Chapter 55
It had been around five minutes since Tabby had discovered the shoes that were meant to be her tenth birthday present, as well as the special letter to her from her parents. Her three daughters sat around her, with all four women forming a semicircle around the open box. Tabby had managed to calm down, although she was still feeling quite emotional. Her three daughters couldn't bear to see their mother as upset as she was, and could not think of anything else to do besides comfort her. Eventually Tabby broke the silence.
"I failed them," said Tabby rather quietly.
The girls glanced at each other under the glow from the flashlight confused.
"What do you mean Mom?" asked Marie.
Profuse tears began running down Tabby's face once again. She could barely get her next words out of her mouth.
"I failed them as a daughter," said Tabby, "Read that letter. They loved me, they wanted to see me grow up and live out my dreams. They did so much to raise me and Aunt Kate with great love and care, and I took all of that love and wasted it by accomplishing nothing with my life."
The girls sat in silence after Tabby's statement. They could tell that their mother was extremely disappointed in herself. Not being able to live out her dream as a ballerina was not her prime reason for being so upset. In Tabby's mind, she had let her friendly, loving, caring father down. Seeing his handwriting expressing powerful words of joy and love managed to finally break the wall of emotions that she had inside. Tabby was extremely close to her father, and longed to be able to tell him that she loved him again, and to tell him she was sorry for letting him down.
Lee's intuition managed to pick up on the reason for Tabby's emotions, and she decided to help reassure her mother that everything was going to be alright.
"We miss him too Mom," said Lee as she placed her hand on her mother's shoulder.
"We loved him," said Marie, "He was always so nice and cheerful."
"He was the funnest guy around," said May.
Lee shined the flashlight up towards the ceiling in a attempt to illuminate the room as much as possible. She glanced into her mother's red puffy eyes as she spoke.
"Mom, you have made mistakes in your life," said Lee, "But even though you did, you were a strong enough woman to push through those mistakes and keep carrying on. When you found yourself with two babies as a single mother at 22 years old, you made sure to quit partying and do everything you could to put food in our mouths. You took responsibility and did the best damn job you could as a mother given what you have been through. Even after you lost the man of your dreams, you still made sure that we came first through everything, including your own emotions. You gave up so much of your free time with work to make sure we ate every night and had clothes to put on our backs."
Lee smiled into her mother's face. Tabby continued to stare at her oldest daughter as she spoke her heartfelt words.
"I am sure that that would give Poppy something to be proud of." said Lee.
Marie and May glanced at each other surprised, as they had never heard their domineering sister speak with such elegance. Lee's words were truly heartfelt, and managed to begin healing Tabby's emotional wounds. Tabby looked into her red headed daughters blue eyes and quickly glanced around at her other two children. All of them were sitting there, comforting her during her time of need; Tabby regretted not being there emotionally for them when they had needed guidance growing up.
"You know what," said Tabby, "I'm a fool to think that I didn't accomplish anything with my life."
Tabby adjusted her sitting position and continued speaking.
"Even though I didn't plan things to turn out this way, the events in my life have left me with a family of my own. I have been blessed with three beautiful daughters with so much talent and potential."
Tabby glanced down towards the floor.
"I just wish I didn't have to put you through what I had to go through when I grew up with the city and the school," said Tabby, "I wish I could go back and spend more time with you, get to know you, and help you out with the problems you had growing up."
"We can't change the past," said Marie rather softly, "But that doesn't mean that we can't look towards a better future together."
Tabby looked into her daughters eyes and smiled. She pulled all three of her girls into a tight embrace, at which point everyone began crying tears of their own.
"I love you girls with all my heart!" said Tabby as she hugged her daughters, sharing love that had been kept long bottled up inside her.
Eventually, the group regained their composure and began making small jokes about the state of the house. May's curiosity eventually got the best of her and forced her to ask an extremely touchy question.
"Hey Mom," asked May, "What did Lee mean when she said you lost the man of your dreams?"
Tabby, as well as Marie and Lee froze at May's statement. Tabby took a deep breath; she knew what she had to do.
"Annamae," said Tabby, "It's about time I told you the story of how you were born."
Tabby spent the next ten minutes explaining to May the story of her birth, her romantic relationship with Rod, and her big blow out that cost her his love. May was absolutely speechless upon hearing the story, as she had no idea her mother and father had such a past.
