tabby's direction.
"Well you have the box!" said Chuck, "Just open it already!"
Tabby nodded as she placed her hands on the box. Her long red fingernails curved around the lid, grasping the edges as she slowly removed it, exposing what seemed like hundreds of instant Polaroids from the nineties.
Tabby smiled as she removed one of the photos, gazing upon its contents for a few moments before handing it to Chuck.
"Recognize any of these troublemakers?" asked Tabby.
Chuck took hold of the photograph with both of his hands, and proceeded to examine its contents. The photograph depicted four youngsters, around the age of nine, standing in front of an elaborate concrete stoop acting as the entrance to a three story row house. Standing on the left was a young version of Tabby; a portly girl whose red curls dangled past her shoulders in an unruly fashion. She smiled heavily, her missing maxillary incisor (lost baby tooth) being quite prominent.
Next to her stood a boy that appeared remarkably similar to Ed, albiet with a spiky "biff" haircut, rather than a buzzcut. This boy was wearing a dirt stained white t shirt, as well as a pair of ripped blue jeans. In his right hand, a red skateboard was clutched by it's trucks, the bottom resting on the ground next to his blue "Converse Chuck Taylor" shoes. Next this boy stood a younger version of Chuck, wearing a long sleeved red and white striped shirt, and a pair of blue jeans. He appeared to be quite preoccupied with his own endeavors; his silver bicycle sat in front of him, turned upside down, allowing him to gain access to the gear train. In lieu of smiling for the camera, Chuck seemed to be hard at work, adjusting his pedals with a crescent wrench as he stared at the gears, laser focused on his work.
Finally, on the stoop next to Chuck sat an eight-year-old Tiffany, wearing a lavender sweater decorated with multi colored accents around the chest. Her long legs were planted on the ground, confined within her blue jeans as she brought her knobby knees together, attempting to sit in a lady like fashion. Her blonde wavy hair was tied into two high ponytails. Her orthodontia had not yet completed it's task; as such it retained it's place on the crown of her head, it's metallic arms extending outward, as it's many wires maintained tension on her crooked smile.
Interestingly Tiffany seemed quite preoccupied herself. The lanky girl sat with her elbows braced on her knees, her chin resting in her palms as her blue eyes stared in Chuck's direction from behind her glasses. The girl smiled heavily, seemingly infatuated with the young budding mechanic.
Tabby giggled slightly as Chuck smiled upon seeing he, his wife, and his friends as children.
"Look at me," said Chuck, "I came a long way from optimizing that old Huffy for mountain biking. Now I got my Harley-Davidson Fatboy to attend to."
Chuck placed his hand gently over the portion of the picture occupied by Tiffany.
"And look at Tiff," said Chuck, "She hated her apparatus, but I always thought it was cool. I guess it was the inner engineer in me that adored it."
"Yeah," said Tabby, "Check her out, it looks like she really adored you back then too!"
Chuck observed the picture, noting Tiffany's loving smile.
"Yeah," said Chuck, "I suppose."
"Dude, she was freaking gaga over ya from the first day she met ya!" said Tabby, "I can still remember that day, about a week after we met, and Tiff started finally coming outside to hang out. We were on the way our clubhouse we built behind the abandoned deli on Huntingdon..."
The sun shone brightly on a silver, somewhat rusty chain link fence, surrounding a large lot filled with weeds of various species, most notably that of the "tree of heaven". At the far end of the lot was a one story building, derelict and decrepit, having been abandoned for what seemed like years.
Standing in front of the fence were two young girls, Tabby, a small somewhat chunky redhead, and Tiffany, a girl around head and a half taller than her best friend, with a thin build, long arms and lanky legs. Directly in front of the girls was a small hole in the fence, large enough for a young child to crawl through.
"So are ya ready to see our club house?" asked Tabby.
"I dunno," said Tiffany, "The building seems quite unsafe from here, not to mention there's probably tons of icky bugs in those weeds...and you know how much I hate bugs."
"Don't worry about it!" said Tabby, "It's only a few feet away! We'll have a whole view of the neighborhood, and if any bugs get on ya, I'll help ya get them off."
Before Tiffany could respond, Tabby suddenly dove through the hole.
"C'mon, Kate's waiting for us!" said Tabby as she disappeared into the thick weeds, "Last one there is a rotten egg!"
