Chapter 67

Around the same time that Ed, Edd and Eddy were beginning the process of tidying up Double Dees extremely disheveled home, May, Marie and Lee had found themselves standing at the entrance to the Park n' Flush trailer park. The trek across the sandy construction site was quite arduous for Lee and Marie, both being unaccustomed to the high heeled boots they were wearing. The gravely soil of the trailer park was not any easier to walk on than the sandy construction site. Luckily for the girls, May had chosen to wear flats, and was able to comfortably assist her older sisters on their journey home.

Although the inconvenience their boots provided was quite aggravating to Marie and Lee, they along with the much more comfortable May, felt as though a huge burden had been lifted off of their shoulders tonight. The girls were speaking rather excitedly about their nights with their boyfriends; each one of them was so excited that they consistently cut each other off mid story. It was truly a rare and unforeseen moment, as all three girls were smiling from ear to ear out of pure joy.

The girl's extreme excitement had clouded their thoughts and caused them to lose track of time. In what seemed like seconds, they had already arrived within 30 feet of the silver and blue 60's style caravan that they had called home. As the girls continued their discussion, they had neglected to notice that Rod's red Ford F-250 was parked in front of their trailer, bathed in the yellow hue of light emitted by the trailer parks solitary fixture. The girls simply walked around it, and approached the front door leading into their trailer.

The trailer stoop was illuminated by the light small fixture that was mounted above the door. Lee was finishing up her story of how her and Eddy shared their first real kiss, at which point she began opening the screen door. The girls silenced themselves for a few seconds as Lee finagled the handle on the inner door, which often was tough to open from the outside. Surprisingly, she was able to find the sweet spot rather quickly and proceeded to open the door.

The girls quickly funneled into the trailer. The living room was quite dark, and the only source of light came from the intermittent glow from the television. Tabby had usually shut out the lights when she watched movies, to attempt to replicate the feeling of a movie theater as much as possible. With a quick flip of the wall mounted switch next to the door, the lamps located on both ends of the couch illuminated the living room with a warm, yet dim glow.

Of course, all of this had happened within seconds of opening the door. Unbeknownst to the girls, Tabby had been having quite the unexpected night as well. In addition, she and Rod had managed to lose track of time and had not quite expected to hear the sound of the trailer door opening.

"Oh shit, girls!" yelled Tabby as she jumped from her position straddling Rods lap, tripping over the coffee table and almost falling flat on her face as well.

Just as Tabby jumped up, Rod had jumped off of the couch equally as surprised and embarrassed. He quickly flattened his hair, which was sticking up due to Tabby vigorously running her hands through it as she kissed him.

"Daddy?" asked all of the girls with extremely surprised looks on their faces.

Tabby, Rod and the girls stood with red faces staring at each other awkwardly for a few seconds. Rod finally decided to break the silence and pretend as if none of it had ever happened.

"Howdy girls." said Rod, "I got done work late tonight so I decided to swing by to drop off some money and talk to Annalee about her trip. You girls weren't here and Mom invited me stay until you got home."

By this time, Rod had finally regained his senses. After a quick glance at his daughters, he realized that Tabby's words about her daughters looking beautiful were quite true.

"You were right Tab," said Rod as he turned around to face Tabby with a smile, after which he turned around to face his daughters once again, "You girls look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you Daddy." said all three girls simultaneously.

Rod playfully turned around to Tabby with a confused look on his face, and proceeded to place his hand up to his ear facing his daughters.

"Excuse me?" said Rod playfully, "Was that a thank you?"

The girls giggled at Rods joke while looking towards the ground.

"Didn't I tell ya?" said Tabby.

"No no this can't be right," said Rod as he walked up to each of his daughters, feeling their heads as if checking for a fever, "What could be causing these unusual symptoms?"

All three Kanker girls giggled at Rods slightly cheesy joke, just as they had done at his jokes when they were little girls. Seeing the girls smiling and sharing a laugh made Rod feel like the happiest dad in the world, as he had not heard pure chuckles of joy out of his girls in years.

"I'm tellin ya!" said Tabby playfully as she lit a cigarette. She quickly puffed it, holding it between her index and middle finger and blew out the exhaust as she spoke, "I just know those Ed's had something to do with it!"

The girls blushed at the sound of the Ed's names. They were quite embarrassed that Tabby had told Rod about their wild adventures with the Ed's, but nevertheless shared a laugh with their mother and father about the whole situation.

