Don't Go
It's been a few months since the incident with Brendan. It was now the summer months, nearing the end of the school year. Lola was in her last year of junior high.
Today, Lola was sitting at the cafeteria table, munching on a few baby carrots. A girl from her class was sitting next to her, eating a sandwich. Lola failed to notice a group of boys pointing at them from the other side of the cafeteria. They walked over and sat at her table, three across from her and one at her side. The other boy sat next to Lola's classmate. Lola looked up from her food, then simply glanced down and continued eating. The other girl was becoming nervous.
"Hey girlies…" said the leader of the group
Lola ignored him
"Whathca doing blondie? Eating your carrots…"
"Brilliant observation my dear Watson…" muttered Lola sarcastically as she gave them a look through her bangs.
The boy grabbed the carrots from her plate and ate them, but then he spit them out on her plate. Lola kept her stern gaze.
"How can you eat that stuff?"
"With my mouth,"
"Oh hardy har…we got a comedian here boys,"
The other boys snickered. They started to mock the two girls. They poked them and pushed them. The boy closest to Lola dared to smack her bottom. That was the last straw.
"Hey!" she said giving him a quick backhand punch, making him fall on his back
"Oh, little girly think she's got moves? We'd love to see them, doll face," they said getting up from their seats
Lola's anger was building. She wanted to beat the crap out of them so bad, and she knew she could too. But she remembered that her father told her to use her lessons only as a last resort. Besides, fighting them would only get her into trouble.
"Go ahead girly," said the leader, "I'll let you have the first punch."
He put himself in front of her face. Lola clenched her fists but she fought the urge to strike. Just then the passing bell rang, and all the students had to go to their next class. When the boy saw that Lola wasn't going to fight, he backed away with a smile on his face.
"I knew you couldn't do it…you're such a girly girl… a weakling!"
The other boys started to join in the leader's chanting.
"Weak! Weak!" they would shout, "go home and cry to mommy!"
All the while Lola never moved from where she stood, following them with her stern gaze. Lola looked over to where the other girl was; the girl was whimpering in fear. Lola put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Don't listen to those jerks," said Lola, "C'mon, we got to get to class."
They grabbed their things and went off to class. Along the way, Lola's mind was racing.
Ugh…jerks! I am NOT a weakling! Argh! They got so damn lucky they were saved the bell!! Darn it…I hate boys…stupid morons! I am NOT weak! I am not a girly girl! Argh!!!
"Lola, are you alright?" asked the girl
"Hmm? Oh I'm ok,"
"You sure, cause those boys…were scary,"
"They didn't scare me. I don't care about idiots like them," she said keeping an emotionless face
"Oh…ok…"
"We have more important things to worry about, we're gonna be late for class,"
Later that night, the family was on a special outing
Lola, Brendan, and their parents were sitting on uncomfortable wooden chairs. Their eyes fixed ahead of them. After a bit of commotion, the lights went dim in the school auditorium. The overture began and the stage came to life; transporting the audience to the 50's.
The high school kids were gathered around the two main characters, Danny and Sandy. Once Sandy began to sing, a large grin grew on Gladys' face. Her eyes were focused on her, watching her every dance step with approving eyes. Katie's voice was most impressive, carrying through the audience with outmost confidence. It was so beautiful and rich; it filled her mother with pride. Once the number was over, Gladys was the loudest of the applauding audience.
"She was gorgeous!" said Gladys on the side to Larry between the stage changes
"Oh yes, she has a powerful voice, just like you," agreed Larry, "She has a knack for it."
Lola smiled.
I've never seen Mom so proud of Katie before. This is so great! Katie does look like she's having fun…and she's really good at it too…I'm proud of you Katie
At the end of the show and final bows, the family rushed to meet with Katie behind stage. Once they found her, Gladys was the first to hug her.
"Oh Katie! You were magnificent!! I'm so proud of you sweetie!"
"Thanks mom," she said muffled through her mother's embrace, slightly surprised by her outburst. They pulled apart and her mother was just as giddy as she was.
"It was beautiful! The singing, the dancing! My dear, you're a natural!"
"I take after you mom…"
They smiled at each other. Soon enough the others caught up with them.
"You were great," said Larry with a smile as he handed her a bouquet
"Aww thanks Dad," she said receiving them and smelling their sweet aroma
From behind her father Lola appeared with a large grin on her face.
"Katie, you were awesome! I loved it!" said Lola as she came to her and hugged her.
"Thanks Lo…" she said as she returned the hug
Brendan was on the opposite side of Larry. He was a bit bored with the show, yet he was still supportive of his sister.
"Great show Katie," said Brendan
"Thanks, thank you all very much," said Katie
Katie looked so happy. She felt tears starting to swell in her eyes, but she fought them back. Never has she felt so much joy in her life. The energy of the show, the applause of the audience, and especially her mother's praise; It was almost too much for her. She rubbed her eyes and exhaled to try to calm her beating heart.
She turned to face her parents. Since they were in such good spirits, she decided to ask them a question.