"Tabb!" yelled Tiffany as she held her hand out, "Wait up!"
Tiffany stood still, pondering the situation before her for a few moments. After a few seconds of thinking, the blonde girl let out a nasally sigh, pushed her glasses towards her forehead by placing her index finger on the nose piece, and bent down, adopting a determined expression as she began making her way through the hole.
The task was easier imagined than done however; due to a combination of Tiffany's large frame, as well as her intrusive head gear, the awkward girl unfortunately became stuck; specifically, one of her orthodontic wires became ensnared on the edge of one of the cut wires.
"He...help!" yelled Tiffany in a panic, her words muffled due to not being able to close her mouth to form certain sounds, "I'm duck! Help, Tabby!"
Around the corner, on a smaller street lined with two story houses, two boys occupied the center of the street; Chuck, a small blonde boy, and Zack, a taller, freckle faced boy with red spikey hair. As Zack attempted to perform tricks on his skateboard, Chuck was hard at work. He had disassembled the gearbox of his bicycle, attempting to get to the bottom of a problem with the shift mechanism.
"Geez," said Zack, "You're still trying to get that thing to work? Why don't ya trade that in for a real ride and get with the times, skating is where it's at!"
"I told you, I'll skateboard with you tomorrow," said Chuck, "I have to optimize my bicycle for proper gear engagement while climbing hills."
"Whatever nerdo," said Zack playfully, "I think you're just scared, you never tackled the half pipe!"
"Neither have you!" said Chuck as he stood up off of the ground to take a break from his bike, rubbing his head in the process.
At that point, the sound of Tiffany's voice calling for help rang through the air, causing both boys to turn their attention towards the source of the noise.
"What is that?" asked Zack.
"Sounds like someone's in trouble," said Chuck, "I'll be right back!"
In a flash, Chuck briskly made his way around the corner in the direction of the chain link fence. After a few short moments, he turned the corner to find Tiffany, trapped as if she were a fly in a spiders web.
Chuck calmly approached Tiffany's position, lowering himself onto his knees to the level of the hole. He glanced inside, at which point he made eye contact with Tiffany for the first time.
"Hello," said Chuck in the gentle voice of a pre pubescent child,
"Hi," said Tiffany, staring at Chuck with a neutral expression.
"It appears that you are in a challenging situation," said Chuck, "I think I can help."
Chuck reached into his pocket, and removed a pair of red handled pliers. He proceeded to examine the situation, eventually finding the problem.
"Ah ha," said Chuck, "It appears that your upper radial support wire has been snagged on this hooked portion of the fence. A simple bend with the pliers should be sufficient."
In an instant, Chuck took hold of the fence wire with his pliers and bent it to a straight position, freeing Tiffany from it's grasp. He then grabbed hold of Tiffany's hand, helping her to a standing position. The boy was quite surprised; he had heard of Tiffany before, but had not yet met her face-to-face, and thus was taken aback by her above average height. The two children stared at each other for a few moments, at which point Chuck finally decided to break the silence.
"You know, your apparatus is quite intriguing," said Chuck, "Bye!"
At that point, Chuck awkwardly turned away from Tiffany, and proceeded to run back towards the end of the block. Tiffany watched, maintaining a neutral expression as he rounded the corner, eventually disappearing from view. A few seconds passed, at which point Tiffany's face began to suddenly blush; she smiled, clasped her hands together, and emitted a long drawn out sigh in a dreamy manner. In a cartoonish fashion, her two ponytails formed into the shape of a heart above her head, as she defied the laws of physics by floating over the fence in the direction of the clubhouse.
Inside the building, Tabby had made her way up the to the second floor. The red headed girl was currently reclining in an old lawn chair (harvested from a local junkyard) and proceeded to bury her face in a clothing magazine. Her attention was quickly turned elsewhere, for Tiffany had finally arrived, floating up the stairs, and taking her place next to the old window over looking the back street.
"Finally!" said Tabby, "What in the world happened to you?"
Tiffany sighed as she stared out the window overlooking the back street, where Chuck had returned to working on his bike as he conversed with Zack.
"He happened," said Tiffany in a dreamy manner as she pointed out the window, "The boy working on his bike, how manly of him..."
Tabby maintained a neutral expression as she rose from her seated position, making her way towards the window to see the source of Tiffany's fuss.
