ts4 – Day & Knight

I walked in almost an hour late, cringing because I thought Mom would be at the door, fuming. Instead, I found my siblings playing in the middle of the living room. Alone.

What was Mom thinking? Yeah, sure, Zack was almost ten but if Brandy had found a random knife laying around and put it in a light socket, he wouldn’t even look up. The kid was that clueless.

“Hey, Zack. Where’s Mom,” I asked as I walked up to them.

“Upstairs,” he said. Still…he was a great big bro. I knew he’d rather be playing with his Voidcritter station than dolls.

“Up! Up!” Brandy cried, waving her arms.

Her face was so cute, I couldn’t say no to her.

Then she leaped into my arms and squeezed. “I love you, Lee Lee.”

When Mala called me that way back when, it was annoying, but with Brandy, it melted my heart. “I love you, too, baby girl.”

Standing, I couldn’t believe that Mom tried to get out of dealing with my siblings today. She’d never been this bad before. I remembered when I was a kid, she was always there, taking care of everything. But ever since Brandy was born, things had changed. I just didn’t get it. Sure, Brandy was a pain in the ass at times, but she was also adorable. And Zack was really smart. Some of the things that came out of his mouth would sometimes blow me away. I knew I never thought about thermodynamics when I was nine. But his brain was wired for science. Always thinking.

Instead of searching for her (because I knew Mom would be at her computer as always), I decided to start dinner. Grilled cheese again. God, I needed to start following recipes. I was like totally bored with the menu of a toddler.

As I carried Brandy into the kitchen, anger flickered. I was going to have it out with Mom. Someone needed to give her a kick in the ass. If Dad wasn’t here to call her out, I would. She shouldn’t neglect her kids.

I plopped Brandy in her chair and made my way to my own grilled cheese feast.

But then my mind spun. I mean, yeah, Mom chunked my siblings on me during the week, but she did spend time with them on the weekends. And it was unlike her just to ghost on us especially when I’d been late. “Hey, squirt. Did Mom say why she went upstairs?”

He shrugged. “She just got a phone call then ran upstairs. Haven’t seen her since.”

“So…she didn’t ask you to watch Brandy?”

Zack shook his head. “Nope. I saw her run up the stairs and so I figured I’d keep an eye on Brandy. You think something’s wrong?”

“No,” I lied. “I’ll go check on her later. Why don’t you eat that work of art I just made you? It took me tons of time slaving over that hot stove.”

“Yeah right.”

I wanted to bolt around the house to ask Mom what was up but Brandy needed to be put to bed.

I read her some bedtime stories. Her favorite–Simmy Tales.

Then kissed her goodnight. I hoped she didn’t pull her stall tricks tonight. She usually asked for water fifteen times before she settled down.

But I got lucky and didn’t hear a peep out of her when I shut off the light.

I searched for Mom in her office but she wasn’t there. Then I went to the media room, the garden room, and even her bedroom. Nothing.

She usually never went into the game room anymore. It was kind of Dad’s hideout with his keyboard and his old posters of his Heartthrob days. Whenever we watched movies as a fam, we’d do it in the media room or hang out downstairs.

But I found her there. In the game room.

My heart jolted.

She was crying.

She didn’t notice me. I stood there bewildered, not knowing what to say. Did someone die? Something happen to Dad? What?

“Mom?” I squeaked out. “Are you okay?”

Wiping her tears, she just nodded and said, “Yeah, sure. I’m okay, Liam.”

I crossed my arms. “Did you know you left Brandy all alone? Don’t give me that bullshit, Mom. What happened?”

Tears trickled down her cheek. “Oh God! I’m sorry!” She sniffed, staring down at the floor. “Is she okay?”

“Yes, Mom. Zack watched her, thank God. I’ve fed her and put her to bed.”

“Thank you, Liam. I…um…I’m just…God. I’m the worst.” She wouldn’t look up at me. Just sat there, twiddling her fingers.

After a minute of her doing nothing–not owning up to what was going on, I walked over to the couch and she moved, making room for me. “What the hell, Mom? Tell me what’s the matter.”

And then I heard Dad’s voice. It was coming from the TV. He was nuzzling his costar. It was an old rerun. I had no clue why the hell it was playing. It was some kind of law that Mom never watched his shows. Especially ones where he was making out with the lead.

“Dad called,” she said. “He’s not coming home. Not for a while.”

My throat tightened. “Are you…?” I couldn’t even process it. Yeah, I’d thought they might split about a thousand times in my life, but I never thought they’d actually do it.

When she didn’t say anything, I forced myself to say it. “Mom, please tell me. Are you and Dad getting a divorce?”

Setting her jaw, she said, “He told me he’s trying out for the part of Robotron.”

I blinked. “Robotron? The kick ass robot slash dude from the Vindicators?” My heart sped up. This was a time for celebration if he got that part. Robotron was the coolest of all the Sarvel superheroes. And Mom LOVED that world. “That’s great news! Why are you acting like someone died?”