"Mom, Dad, is it ok that I hang out with the cast a little longer?"
"Of course sweetie," said Gladys, "I have so many things that I want to tell you, but it can wait. Go celebrate with your friends; the cast party is always part of the tradition,"
"Thanks mom," said Katie in a relieved tone
"Just be careful, and don't come home too late, alright?"
"Yes Mom,"
Kate gave them all one last hug, and left to celebrate with her comrades.
"Time to go," said Larry
"I'm starved…" said Brendan
"Let's go out to eat," suggested Gladys
"Sure why not?" agreed her husband
"It's a special night; we should all celebrate as a family,"
The family went to eat dinner at a local restaurant. They spent most of the meal talking about the show. Gladys just wouldn't stop talking about how great Katie was. Larry was agreeing with her. Brendan was hardly paying attention to the whole conversation; musicals weren't exactly things that peaked his interest. Food, on the other hand, was. Lola was listening to the conversation, making a comment once in a while. But for the most part her mother dominated the conversation. Just then, she changed her focus…
"Lola," began Gladys, "did you like the show?"
"Yeah, it was great," she answered
"It was, wasn't it?"
"Katie looked like she loved it,"
"Yes she did. Performing is a lot of fun…would you ever do that?"
"Huh? Me? Perform?"
"Sure, why not?"
"I…don't know…"
"Aww come on Lola…you can sing, you can dance…"
"But…I'm not good at it…"
"Sweetie, yes you are, don't be silly. Besides, it's about making people smile, making them laugh, making them cry, making them forget about life for a while…What's important it's that you have fun, right?"
"Right…" she hesitated
"You do like to sing and dance, yes?"
"Well, yeah…"
"It wouldn't hurt to try, promise me you'll at least try?"
"Umm….ok, I promise, I guess," answered Lola without thinking twice of the promise she just made
"Gladys…" said Larry, "if the girl doesn't want to; don't force her."
"I'm not forcing you…am I?"
Lola just shrugged. Larry, however, gave her a look, answering on Lola's behalf.
"Ok…I'm sorry Lola. It's that I'm still excited about the show and all…"
"It's ok Mom," said Lola
"Tanya! Sean! Get your things we gotta go!" shouted Lola into the basement
"Ok mom!" answered the twins from below
Kate peeked in from the living room.
"You leaving already Sis?"
"Yeah, I lost track of time…"
"Aww…don't go!" she pleaded playfully
"Sorry…" said Lola as she followed Kate into the living room
"Don't go! Oh oh oh…." She started to vocalize
"Save it for Broadway…" said Lola in mock frustration
Kate ignored her and sat at the piano that was in the living room. She started to play it and continued with the song.
"Babe, I love you so
I want you to know
that I'm going to miss your love
the minute you walk out that door
So please don't go
Don't go, don't go away
Please don't go
Don't go, I'm begging you to stay"
Lola leaned over the piano and joined in the song as well.
"If you live, at least in my life time
I had one dream come true
I was blessed to be loved
by someone as wonderful as you
So please don't go
Don't go, don't go away
Please don't go
Don't go, I'm begging you to stay"
Just then, Gladys appeared in the room and joined the harmony.
"So please don't go
Don't go, don't go away
Please don't go
Don't go, I'm begging you to stay"
Towards the end, laughter filled the room. It was interrupted by the twins appearing in the room with their belongings. Lola took a glance at her watch and gasped.
"Sorry, but I gotta go…" she sang in tune
"Heh, ok little sis," giggled Katie getting up from the bench and hugging her, "I hope we get to see each other soon!"
"Me too!" Lola went to her mother and hugged her as well, "bye Mom!"
"Bye sweetie!"
As the twins said their goodbyes, Larry and Mindy came up from the basement. Brendan also came from the kitchen with a bag of chips.
"Bye Dad," said Lola
"Bye Kiddo," he said embracing her
"Later Lo," said Brendan giving her a hug
"Later, and say hi to Tiff for me!"
"Ok,"
"Bye Mindy, say hi to your dad,"
"Ok, bye Auntie,"
After the twins said their goodbyes to them as well, they left outside and got inside the car. The family waved at them from the window as they pulled out of the driveway and went on their way. Brendan went back to munching on his chips, while Larry left to another part of the house. Kate and Gladys walked back towards the living room.
"Lola is a busy mom now…" said Kate as she sat back down at the piano
"Yeah..." agreed Gladys as she sat next to her, "and with two of them…it's double the work."
"One is enough for me…sometimes I wonder how you managed the three of us,"
"It wasn't easy…" chuckled Gladys
Kate glanced over at the wall, and sighed at the family photos. They were mostly of her, in her plays in school. One of them caught her attention, the 'Annie' one. She was young in that play, still in elementary school. She played one of the orphans. She hummed the first song to herself. She then let it come from her fingers as she played it on the piano. She began to sing.
"Betcha they're young
Betcha they're smart
Gladys took the next lines
"Bet they collect things
Like ashtrays, and art"
Then they harmonized
"Betcha they're good --
Why shouldn't they be?
