Silence Protect Me

As I predicted, “Snakes On A Plane” didn’t go down too well with the little ones.

I should become a prophet or something- almost everything I described did happen, and a lot more. Tyler didn’t shut his little trap throughout the entire film. His blabbering nonsense bounced around in my ears like a trapped fly, completely destroying my concentration on the cinematic events. At the beginning he kept commenting how boring the whole thing was, even when the first gristly happening occurred on the screen. Even when things were getting somewhat exciting he said loudly that he’d seen “bedda” and that everything looked “’Otally fake!”

He did cower when the first snake was spotted, much to my amusement. He tried to cover it up with the whole spiel about nothing looking realistic, but I saw straight through that. He fidgeted around in his spot on the carpet more whenever the snakes came on, reminding me of a flea-bitten dog I’d once seen rubbing itself on the pavement. After awhile he got sick of pretending, diving for the safety of Beth’s lap (much to my annoyance; I was sitting right next to Beth) but still his chatter would not cease! I kept myself sane by imagining myself duct-taping his mouth shut and stapling the seat of his pants to the floor. Luckily Beth can’t read minds otherwise I would’ve been in a lot of trouble.

Little Frankie was just as much a nuisance. Every time she saw a snake she screamed fit to burst, hiccupping with hysterical tears in the aftermath. Dad tried to calm her down by making jokes about snakes (clean ones- otherwise Mike would have had his head on a platter) and putting a sock on his hand to symbolise a crude snake puppet. That just made Frankie scream even more, until finally Elise cracked and took her into the kitchen to try and calm her down. I think she took Frankie upstairs for a nap, because only the mother returned afterwards.

Joey and Jakob weren’t too fazed by the snakes- and if it got a bit too much for them, they always had their Mom there to provide support. Jakob was more then happy to nestle in his Mom’s lap as the movie went on. Joey, on the other hand, was a bit too old for such behaviour and independently sat through the entire flick. He didn’t flinch once- I found that very impressive.

Deedee, on the other hand, didn’t like the movie at all. Not because she was scared, as she numerously reassured us, but because of the total unrealistic nature of the entire scenario. It would be impossible to get that many snakes on the one plane, sucking out the poison really did nothing, blah, blah, blah… In almost every scene she found some detail to pick at, driving the rest of the audience nuts. No one wanted to know what couldn’t possibly happen! They all just wanted to watch!

The adults were nearly as badly behaved as the children, I found. Billie and Adie giggled together like school kids at some of the scenes, cuddled up together like love-struck teenagers. A couple of times they kissed- that I found very embarrassing, quickly averting my eyes back to the screen. I didn’t see why they had to do that in front of their guests. They had all the time they could want when they were alone- public affection wasn’t needed!

My Dad, of course, also commented loudly on different scenes, mostly with lame jokes. He made a couple of extremely rude ones- I thought Mike was going to box his ears- but his friends just laughed at him, the children looking puzzled as they struggled to see what exactly was so amusing. He kept repeating the lines too, which I found irritating. It was like he thought I was too stupid to remember something from two minutes ago, although I don’t think he meant to be so patronising.

Time ticked on. Before I knew it, the movie had finished and it was time for my family to depart back to our woeful home lives.

Or, so I thought.

My Dad got a phone call, right at the end of the movie. I heard his polyphonic ring tone blast through his pocket, interrupting the atmosphere of the movie (not that there was much of a atmosphere with all that noise). Dad quickly dug his vibrating phone out of his pocket, flipping it open and staring onto the menu screen. His face was bathed in a bright blue mechanical glow for a moment, his eyes looking almost demonic. After a moment of contemplation he pressed a button, holding the phone to his ear and scurrying out of the room, muttering a quick apology. After ten minutes he came back, by that time the movie was already over.

And that’s when he abruptly announced that tonight us Wright kids would be staying at Billie’s.

Adie complained at first, giving her husband a “look”. She hadn’t heard anything of such a large party of people crashing at her place- plus, where were they all supposed to sleep? Billie looked puzzled too. He started to ask my Dad a question- but my Dad cut him off, giving him a meaningful look. At the same moment, Billie’s phone buzzed in his pocket, signifying he’d received a text. He glanced at the display screen for a moment, before nodding wearily. He told Adie firmly that they’d be able to find some room- Tyler and I could share with the boys, Deedee could have the spare room, Dad could sleep on the floor. I wondered what the text was, and whom it was from. Maybe it was from my mother, and she’d been the one to ring my Dad earlier. It would make sense- Billie would never send us back into the belly of the beast if he didn’t have to.

And so, we stayed. Beth hitched a ride home with Mike’s family- much too late, as usual. Her mother wouldn’t be pleased. She always wants Beth to be home early, like all good girls should be. Beth, being as far removed from the stereotypical good-girl as she could possibly be, couldn’t care less for her curfew. Sometimes I think the only reason she returns is to be with her dog.