"So," said Tabby as she puffed her cigarette, "How was Double Dee's party anyway?"

The girls paused and looked at each other with smiles on their face. Rod and Tabby both shot joyous smiles at each other as they witnessed their daughter's happiness reborn. It hadn't been two seconds when May decided to chime in with a joke.

"Lee's got a boyfriend! Lee's got a boyfriend!" chanted May rather loudly while pointing to her sister.

"Alright so what if I do?" yelled a slightly embarrassed Lee, "But what were you doing out on the back porch all night with Big Ed hmmmm?"

Lee and Marie let out a long drawn out, "OOOOOOOOHHHHHH" after which they giggled at an extremely embarrassed and blushing May.

Tabby and Rod looked at each other and giggled as they observed their girls teasing each other. Both parents had witnessed the girls teasing each other before, however the words they used were often insults intended to be used with malicious intent. The girls were now mocking each other in a playful manner and behaving much more sisterly than they previously had. As the girls clowned around with each other, Rod and Tabby couldn't help but notice that the girls were behaving just as if they were grown up versions of the sweet little girls they knew before they started school. Both parents couldn't have been happier for their children.

As the girls continued to playfully bicker, Tabby shot a wink at Rod as she puffed her cigarette.

"Alright!" yelled Tabby playfully in a voice that sounded eerily similar to Marie's yet contained the powerful voicetress inflections of Lee. She walked over to the couch and took a seat. "Let's hear all about it."

Rod took a seat on the couch next to Tabby as he began listening to the girls' stories about their night at the party. Of course, each girl did not tell their own story. The girls spent their time telling each other's stories, adding playful details all the while embarrassing each other. Once they had finished, Rod and Tabby shared a chuckle on the couch.

"Looks like I got a couple more boyfriends to meet huh Tab?" said Rod.

"Looks like it," said Tab as she smiled.

"They always say that a father's worst nightmare is finding out that their precious little girls have gotten boyfriends," said Rod as he smiled towards his daughters, "I just see it as nature's way of telling me that my little girls are finally growing up into beautiful young ladies."

All three Kanker sisters shared a heartfelt smile with their father, after which Tabby chimed in.

"And don't worry Roddy," said Tabby, "We already know that Annemarie's got a good guy. These other two Ed's have to be something special in order for these witches to come home smiling from ear to ear!"

Tabby, Rod and the girls all giggled at Rod's joke. Although the girls were truly having fun, all three of them were currently thinking the same thing in the back of their mind. Tabby had not used the word "Roddy" to refer to Rod since they had broken up. Could this, as well as that kiss they witnessed mean that reconciliation is in the works?

After a few moments, the laughter died down, at which point Rod glanced at his watch. It was quarter to midnight, and he had already spent much more time at Tabby's trailer than he had expected. Although his stay was overdue, he couldn't have been happier for the wonderful night he was able to share with his entire family.

"Alright, it's getting pretty late!" said Rod as he stood up and adjusted his jeans. He reached for his wallet and keys from the coffee table. "I better get home so you girls can get some shut eye."

Rod walked over to where his three daughters were standing and approached each of them one by one for a personal goodbye.

Lee happened to be first in line. The first thing that Rod noticed about Lee was her height; she was already a rather tall girl, but her heels had skyrocketed her height to around 5' 9", two inches shorter than Rod.

"It's funny how time flies," said Rod with a slight tear in his eye, "I can remember how small you were the first time Mommy brought me home to meet you. I could hold you in my arms no problem. Now look at you, you're practically as tall as me."

Rod glanced at Lee's red curly extensions. She had promised herself that she would re grow her real hair out to the length that her extensions alluded it to be. She wanted her long hair back more than anything, and could not believe she had sacrificed it as part as some ridiculous bullying charade.

"You look beautiful tonight Annalee," said Rod, "In a few weeks, I'll have my 'Reds' back again."

Rod kissed Lee on the forehead and smiled at his eldest daughter. He had addressed her as 'Reds' a nickname he had bestowed on her as a child due to her bright red hair.

"Thank you Daddy." said Lee softly as she smiled.

Rod moved on to his middle daughter. First and foremost, he was extremely happy that Marie had rid herself of her punk persona within the last few weeks. It broke his heart to see his daughter dressing in a depressing black everyday for four years, as well as seeing her beautiful silky smooth black hair go to waste by being colored blue. Nevertheless, he was quite content seeing his middle daughter restored to her natural appearance.