After the story, there was a pause, after which Tabby began closing up the shoe box. She picked up the box as she stood up off of the floor.
"These definitely won't fit me now," said Tabby as she chuckled, "But I'm gonna take them with me anyway. Judging by the last two generations of Kankers being all girls, I am bound to be blessed with a granddaughter someday."
Tabby smiled at her daughters, as they smiled back.
"And I want her to have these shoes," said Tabby.
The girls smiled out of joy at their mother who began making her way out of the closet holding the black shoe box.
"Don't forget Stephanie!" yelled May as she reached down and picked the doll up off of the floor before following her mother and her sisters out of the room.
"Let's explore the rest of the house shall we?" asked Tabby with a rather enthusiastic voice.
Tabby led her girls back out into the hallway and traveled down the balcony in the opposite direction of which they came.
"Let's check out the balcony. I need a cig break anyway." said Tabby.
Tabby led them up the stairs to the balcony that Double Dee had consoled Marie on the night after her fight with Lee. The girls took their seats up against the wall of the house as Tabby lit a cigarette and walked toward the end of the balcony. She spent a few minutes puffing her cigarette and observing her surroundings before she turned her attention to the starry sky.
"Looks like the view of the night sky is just as good as it was 27 years ago!" said an excited Tabby as she walked over to the street light and glanced into the glass casing. She took notice that there was a bulb in the fixture, but was loosened to the point that no electricity could pass through it.
"Looks like you girls figured out me and Aunt Kate's little trick to see the stars." said Tabby as she smiled at her daughters.
The girls glanced at each other in surprise.
"We used to do it all the time until we finally got caught by Poppy." Tabby smiled, "He yelled at me and made me sit on the chair in the foyer for a few hours. I was soooooo mad, I was saying how much I hated him in my mind and wondered what the big deal was about what I did."
The group laughed and conversed for a few more minutes, after which Tabby finished her cigarette and put it out on the concrete ground of the balcony. She led the girls back into her house and they soon found themselves back on the second floor balcony.
"Alright," said Tabby, "I want to take you girls down to the basement, but first I want to check on Poppy's library. Are there still books up there?"
"Yes," said Marie, "A ton almost all of the shelves are filled."
"Really?" said Tabby, "Let's have a look see."
Tabby reached toward the ceiling and grabbed a small chain dangling from a hatch on the ceiling. With a pull of the chain, the hatch opened downward revealing a folded ladder. Tabby grabbed the ladder and unfolded it until the two rails touched the hardwood floor.
"Go ahead girls," said Tabby as she motioned her daughters to climb the ladder, "I don't even know if my old ass can still do this."
The girls chuckled at Tabby's statement as they climbed up the ladder one by one, after which Tabby slowly but surely made her way up into the library.
"You weren't kidding," said Tabby as she shined her flashlight around the room, "They're all still here."
Tabby shined her light around the room observing her surroundings. The library walls consisted of the same décor as the foyer, brown wood paneling and ocean blue walls. Large book shelves took up all wall space in the room except for a small section near the landing of a metallic spiral staircase. In the middle of the room sat a small stool that was only large enough for a small child, as well as a small round table. There was a large window facing the front of the house that had been shattered at some point, and the purple drapes that lined the sash perpetually fluttered in the breeze. Underneath the window was a leather arm chair that had been covered up with a white sheet. Lastly, the rolling ladder that had once been used to retrieve high books was positioned directly above the hatch leading up from the second floor balcony. It was exactly where Double Dee had left it from the previous summer.
That was not all that Double Dee had left out of place. Tabby shined her flashlight towards the spiral staircase in the far corner of the room and noticed that there were a pile of books randomly sitting on the floor. The books in question were those that Marie had planted to lead Double Dee up to the library.
"Doing some reading?" asked Tabby as she pointed towards the books.
Marie had no idea what to say, as she didn't want to reveal to her mom that she had previously tortured the Ed's.
"Poppy used to read to me all the time." said Tabby, "He would bring me and Aunt Kate up here and read Dr. Seuss to us when we were little. He loved to read about anything, whether it be sports, science, music or just to enjoy a good story. He really stressed reading to us and managed to teach us how to read even before we started school. I can't even remember not knowing how to read."