Dinner was served, and the evening progressed normally. Well- except for the fact that Dad kept looking at the clock in the kitchen every five seconds, but I didn’t take much notice. He dashed out as soon as he’d finished bolting down his food, instructing the rest of his family to do whatever the Armstrong’s said and not to stay up too late just because he wasn’t there to tell us when to sleep. That was odd. Dad isn’t into the whole parental orders thing- he rarely told us that we couldn’t stay up late. In fact, usually at home, no one cared about bedtimes! Tyler likes to sleep, so he always gets a good ten hours snoring time. Deedee and I, however, are less inclined to shut our eyes. I liked to sit up and read until around eleven o’clock, while she will either do some study or play around on the net. It’s Dad’s fault. He had the misjudgement to give all his children in-room internet connections.

We played some games and watched TV for the remainder of the night. I watched for most- especially when Adie brought out a ‘Twister’ game. I couldn’t stand the idea of being so close to anyone, breathing the same air warmed by body heat. The others didn’t seem to care, though. Adie and Billie particularly enjoyed it, giggling hysterically at each other as Tyler gleefully shouted out what body part had to go on which colour next (honestly, I cannot see what is so amusing about it all!). When Billie fell over he dragged his spouse with him, wrapping her in a bear hug and planting kisses all over her reddened face and neck. Again, they didn’t seem to care about their audience. A prickle of discomfort rose up my person as they lay laughing on the carpet. Why couldn’t they act like adults and be distanced in public? Maybe it’s because of my parental situation, but I’m more used to seeing people being as sterile in relationships as a surgeon’s hand. Other conduct seems weird and strange to me.

Jakob and Tyler were sent to bed first, Deedee retiring soon after (she borrowed one of Billie’s books to amuse her). I was allowed by Billie to stay up later, but I declined, preferring to retire to my shared room. I didn’t feel like watching any more affection. Besides, I was still recovering from the night before.

I fell asleep quickly for once, even though I was sharing another’s breathing space. The numbness of dreamless sleep was comforting, at least for a couple of hours.

That was before an extremely full bladder and a thirst begging to be quenched woke me up.

Joey was snoring quietly on his side of the room when I woke up, his neon electric alarm clock glowing eerily in the darkness. I checked the time wearily. One-thirty AM. Great. I stayed in bed for another few minutes, trying to ignore the ache of my bladder and the dry rasping of my sandpapered throat. I have never been one for completely ignoring physical discomfort, so I had to get up. I padded quietly out of the door and into the gloomy, echoing hall, heading for the bathroom. It was easy to spot- it was the only room with a light on. With a wry smile I shut the door behind me…

One of my needs may have been taken care of, I thought as I thoroughly scrubbed my hands (just my luck Adie didn’t believe in antibacterial soap), but my thirst still needed quenching. There was no cup handy on the edge of the sink like at my house, so I couldn’t get a drink from the bathroom. There was no way I was going to drink from the tap! The water would flow everywhere but in my mouth, drenching my face uselessly. No. I’d have to go on a recon mission down to the kitchen.

When I got to the kitchen my thirst was quickly forgotten.

For there, in the laundry of the kitchen, a light was on and two shadows were spilled across the floor, floating in the puddle of light like oil on water. Huh? I ducked behind a counter, edging towards the light curiously. Who would be doing laundry at this time of night? I cursed my stupidity immediately. Idiot! If someone was indeed doing laundry, I would be able to hear the machines working, plus, why would two people be needed to oversee it? I could hear faint voices from my position on the floor as well. I wasn’t close enough to tell what was being said, but I recognised one voice that belonged to my Dad. The other one didn’t belong to anyone I knew. I hazarded a guess at female- it wasn’t easy to tell from the distance.

So, I crawled closer to the laundry, taking care to remain in shadow. I went as close I dared before finding a hiding place next to the door, somewhere I could both hear and see clearly from without getting caught. I don’t like the thought of people eavesdropping, but sometimes it is the only way to gather information. I’ve long since learnt that adults have a secret life they don’t always show. My mother taught me that unintentionally at a young age, with all her secrets and lies.

However morbid my curiosity is, I can’t hold it down.

Inside the laundry I saw my Dad, talking earnestly to a stranger. But not just any stranger.

A female stranger.

In the yellowish light of the laundry her auburn hair gleamed, bouncing around her shoulders like a model from a shampoo advert. Her hair was curved in an elegant frame around her heart-shaped face, giving her a youthful look, even though her troubled grey eyes spoke of many long years on this earth. Above her unusual eyes were her wispy dark eyebrows, arched highly on her forehead in a shape no beautician could easily mimic. They curved inwardly towards her straight and narrow nose, which ended tidily over her chapped full lips. Her skin was a creamy brown colour like milky coffee- I guessed that she was descended from some sort of ethnicity- maybe Domican, or Italian perhaps. Her body was lithe and toned- a few scars pockmarking her otherwise smooth skin. The most prominent was a feathery line reaching from her collarbone and making a curvy descent down into the gap between her round breasts. She looked nervous and unsure- she kept glancing around the room, when she wasn’t looking beseechingly at my Dad.