"You don't know how happy I am that you got rid of all of that fake punk crap," said Rod as he smiled, "I knew that wasn't the real you Annemarie. You look beautiful tonight as well, and I'm glad to have you back."

Rod gave Marie a kiss on the forehead, just as he had done to his eldest daughter.

"Thanks Daddy," said Marie in an equally soft tone.

Rod finally reached his youngest daughter May.

"And look at you Annamae," said Rod, "Finally on your way to a perfect smile with those braces. I can't wait to see that gorgeous smile when those braces come off."

Rod kissed May on the forehead.

"Thanks Daddy," said May as she smiled.

"Alright," said Rod as he held his arms out, "Family hug, you too Tab!"

Rod embraced all three of his daughters as well as Tabby for a few moments. The entire Kanker-Lonergan family couldn't have been happier, as it had been around ten years since they had last shown their love for each other.

"I love you girls so much." said Rod.

"I love you too Daddy," replied all three girls simultaneously.

The family embraced for a few more seconds, after which Rod decided it was time to leave.

"Alright, let me get out of here," said Rod as he walked towards the door and opened it, "I'll see you girls later."

"Bye Daddy!" yelled all three girls as they waved.

Rod passed through the threshold and stepped down the short stoop onto the rocky ground. Tabby had followed him outside and closed the inner door behind her, isolating her and Rod from the girls in an attempt to achieve privacy. The Kanker sisters, being the girls they are, glanced at each other and then promptly dashed over to the window to spy on their mother and fathers conversation.

The girls watched as Rod turned around to face Tabby, dangling his keys in his hand.

"Quite a wild night huh?" said Rod.

"Yep," said Tabby as she smiled, "Quite a night."

"Tab," said Rod, "You don't know how happy it makes me seeing them flourish once again. They've changed back into our girls Tab. I don't know exactly what happened, but I'm glad it did."

"Me too," said Tabby, "I'm glad we finally have our girls back."

Rod paused for a few seconds, after which he grabbed Tabby's hand with both of his while he looked into her eyes.

"I know," said Rod rather quietly, "And I would really enjoy having "us" back as well."

Tabby smiled as her eyes began tearing up.

"So would I," said Tabby as she smiled.

"Let's not waste any time rebuilding," said Rod as he let go of Tabby's hands, "How's about I pick you and the girls up tomorrow night and we all have a nice turkey dinner at my house?"

Tabby smiled into Rods eyes.

"I would really like that Rod," said Tabby as she blushed.

"Great," said Rod as he smiled, "Is it okay if I pick you up around 5?"

"Yeah, that's fine." said Tabby, giggling slightly like a school girl who had just been asked out by the most popular guy in school.

"Great," said Rod as he smiled.

"Great," said Tabby softly as she began twirling her hair.

Rod and Tabby stood in silence for a few seconds.

"Listen Tab," said Rod, "I just wanna say I'm sorry fo…."

Tabby grabbed Rod from his shirt collar, and leaned into his face, demonstrating once again that Marie had inherited her methods of handling men from her mother.

"Just shut up and kiss me goodnight Roddy." said Tabby in a soft voice.

At that moment Rod smiled and pressed his lips into Tabby's. The girls watched in surprise from their window as their parents shared a passionate kiss under the moonlight. Tabby wrapped her arms around Rods neck and pulled him closer to her. After a few seconds, Lee motioned with her head for her sisters to leave the window with a grin on her face.

"I love you Rod," said Tabby rather abruptly. Tabby did truly love Rod, but she couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed that those words have slipped out of her mouth so soon after their reunion.

Rod, somewhat taken aback by words he had not heard in years, was at a loss for words for few seconds. Rod soon regained his composure, leaned down into Tabby's face with a smile and gave his reply.

"I love you too Tab, and I always have!" said Rod.

Tabby's eyes began to tear up out of joy as she pressed her lips to Rods once again. After around five minutes, Rod had finally pulled away and bid Tabby farewell. Tabby watched from her stoop as Rod stepped into his truck, started it up, and pulled briskly out of the trailer park, but not before waving a final goodbye.

Tabby stood on the stoop for a few seconds after Rods truck disappeared from view. She could not believe that the moments she had just experienced were real. She felt as if she was in a dream as she opened the inner door and reentered her warm trailer.

Tabby shut the door with a smile on her face, and sighed dreamily at the sound of the door latching. Her euphoria was soon broken as she turned around to face the couch.

On the couch sat May, Marie and Lee, all sitting directly next to each other. Each of them had their legs crossed, their right legs draping over their left, as well as their hands folded on their thighs. Each girl was staring at Tabby with a playful grin.

