Where is my Weretiger?

I pulled into the garage just as the song “Dirty Glass” by the Dropkick Murphys ended and Oliver and I sang the last line. Laughing we got out of the car. I followed behind him as he walked toward the house and his unprotected back was just too much of opportunity to pass up.

Concentrating very hard so I wouldn’t give away my plan I began reciting the Periodic Table in my head.

Hydrogen, Lithium, Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium, Caesium Fransium….,

What are you doing?

Nothing Beryllium, Magnesium, Calcium, Strontium, Barium

I then ran at him thinking my battle cry of Radium!
I launched myself on to his back and stopped my mantra of the elements.

Giddy-up horsie!

Sigh, now I’m a pack animal.

He complained but made no move to dislodge me.

My god you’ve gotten fat, no more food for you young lady at least until you no longer way the equivalent of a dump truck

Hey, Jerk. Didn’t mom teach you not to make comments on a woman’s weight?

She did but you don’t count cause you’re my twin so its just like saying the less good looking version of me is getting a little robust.

I didn’t dignify that with an answer I simply stuck my tongue out at him and kicked him in the thigh and yelled

“Hurry up Horsie or Ill send you off to become dog chow!”

He grunted in annoyance but started to jog.

Happy?

Ecstatic!

So like that we went into the house.

Maybe next time I can get some coconuts and bang them together for you instead of you crushing important bones under your tons.

Oh god someone has been watching too much Monty Python

And it’s a great show; they beat cats against the wall!

I know you hate cats but why must you think animal abuse is funny

Because it’s the cat their abusing

I rolled my eyes at his logic. We’d never had a cat because he always hated them and they never liked him. He thought the part in The Holy Grail where an old woman is beating the dust out of the cat to be the funniest thing he ever saw. He even looks up videos where cats run into things on YouTube; that is how much he hates them. What a freak, but he’s my freak.

He carried me to the library, our father’s favorite room, looking for him. He was there but he was not alone he sat in an armchair with our mother on his lap and a woman sitting across from them. They were drinking tea and the woman looked like she was having something a little stronger.

I slid of Oliver’s back and looked at my father who’s black hair had silver in it that had no place to be there, he looked older and weary lines that were not his creased his face and there was a sort of sadness in his ageless eyes. It all disappeared when he looked up and saw us. His face broke into a smile that dissipated the sadness in his eyes and made it appear like years had dropped away in moments.

I ran to him and hugged him tightly, Oliver followed a bit more suavely. It was a kind of an awkward hug because Mom was on his lap and Oliver was hugging him from behind me so it ended in a tangle of limbs and all of us laughing while the dark woman looked on. Her presence was weird amidst our family reunion. Just by looking at her hard predator beauty made me feel young and childlike.

She nodded to me when she noticed me looking. I furrowed my brow.

I don’t like her.

Who?

God you are so dense do you not see the lady sitting across from us?

Well now that you point it out of course I see her, and I know what you mean now too I don’t like her either she has a weird vibe to her.

Yeah like she is mean or angry or oh I don’t know just something

Hey, hey calm down don’t stress I know what you mean she feels weird.

“So kids, what is new?”

We glanced at each other and shrugged.

“My children not getting trouble and having dull lives? Is it even possible?”

We grinned at him sheepishly, he defiantly knew us and how we are always up to our pranks.

“Well then Princess” He said to me “I have a present for you”

I jumped up and smiled brightly and closed my eyes and held out my hands. Nothing happened. I waited and then I heard my fathers deep throaty laugh.

Open your eyes genius

I opened one eye a peek to glare at my brother.

“Its in your room Princess.” My father told me pointing to the door. I opened my eyes all the way and smiled at my dad before grabbing Oliver’s hand and wrenching him out of the room as I sprinted for mine. I could hear everyone getting up and slowly following at a pace considerably slower than ours and eventually I pulled ahead of Oliver when he was going to slow.

I came to my door and stopped briefly before putting my hand on the knob, turning it, and pushing it in. Inside my room was something that I had wished for my entire childhood it was like entering a dream, my dream.

Some little girls want a pony, some want a puppy or a kitten I always wanted something more wild and unpredictable I had wanted a tiger!