"Oh," said Tabby casually as she glanced out the window, "You mean Chuckie?"
"Yeah," said Tiffany as she leaned her elbows on the window sill, placing her chin into her hands, "Chuckie..."
"Oh boy..." said Tabby as she rolled her eyes and returned to her lawn chair.
Back on the street, Chuck had returned to Zack's position. As he kneeled down, attempting to return to tending his bike, Zack initiated a conversation.
"Who was stuck?" asked Zack.
"It was that tall girl from around the corner," said Chuck, "The one with the cool braces that look like Mr. VonHeeders Tarantula!"
"No way," said Zack, "The O'Leary giantess! She's like an urban legend, they say her real name is Tiffany, and her parents did experiments on her that caused her to grow to the size of a mountain. The experiments caused her to be fit with all kinds of robot parts and become a cyborg. They say never leaves the house because of it, but I guess they finally decided to let her run free and experience the world!"
"Can it!" said Chuck, "She seems really nice, and there's nothing wrong with her. She's an ordinary girl, she just is a little tall and needs braces to help her with her teeth. She's different, that's all, and that's why I think she's cool."
"Uh oh," said Zack as he ceased skateboarding, adopting a sly grin as he did so.
"No," said Chuck in a negative manner as he continued turning his wrench.
"Chuck and Tiffany sitting in a tree!" chanted Zack teasing his friend, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"Shut up!" said Chuck, becoming increasing irritated.
"First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a..."
Chuck suddenly rose up from his position, spinning towards Zack with an angry glare.
"I said shut up!" said Chuck, "I don't like her like that, and I never will. Stupid girls, taking me away for fixing my bike. One day, I'm gonna build me a fast race car, become a professional driver, and win every trophy in the world. And I'm never going to let disgusting girls get in my way!"
Zack giggled.
"Sorry man," said Zack, "I just had to test ya! I'm with you, one day I'm gonna join the navy, I want to be on a submarine, where there are no girls allowed...I think..."
Chuck and Zack shared a fist pump, after which Zack returned to skateboarding, as Chuck returned to tending to his bike.
Tabby and Chuck shared a giggle as they reminisced upon the past.
"It's a cute story!" said Tabby.
"Yeah," said Chuck, "Back then, I was just an eight-year-old boy, the thought of having a girlfriend seemed disgusting, all's I wanted to do was own my own car and play video games...I never would have thought that I would eventually be asked out on a date by that unique young lady, let alone take her to the prom, marry her, start a company with her, and best of all be blessed with a beautiful daughter with her as her mother."
"Amazing how life turns out," said Tabby as she puffed her cigarette, "Through a series of events, I was fortunately blessed with three daughters, and while the circumstances weren't ideal, I would not trade the life I have now for the world."
Tabby paused for a few moments, prior to continuing.
"Tiffany helped me so much through all of my hard times," said Tabby, "If it wasn't for her friendship, and the fact that she always stuck by me no matter what, I would have probably ended up in the same situation as Kate. She and Annalee are the two reasons I'm sitting here talking to you right now, and not either dead or in jail."
Tabby took a draw from her cigarette.
"She put up with all of my bullshit, and was always so compassionate about it," said Tabby, "She always lectured me about the choices I began to make, and warned me not to trust Butch because she had a bad feeling about him. Even though I didn't listen, she still comforted me when Butch threw me out, and helped me through my pregnancy."
"She did more than that!" said Chuck, "Remember when she found out that Butch threw you down the stairs?"
"Yeah," said Tabby, "She was so mad! It was so weird to see Tiff that mad, after being so used to her being a calming influence. She walked right over to his apartment, and banged on his door like a cop. It was so funny, she yelled "open this damn door" from the outside, so he knew it was a female, but he didn't expect to meet one he could speak to at eye level when he opened it...not to mention a knockout punch to the face!"
The two adults shared a laugh, at which point Tabby grabbed another photograph from the box. This particular photograph was of a high school aged Tiffany. Her head gear had been removed, but she still maintained ordinary braces on her teeth. Her blonde hair was tied backward in a high ponytail, and her glasses had been removed, replaced by contact lenses. The photograph was part of a "player profile" of sorts, depicting Tiffany standing in an orange basketball jersey and shorts, holding an orange basketball under her arm. Along the sides of the photograph, a decorative column displayed her stats:
Tiffany O'Leary
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 185 lbs
Position: Center
"Taking down abusive men wasn't the only thing that height was good for," said Tabby, "It also got her recruited for what would be her favorite hobby through high school!"