Their one mistake…"
Then a younger voice came in to steal the last line
"Was giving up me!"
It was eighteen-year-old Mindy. There was an odd silence in the room for a moment. But Mindy's innocent smile eased the tension that had grown. Gladys pulled Mindy towards her and embraced her.
"Beautiful," she smiled as she pinched her cheek. Mindy giggled and cuddled into her grandmother's arms.
Gladys and Kate looked towards each other, and shared a knowing sigh. They both knew what he other was thinking…or rather…
Remembering…
"Kate…what are you doing?" demanded Gladys
She stood there in silence, with her hands behind her back.
Ever since the musical, Katie had been acting strange. She was being very secretive, avoiding the family. She would come home late, and just create excuses for herself.
"There was an emergency drama club meeting," she would say or "The bus was having problems,"
It was just excuse after excuse. Gladys was becoming very suspicious and was determined to find out what it was.
On this day, Gladys had managed to catch Katie sneaking towards her room. She had not seen Katie all day, and her daughter's sneaking around the house was a rise for concern.
Lola was inside her room, she heard the commotion in the hallway. She quietly went to her door and opened it slightly to see what all the trouble was about.
Gladys was standing in front of Katie's door, blocking Katie's only way into her room. Kate looked very nervous, and guilty.
"Show me what's behind your back," demanded Gladys
Kate was paralyzed where she stood.
Gladys was losing her patience, she grabbed her arm and discovered a paper bag. She looked inside and was utterly devastated. Her mouth hung open in shock. But then she clenched her fists in rage.
"KATE!"
She knew not how to express her anger. Kate stood there, shamefully looking at the floor.
"Why are you doing this!? How could you…I can't deal with this…I can't…"
She threw the bag at Kate's feet, ran towards her bedroom, and locked herself in, trying to calm down. Kate scooped up the contents of the bag and locked herself away in her room.
From the open door, Lola had seen the contents.
A pregnancy test
Lola carefully closed the door. She leaned against it and sighed heavily. Her knees were buckling; she slid down the door and sat on the floor.
Oh my God…Kate, what were you thinking?
Gladys sat at the edge of her bed. She covered her hands with her face. Hot tears were starting to stream down her face. She got up in rage and punched the wall. She struck it again; yelling and screaming. After a few more, she leaned her head against the wall. Her tears continued to stream as she slid to the floor. She was sobbing and gasping for air in exhaustion.
Everyone in the house could hear her yelling.
"Gladys? I heard screaming, what's going on?" said Larry as he came through the doors and found her on the floor.
"Oh Larry…" she sobbed
He went to her and he held her in his arms. She clutched to his shirt and continued to sob.
"Gladys?"
"It's Kate…" she began, "she's…pregnant."
Larry was shocked and deeply hurt. But he continued to be strong for her. He held her tightly as she continued to pour out her heart.
"I don't know what I'm going to do…I…"
Her voice cracked.
"I'm so angry! So enraged…It took all of my strength…to not have…beaten her half to death…Oh Larry…"
He held her close
"I'm so hurt…she broke my heart, Larry. She's my baby…why did she do this to me? Why?"
He listened to her every word, comforting her. She had to let it all out.
Gladys was too hurt to even see Kate that night. She was in no state to confront her. But there was no need to.
Lola was trying to sleep that night, but she found it difficult since her mother was still crying. She stirred in bed, restless. Then she heard her door open. Lola stood still. She then turned to see who it was. It was Kate.
"Lola?"
Lola sat up in bed. Lola then noticed a knapsack that she held in her hand.
"Where are you going?" asked Lola
"I can't stay here anymore," said Kate, "I cause nothing but grief."
"No Katie! Don't go!"
"I'm sorry Lo…" Kate leaned over and hugged her little sister, "but I can't take it anymore. I have to go. Besides, Mom and Dad were going to kick me out anyway."
Kate went over to Lola's window. She opened it and threw her bag on the roof of the porch. Lola went to her, but Kate was already halfway out the window.
"Kate, please…"
"It's the way it has to be Lola…"
Kate gave her one last glance, then climbed down the roof and onto the van below. She sneaked away into the darkness, out of Lola's sight.
Katie…why?
Lola went back to bed and sat up against the headboard. She curled up into herself and just stared out the window.
I should have stopped her…I should've…but I didn't…why do I have to be so weak! I couldn't save her…again…I'm sorry Katie…I'm sorry…I'm such a weakling…
The next morning…
"Katie's gone!"
"What?"
Gladys rushed towards Larry.
"She's not in her room! She isn't anywhere!" she said with tears swelling in her eyes
"Don't worry, we'll find her,"
"Oh, it's all my fault…."
Lola leaned on the sill of her bedroom window. She sighed and looked on into the horizon.
Oh, Katie…I'm sorry…
"Please Don't Go" copyrighted by KC and the Sunshine Band
"Maybe" copyrighted by the Musical: Annie