She shook her head, pulling into herself. “You don’t understand what it means. I’ve been trying my hardest to break out of that prison cell and now he wants to thrust us back into it. NO! I won’t do that again.” Her shoulders shook as she sobbed.

I rubbed her arm, not understanding what she was saying. “What prison?”

“Fame. It’s a prison. I won’t go back, Liam. I won’t.”

I’d heard from them about the glory days of Dad being a Heartthrob and Mom being some Velvet’s Secret super model. And yeah, some people were still fans now–especially for Dad since he had a show on Simflix, but they weren’t super famous. They were back in the day though–they splashed every cover of every magazine. Paparazzi stalked them. Guess it was a nightmare. I’d never experienced that since we lived in the country away from the limelight, and Dad toned down all his stuff. But it was obvious he couldn’t stay away for long.

Holding Mom, I said, “Maybe he won’t get the part.”

“He will,” she breathed into my chest. “He always gets what he wants.”

Holding her, I didn’t have the words to comfort her. I just rocked, wanting to make her feel better even though I couldn’t.

“I just wish…” she said then trickled off.

“You wish what?”

She sniffed then went on, “I just wish he wanted us.”

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Liam

When little Brandy hit the scene, I was so stoked. She was a living, breathing doll.

And I thought I was the big shit since Mom wanted me to watch her a lot.

Well, maybe more than a lot.

After Brandy was born, Mom’s smiles diminished and she slept a little.

What was I saying? No. She slept like most of the time.

But I didn’t mind. Being a big bro to a sweet sis like her wasn’t too much to handle.

Dad said it was because Mom got postpartum depression which meant she’d lock herself in her room most days or scream at the drop of a hat. Dad would take care of all of us (when he wasn’t working.)

Then, little by little, she crawled out of her cocoon.

I had been worried about my parents since it seemed like almost all my friends’ parents were either not together anymore or were getting a divorce. But I shouldn’t have been concerned. They seriously acted embarrassing in front of my eleven year old self–always kissing and gazing at each other. I kind of hated it but liked it all at the same time.

But then one weekend, they got into the biggest fight. Usually, when they argued, if I was in the room, they’d stop and retreat to their bedroom. But not this time. They didn’t even notice I was there.

Dad said we needed to move to Del Sol Valley where he wanted to start his acting career. Seemed a series on Simflix thought he’d be a hit as a hot, older detective.

Mom said she didn’t marry an actor. And by the way? No FUCKING way.

I’d never witnessed either one of them so angry at each other before. I could see it from both of their perspectives. Dad needed to work. And he wasn’t happy doing the WooTube stuff anymore. Hell, he wasn’t even himself–he had to act like a woman. I didn’t blame him.

But on the other hand, Mom didn’t want us to move to a big city. Brindleton Bay was better for raising a family. I personally didn’t want to leave my friends. Sure I hated the triplets (at the time,) but they didn’t bother me that much. And I had too much to lose to want to move anywhere else. Plus I didn’t figure relocating with a new baby was wise either.

They were at a stand still for quite a while. But then Dad gave in.

Sort of.

He was still going to be an actor, but he’d commute from Del Sol Valley. Series work was done in seasons, so he’d leave for a few months when he would shoot the episodes, then come home for a few months.

Fast forward four years, Mom got a job with a 3 D animation company, and Dad’s series took off, so guess who was left to babysit my siblings?

You guessed it. Yours truly.

It was so weird sometimes. I was more like a dad to them than a brother. And Brandy loved me way more than Dad when he’d come home. She was totally attached. Which got a little annoying at times, not gonna lie.

But I had the time so I didn’t mind. Too much.

Until today.

My girlfriend, Mala Murdock, swept me up into her beautiful brown eyes at the end of school. Yeah, I couldn’t stand her when she was that annoying barnacle always calling me Lee Lee and shit like that. But my mind got blown when I looked up one day and noticed she was a real live goddess, ten out of ten. Damn. So yeah. I warmed up to her real fast.

“So, babe,” she said, pooching her soft wet lips. “Carlee and Kaden want us to go to the Freezer Bunny with them after school. Make me the happiest girlfriend and say yes!”

God. Why did she have to wear that shirt with the plunging neckline? It should be outlawed.

“Look, I’m sorry, babe. You know I’ve got to babysit after school. I’ll make it up to you this weekend. I promise.”

She grimaced. “When are your parents going to get a nanny? They’re rich enough. It’s not fair to you.”

I caressed her back, hoping to soothe her wrath. She was a goddess in more ways than just her looks–when she got mad, it was like hell on earth. Trust me. “Hey…we’ve talked about this, right? I agreed to watch them and they’re paying me double. I’m going to be able to buy the car I want and then you and I can take off to the beach whenever and not have to rely on your parents.” My folks didn’t believe in spoiling me, so I had to pay for my own car, clothes, everything. And in order to do that, I needed cash. It was a good deal for me and them.