Chuck giggled.
"Yeah," said Chuck, "We came back from summer vacation, and while Tiff was always taller than everyone else, she seemed to have another growth spurt between eighth and ninth grade. I think that's when she broke six feet."
"Yep," said Tabby, "Rodeeia was the one who recruited her. She was already a basketball star, but when she noticed Tiffany got even taller, it was like her jaw dropped. You know Rodeeia, how she always told it like it was. She walked over said, (imitating her friend Rodeeia's voice) "Damn girl, you tall...you should play basketball", and the rest was history!"
"She was really nervous about it," said Chuck, "She never touched a ball in her life, but after a lot of practice, she became quite skilled. She was amazing, a natural born athlete and she didn't even know it!"
"You know it," said Tabby, "Check out this still!"
Tabby brandished yet another picture in the direction of Chuck. This one depicted a view of the high school basketball court (during the course of a game) from the vantage point of the bleachers. Several girls, including Rodeeia, an African-American girl of average female height with black hair styled in shoulder length braids, stood around the basketball net in various positions, setting up an offensive play in orange jerseys. Five other girls, all wearing blue jerseys representing the opposing team, guarded each of the orange teams individuals in a defensive manner.
However, the main subject of the photograph was Tiffany, who was for lack of a better term, airborne. The tall thin girl had initiated her jump from the area just outside the key; her front leg lifted into the air as her body passed over the defender, clearing the much shorter girl as if she were a hurdler. The opposing girl appeared completely bewildered as she glanced above her, observing Tiffany lift her right hand into the air, palming the basketball in her hand as she traveled in an upward arc toward the basket.
"Nice!" said Chuck, "This is her famous slam dunk against Frankford! I have a copy of the video Tiffs dad took of it! It's so fun to watch, just like it was when I saw it live. It's amazing how she contorted her legs to avoid hitting the other girl and drawing a foul as she passed over her, the crowd went nuts!. I gave Little Tiffany the video, so she's seen it countless times, but this still is amazing, it's like it came out of a sports magazine. Would you mind if I made a copy of it to give to Little Tiffany? She'd love to have it!"
"Of course not," said Tabby, "Don't be stupid, take it!"
Chuck took a hold of the photograph, holding it in his hands as he examined it for a few moments. He gently placed it down on the coffee table and continued to stare at the far wall as he initiated a new conversation.
"I see a lot of Tiff everyday in Little Tiffany," said Chuck, "She looks just like her, walks just like her, and shares her love and fascination with finance and business. Geez, I could never learn how to do my taxes, but one day Tiffany offered to do them without hesitation. Of course, I was a little hesitant seeing as how she was twelve at the time, but I had one of my financial guys that usually does them give it a once over. He was amazed, Tiffany did an impeccably perfect job, picking up on many things my accountant said he missed...needless to say, I never went back to him again, Tiffany's been trusted with my money ever since, just like her mother was."
Chuck paused.
"The only difference between the two is that while Tiff was an athlete, and could care less for anything typically considered girly," said Chuck, "Little Tiffany is the definition of a "girly girl". I mean, we're talking hair, nail polish, fashion, jewelry, the whole nine yards. I don't know where the hell it came from, but ever since she could walk she's been drawn to it."
"Must of been hard for a tough guy like you," said Tabb as she smiled.
"Oh you ain't shittin," said Chuck as he giggled.
There was another slight pause as Tabby took a draw of her cigarette.
"Unfortunately, I see another trait of Tiffs in Tiffany that I really wish I didn't," said Chuck, "She sits to pose for pictures to try to hide her height, just like Tiff did. She already is really self-conscious about it, which upsets me quite a bit."
Chuck turned towards Tabby.
"You know, most guys would tell you that they'd feel awkward dating a girl taller than them." said Chuck, "But I never felt that way with Tiff. In the rare occasion that she wore high heels, and by rare I mean prom night and our wedding day, she stood 6'8" inches tall, as opposed to my puny 5'6". But as stupid and cliche as it sounds, when I was standing next to her, I felt ten feet tall, because I knew that she loved me, and that meant everything in the world to me. I always joked with her that we were more like spiders than humans, because their sexual dimorphism often causes the female to be significantly larger than the male...just a little nerd joke."