Tabby paused as she walked over to one of the bookshelf and glazed her hand over a row of dusty books.
"It's a shame to see his collection like this." said Tabby, "I guess he didn't have enough time to pack them all up. I would really like to take them home to preserve them, but where are we gonna keep all of them in that dinky trailer."
Tabby and the girls paged through a few of the books and shared conversations while returning Marie's decoy books to their proper locations on the shelf. After they had finished, Tabby had decided that it was finally time for them to head to the basement.
"Alright girls," said Tabby, "There are three ways we can get down to the family room. I'm sure you know what they are. We can either take that spiral stair case, the stairs down in the foyer, or the secret slide. Your call."
The three Kanker sisters glanced at each other before responding simultaneously.
"SECRET SLIDE!" yelled the girls.
"I thought so," said Tabby as she began climbing down the ladder to the second floor balcony. The girls followed her down, and began walking down the hall towards Kate's room.
Poppy's father had had a "secret slide" built into the house as a small fun filled touch for his children. The Kanker sisters had taken advantage of the opportunities the slide had to offer the previous summer. After capturing the Ed's in barrels, they trollied them through the wooden double doors of Poppy's room. After passing through the dark room, the Ed's traveled through the walk-in-closet which connected Poppy's room to Kate's. The girls had decorated Kate's room with light up hearts and other lovely accessories for the Eds to view as they passed through. In addition to the decorations, they had also treated the Ed's to quick satirical views of the future lives they would have with their Kanker brides in the form of puppets. After viewing their doppelgangers, the Ed's careened down the "secret slide" and found themselves face to face with their brides to be in the family room.
Tabby once again opened the door to Kate's room and shined her flashlight around attempting to find her way to the hatch in the floor that led to the slide. As she shined her flashlight around, she took notice that the door to the walk in closet was surrounded by a large heart shaped cut-out that had appeared to have been taped to the wall. It was apparently ripped when the door behind had been forced open. The girls had inadvertently forgotten to take it down.
"What is this?" asked Tabby curiously.
She turned around and shined the flashlight at her girls to see their faces. All three girls were blushing slightly and had nothing to say.
"I won't even ask." said Tabby as she smiled and shook her head
Tabby walked over to the hatch leading to the slide and opened it.
"Who's going first," asked Tabby.
"Me!" yelled May as she ran over to the hatch and sat down on the mauve carpet. She pushed herself onto the smooth wooden surface and readied herself for her ride. With another quick push, May was on her way down to the family room.
Lee and Marie followed May lead and eventually found themselves passing through another pair of swinging doors at the bottom of the slide. Moments later, Tabby herself came careening through the doors, screaming her lungs out as she flipped over as she passed through the doors. She was not the little girl she used to be and neglected to make adjustments to her slide technique for her increased body mass.
"At least my big ass acted as a brake!" yelled Tabby jokingly which caused all three of her girls to begin laughing wholeheartedly.
"Alright, alright enough about my assets," said Tabby jokingly as she picked up her flashlight, "Let's see what's down here."
As Tabby shined her flashlight around the room, the girls realized the unthinkable. The various chairs they had picked up from the junkyard to act as pews for their mock wedding were still arranged in the style of a church, and the dresser that Lee had used to deliver the marriage ceremony was still in its place, covered with dandelions. The runner that was supposed to adorn the curved staircase in the foyer was currently serving as the "church's" center aisle runner. In addition, the barrels that the sisters had used to bring the Ed's down to the basement were sitting stacked within one another in the corner of the room.
"What the hell have you girls been doing in here?" asked Tabby jokingly.
The girls knew that they would have to explain the reason for the room being filled with junk, as well as the stolen runner. It was time that they told their mother a story of their own; the story of how they met their beloved Eds and the "adventures" they shared with them. They decided to end with the story of their "marriage"
All four women giggled at the story after which Tabby broke the silence.
"Ed, Edd, n' Eddy," said Tabby to herself, "That has a certain ring to it. It sounds like the name of some ridiculous slap stick cartoon!"
Tabby began giggling, as did her daughters.
"But seriously, what are the odds that three best friends all have the same name. And if their names are all Edward, how do they not get confused of who's talking to who?" asked Tabby.