"What?" asked Tabby in a confused manner, even though she knew exactly what was on her daughters minds.

The girls simply continued grinning at Tabby.

"Don't you look at me like that!" yelled Tabby playfully, yet sternly as she pointed her finger towards her daughters with an angry facial expression.

"So mom?" said Lee as she motioned her hand towards the single dining room chair, "Why don't you sit down and tell us about your night!"

Tabby sighed playfully and smiled as she took a seat in the wooden chair, preparing for a very interesting interrogation from her daughters.

"So," said Marie, "What happened?"

Tabby grinned at her middle daughter, after which she began telling her story.

"Nothing much," said Tabby as she smiled, "All's you need to know is we are all going to Daddy's for dinner tommorow."

Tabby paused and glanced toward her daughters, who still were not satisfied.

Tabby sighed.

"Alright, so we kissed, big deal." Said Tabby with a smile.

"OOOOHHHH!" yelled all three girls simultaneously.

"Here it comes." said Tabby under her breath sarcastically.

"Go Mom, Go Mom, Go Mom!" chanted all three girls all the while smiling at their mother. Tabby blushed at her daughters ways of congratulating her.

"Alright Alright!" yelled Tabby in a playful manner, "Geez, you girls are my daughters and you're interrogating me like I'm your kid!"

Tabby giggled.

"So how about I listen to you tell me more about this big party you went to tonight." said Tabby.

Tabby sat and listened to her daughters talk about the fun night they had had at Double Dee's house, of course teasing each other all along the way about their boyfriends. As Tabby sat and listened to her daughters stories of the fun they had, she couldn't help but tear up. She had missed so much in these beautiful girls lives, and had regretted not being there for them as a mother as much as she should have been. Even though she regretted the past, her girl's actions in addition to her reconciliation with Rod had allowed her to realize that the future is once again bright for her family. With that realization Tabby's tears of sadness, transformed into tears of joy.

By the time the extremely rambunctious girls had finished telling their stories, it was 1:00 a.m, time for everyone to go to bed. Tabby offered the girls the bedroom, as "they deserved it" after the wonderful night they had in addition to finally drawing out of the emotional shells they had created for themselves.

Lee, Marie and May had already changed into their pajamas and climbed into their King sized bed. They assumed their usual positions, with Lee in the middle of the bed, Marie on her right, and May on her left. As the girls drifted off to sleep, they couldn't have been more proud of themselves. They had finally escaped the clutches of the evil bullies they once were, and had made peace with their demons from the past. The girls had finally realized that there are good people in the world that care, and that showing a little compassion and trust can go a long way.

Most of all, the girls have achieved something that they have always dreamed of having since they were little girls; acceptance. The girls have finally found friends in the kids of the cul-de-sac, and knew that they had planted the seed to begin building peaceful relationships with them. Most of all, all three girls have finally gained the trust and affections of their beloved Ed's. All three girls have never felt as beautiful, important, or special as they did when they were in the arms of their boyfriends. The Kanker sisters had achieved what they had thought was impossible; relationships with great men who treated them with respect and made them feel special.

All was quiet at Double Dee's house as well. It was around 3:30 a.m. and Ed and Eddy had been passed out in the den for around a half hour after a long monster movie marathon. Eddy was currently lying on the couch, with one of his arms hanging over the side, while Ed slept on the floor with his hand in a bowl of popcorn.

Double Dee spent a few minutes analyzing the situations he and his friends were faced with tonight. In what seemed like a bizarre twist of fate, he had learned the true reasons behind the Kanker sisters deviant behavior, and realized that he was wrong to write them off as girls filled with pure hatred and evil. His trust and relationship with Marie has allowed him to flourish and become a better person. Even Eddy's sabotage was a blessing, as it had allowed Eddy a chance to reflect on his own insecurities and become a better person for himself. In addition, the shenanigans had given May a reason to break the ice with Ed, and paved the way for their eventual romantic relationship. The process of reuniting Double Dee and Marie also had brought Lee and Eddy together on a more subtle level. Spending so much time together trying to mend their best friend and sister's relationship had allowed them to realize that they were really not as different from each other as they had thought.

Double Dee closed his eyes and began drifting off to sleep a happy man. He had no idea what fate had in store for him, his best friends, and their beautiful girlfriends in the future; all's he knew was that all along, the Kanker sisters were nothing more than bad girls with big hearts.