Her eyes pinched to slits. “It’s not like your mother CAN’T watch her children, Liam. She works from home. And it’d be only for an hour. What harm would it be? Tell her you’re doing a make up test or something.”

I sighed, contemplating. She was right. Mom could watch them for a little bit. The daycare service brought them home and she did take breaks until I got there. Sometimes it felt like she was married to her job or something. She was their mother. It wouldn’t kill her to watch them for an hour.

Stroking Mala’s silky hair, I relented. “Oh…okay, I guess. But only for an hour.”

“Really?” she asked like I’d just promised to take her to her favorite rock concert.

“Yeah,” I said, laughing.

Then she laid a huge kiss on me that made me not regret a thing.

“I’m gonna get the new unicorn sprinkle cone,” Kaden said as we approached the ice cream shop.

Freezer Bunny was a hit show on Simslodeon and now they had ice cream stores across the country. Pretty good ice cream. I was surprised.

“What are you going to get, pretty girl?” I asked, lifting her hand like I was going to twirl her.

“I don’t know. They have so many choices!”

As we walked up to the counter, I could already smell the sugar from here. My mouth watered.

It was a beautiful day in Brindleton Bay. Made me want to just lay out and soak up the sun. I squeezed my girl’s hand. I was having a blast already. I never wanted to go home.

Mala studied the menu like it was a final exam. She was right. They had something like 100 flavors of ice cream. I already knew what I was going to get–strawberry cheesecake. My favorite dessert.

“Ohhh!” Mala cried. “Should I get Chubby Hubby or Urban Jumble? The choices are ridiculous!”

I smirked. She was so cute when she talked about food. And she was a great cook already. Her mom and dad were barely home so she’d have the run of the kitchen. Sometimes she’d bake me cookies or surprise me with cupcakes.

“I’ll have the schweddy balls, please,” Carlee said, raising her finger. That was a good one. It was filled with fudge-covered rum and malt balls

“I’m sorry, but that flavor sounds so wrong to me,” Kaden said. “Makes my balls sweat just hearing about it.”

I busted a gut. “I know, right? But damn, it tastes good.”

“Carlee, why are boys so gross?” Mala said while I was laughing. She always got offended if Kadan and I even tried to tell a dirty joke.

Luckily, our order arrived before she could bust MY balls about it.

“Hey, have you heard they’re going to revive the old superheros called the Vigilantes?” Kadan said to Carlee. Kadan, Carlee and I were huge comic book fans.

“I did.” I pumped my fist. “Holy shit, I’m going to be the first in line when it comes out.”

I could almost feel Mala prickle beside me. Her parents were total LARPing freaks which the superhero realm kind of fit in. She’s all about NOT taking part in anything like that.

She used to like Henry Puffer when we were young (I still secretly did) but now, she wanted nothing to do with fandom of any kind. Says it’s beneath her.

She gingerly sucked on her ice cream, saying nothing.

*****

The sun was beating down, making my whole body tingle. We’d decided to go to the park to hang out a little before I had to get back home. My mind drifted to a place where there were no toddlers or little brothers or moms or dads. It was just me in total relaxation mode. Ahh…I could have stayed there all day. Until I felt a jolt of searing cold on my cheek.

“What the hell?” I yelled. I almost got mad until I saw a goddess looking down on me.

“Wake up, sleepyhead. It’s time to go.”

I was such a lucky shit. Mala had curves in all the right places. And I could put my hands on all those places whenever I wanted. Right now I grabbed her just-big-enough ass.

She pushed me. “Hey! It isn’t time for a groping session. We’ve got to go!”

But I held on tighter.

I might have been a little on the skinny side, but I was still stronger than her. Pulling her on top of my lap, I held her legs but she didn’t try to get away.

She rubbed my face, making me go crazy. I wanted her. Right there. In the park. I didn’t care if anyone was around. Yeah. I had it that bad.

And she knew it, too. Teased me like this all the time. Smirking, she said, “My poor baby. We could always go to my house. My parents aren’t there.”

Damn. I so wanted to take her up on that. Her dad would kick my ass if he found out what we did at his house. Like a lot. But I was probably on the verge of getting grounded by my mom. I was late already. So I plopped her off my lap (unfortunately).

“Hey! What’s that for?” she cried.

Hopping back on top of her I whispered, “I love you, Mala, but like you said, we’ve got to go. You don’t want me to get in trouble, do you?”

Mala just looked up at me knowing she possessed some super power over me. I was hers. She knew it. I knew it. I guessed we’d always be together like this. Forever. I could see our future. We’d often talked about it. We’d have the dream. I’d be selling some shit from home (definitely was going to steer clear of ANY type of famous crap job) and she’d be a part time doctor–pediatrician. She wanted the luxury of us being able to raise our kids ourselves. No nannies. No babysitters. No using the oldest kid to do your job. And if she was really successful, I’d be a stay at home dad. I didn’t mind.