"Well, Big Ed, the tall guy that always wears the green jacket just always goes by Ed." said Marie, "The short little guy goes by Eddy. My Edd spells his name with two D's to differentiate himself from his friends. That earned him his nickname Double Dee."
"Double Dee huh?" said Tabby as she smiled, "I'll have to keep that in mind for the next time I see him."
The girls sat in silence for a few seconds after which Tabby walked over towards the barrels.
"I'm glad to see that you found these," said Tabby, "Where were they?"
"In the washroom with all of the mirrors," replied Lee.
"Really?" asked Tabby, "We bought these for a block party one year at Uncle Jacks house. I can't really remember what exactly they were for, but it was some kind of ring toss game. The paintings on the barrels were jokes towards Poppy, Uncle Jack and Uncle Steve. The body builder was for Poppy, because he lifted weights and constantly joked about his muscles, the sailor was for Uncle Jack who was in the Navy, and the tuxedo was for Uncle Steve, who always seemed to wear a three piece suit wherever he went."
Tabby paused.
"There was also a ballerina one for me, and a few other "girlie ones" but I don't know what happened to them." said Tabby.
Tabby reached into the barrels and pulled out what appeared to be a maroon shower curtain with the rings still attached to it.
"What is this doing in here?" asked Tabby
Marie blushed as Lee and May laughed jokingly.
"That was Marie's wedding dress!" yelled Lee as she laughed.
"The bathroom shower curtain?" asked Tabby in a confused tone.
"What was I gonna use?" replied Marie jokingly, "Lee and May already took the only dresses we had at the trailer back then."
The laughter had eventually died down after which Tabby decided to pose a question.
"So what are you girls doing tomorrow night?" asked Tabby.
Tabby was asking the question with the intent that she would spend time bonding with her daughter's tomorrow night as well. Although the girls felt bad about doing so, they told her the truth.
"Well, Double Dee's having this party at his house for all of his friends, and we were invited." said Marie.
"Really?" said Tabby, as her eyes widened, "That's great!"
"But Mom, if you want us to spend more time with you w…."
May was cut off by Tabby.
"Go," said Tabby, "Make friends, mingle and be happy. I'm glad that you are finally stepping out and trusting others again."
The girls smiled at their mother after which Lee chimed in.
"Wait till ya hear this one Mom," said Lee, "Marie isn't the only one with a man. May can't stop swoonin over her "Big Ed" herself. She won't shut up about his "handsome face" and h….."
"LEE!" yelled an extremely embarrassed May in a long drawn out tone, after which Lee laughed manically and the girls began to playfully bicker. Tabby couldn't help but giggle at the fact that her daughters were already old enough to begin arguing over boys.
"Alright break it up!" yelled Tabby as she silenced the girls.
"Sounds like tomorrows gonna be an important night for you girls." said Tabby, "And because it's so important, I'm gonna take you to Brandy tomorrow night before the party to get your hair and nails done. How does that sound."
All three girls were quite excited on the inside at the prospect. In addition, the girls would not only be bonding further as sisters. They would also be spending time with their mother as well.
All three girls rushed Tabby and hugged her.
"Thanks mom." said all three girls simultaneously.
"You're welcome girls." said Tabby as she hugged her girls back, "Alright, I think it's time we headed home. Besides it's been a few hours, and it's probably about the time that Annemarie promised to be at Double Dees."
Tabby led her girls through the washroom and up the creaky wooden stairs to the foyer, from which they exited the house. The girls and their mother proceeded down the cross street to their trailer with May carrying "Stephanie" in her arms and Tabby holding the shoe box with her shoes and Poppy's note in it. Lee was currently carrying the various 80's games they had found in Poppy's closet.
The group eventually reached the cross street and stopped to bid Marie farewell.
"Alright Annemarie, I'll see you later," said Tabby.
"Have fun!" yelled Lee, "But not too much!"
Tabby playfully punched Lee on the shoulder for teasing her sister after which she waved goodbye and began making her way to the trailer park with her remaining daughters.
Marie turned into the cul-de-sac and began walking up the stone path to Double Dee's house. Although she had done this many times before, she was quite nervous, as this was the first time they would be alone after their reconciliation. Nevertheless, she was extremely excited as she walked up to the door. After a quick adjustment of her hair, and a check on her make up using her pocket mirror, she rang the doorbell.