Chuck giggled slightly for few moments. At the conclusion of his laughter, the mustached mans face returned to a neutral expression.
The two adults sat in complete silence , at which point Chuck's bottom lip suddenly began to tremble. Within seconds, small tears began trickling down the rugged mans cheeks; while he resented the fact of crying, he made no attempt to turn away from his friend (who had began crying herself) to hide his tears.
"I just miss her so much Tabb..." said Chuck, barely able to get his words out between sobs. He then proceeded to bury his face into his right hand, as Tabby moved closer to him, eventually placing her hand on his shoulder.
"Me too Chuck," said Tabby, "Me too..."
As the reunion between Tabby and Chuck continued, things were quite busy back at the Statorowski residence. Lee and Lindsay had awoken around three hours ago, and after a breakfast of pancakes, commenced on completing their master plan to rid Lindsay of the parasite that had infiltrated her and her fathers lives.
The two girls had changed out of their pajamas and into their typical day wear. Lindsay was currently standing in front of her large vanity mounted mirror, running a comb through her wavy blonde hair as she observed her reflection. Lee had taken her place sitting on Lindsay's bed, and was in the process of pulling her black high heeled boots onto her feet.
With one final tug, Lee's foot was fully secured within her right boot. As the redheaded girl proceeded to move the side mounted zipper to the closed position, she initiated a conversation.
"Well Liz," said Lee, "Are you ready to finally be free and be your own woman!?"
Lindsay sighed.
"As ready as I'll ever be I suppose," said Lindsay.
At that point, Lee suddenly rose off of the bed, and decided to play a little bit of a joke on her friend. She made her way over to Lindsay's position, and stood slightly behind her as she spoke to her through the mirror in an exaggerated voice reminiscent of something one would hear from a military drill sergeant.
"What kind of talk is that soldier?" said Lee, "Now let's try it again, are you ready to be a free woman, or are you not!"
"Yeah," said Lindsay as she cracked a slight smile.
"I can't hear you!" yelled Lee in a long drawn out manner.
Lindsay placed her comb down on the vanity, and promptly turned towards Lee. She proceeded to salute Lee while standing at attention.
"M'am yes M'am" yelled Lindsay in a deep voice, at which point both girls shared a laugh.
"Alright, enough of that," said Lee, "What time is it?"
"Eleven Thirty," said Lindsay.
"We have an hour and half until we execute operation "Get Rid of Da Crazy Bitch" said Lee, "What do ya say we get some lunch? Just let me finish getting dressed."
"Sure thing LeeLee," said Lindsay, "While you're finishing up, I'll go grab us a refill of OJ. Be right back."
Lee nodded as Lindsay proceeded to make her way out of her bedroom, carrying she and Lee's empty glasses. The blonde girl smiled as she walked down the hall, and descended the stairs at a rapid pace. While she was quite nervous regarding the plan that was discussed the previous night, she knew that a small amount of nervousness was more than worth a life time of freedom from the bounds of her tormentor.
In no time, the jovial girl passed through the elaborate archway, acting as the entry to the roomy kitchen. However, the tall girls brilliant smile transformed into an expression of distress as her eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar face seated at the kitchen table.
Lindsay remained as still as a statue, paralyzed with fear as her eyes met the person she was least willing to see. Edyta herself sat in one of the wooden chairs, her right leg draped over her left. The evil woman continued to stare in the direction of Lindsay, smiling eerily as she tapped the wooden surface with her index finger.
"What's wrong?" asked Edyta, breaking the silence, "Surprise to see me?"
Lindsay remained completely silent.
"Thought so," said Edyta in her heavily accented voice, "What coincidence, I'm just as surprised as you. I can't help notice that you carry two glasses, but your father is not home."
Edyta paused, at which point she rose from her seated position. She slowly made her way towards Lindsay, her heels clicking on the tiled floor in a slow, seemingly demonic drumbeat as she continued to eye Lindsay with an evil glare.
"So," said Edyta as she stopped directly in front of Lindsay, staring up into her eyes as she continued, "Who is special guest?"