I shrank back into my hiding place, afraid she would manage to spot me with her silvery eyes. But, other things distracted her, as I soon found out.

“Tre, why did you drag me in here with you? You know Billie doesn’t want me getting too close to your family- this isn’t safe!” she hissed quietly, her eyes darting towards the ceiling like a full stop to her point. My Dad put a hand on her arm, a small smile on his thin lips.

“You worry too much,” he said softly, his eyes as cottoned as his tone. “They’re all asleep anyway-“

“All asleep! How can you be sure? Billie doesn’t want me here- he’s right, you know! Your wife already suspects- if she even guessed-“

“She’s not going to. She’s half-drunk all the time- she doesn’t know a thing. And who cares if she knows I’m not exactly faithful? I’m not in love with her, neither she with me.”

Not much of the conversation surprised me of yet- apart from the whole ‘not exactly faithful’ thing from my Dad. What he meant by that I wasn’t sure. My Dad loves to joke around about the ruder aspects of life and make out he’s more of a pervert then he actually is, but I doubted that he would actually… that he would… or….

I hate it when my own brain lets me down because of a biased opinion.

“Oh… God… I hate this,” the woman muttered, her plump bottom lip quivering slightly. Moisture seeped into her eyes, forcing her to sniff and raise a hand to brush back the tears. “Sneaking around behind people’s backs… living a lie. What would my friends say if they knew? They would- they would- I can’t even think about it!”

“Rita,” My Dad said, his voice trembling slightly as he gazed at her pained expression. “We’re not living a lie. I-I-I… I love you.”

Rita sniffed again at this statement, pushing her curved bangs away from the sides of her face.

“You keep saying that, yet you’re still with that wife of yours, however much you say you dislike her. Maybe I’m missing something here. Maybe I’m just a game to you!”

“No! You’re not a game- not at all! My wife and I- Shit, Rita, it’s a difficult situation! The kids deserve to have a normal childhood. A divorce would just screw them up further.”

“That’s what you say you’re concerned about. For all I know, I’m just some hussy off the street to you, something to play with when you’re avoiding family life!”

After that statement she turned her back on my father, bending her head and putting a hand up to her face. I wasn’t concerned by this behaviour. Oh, no, I was a lot more concerned about other things.

Like my Dad using the ‘l’ word.

I had never heard him use that word- not like that! He said it often enough jokingly, or to make us kids happy, but never- never with such hesitance, such obvious… vulnerability. That’s the only word that could describe it. My Dad, Tre Cool, master of wit and vulgarity, king of innuendo and lewd conduct- vulnerable!

This made no sense. Obviously the woman was just a plaything, right? My Dad was just acting to put her at ease. That was an easier concept for me to grasp then him actually caring about this Rita. Love wasn’t something possible to my parents. It couldn’t be! Just look at their shady background stories, their lives before they got married. No one in our family could actually be capable of having such affection!

In a way, I suppose I thought it was better that this woman be a fling rather then something long term.

“Rita- oh come on Rita, don’t cry!”

My attention was brought back to the laundry by my Dad’s startled whisper. I dared to lean forward slightly, just to get a better look. Rita had her face pressed into the corner of the room, her shoulders shaking. Ah. So the woman was crying after all. No wonder. Maybe she was smart enough to figure out she meant nothing to my Dad. Just as well. Dad didn’t need any extra baggage.

“I’m-not-crying,” she spluttered, her voice thick with the ever-building blockage in her sinuses. My Dad laughed quietly, reaching out to put a rough-skinned hand on her shoulder.

“Well, if this is how you express happiness I’d hate to invite you to my party,” he joked half-heartedly, bowing his head to look at his shoes. Surprisingly Rita laughed nasally, sniffing deeply to clear her airways.

”What parties? I’m not meant to know you, remember?” she pointed out sarcastically, turning around to face him. My Dad reached into his pocket, pulling out a crumpled tissue and handing it to the soggy-faced woman. She took it gratefully, taking a moment to blow her nose before stuffing it into her handbag.

“Well, one day they’ll be a party where everyone will know we know each other. And they’ll be toasting to us too, celebrating our life together-“

“Yeah? When will this be, after all your kids have grown up? We’ll be old, Tre. Old, tired- maybe you’ll have gotten sick of me by then and started chasing some young blonde thing with a red sports car.”

“Pfft,” my Dad snorted, waving a hand dismissively. He took one of her hands before she could protest, gently tugging her out of her corner. “How could I ever get sick of you? You’re too fun to argue with. I just have to mention something about making you happy and you want to argue.”

“It’s not about being happy!” she snapped, pulling her hand out his grasp and putting her hands on her hips. “It’s about the fact it’ll be years before we can be happy together!”

“So you’re not happy now?” Dad asked, folding his arms across his chest as he stared demandingly at the woman. She seemed to sag slightly at that moment, all the ferocity draining out of her stance. He hands flopped off of her hips, hanging dully at her sides.

“No- you’re twisting my words! I am happy- I just don’t-“

“You just don’t like how this is going,” my Dad finished bitterly, his eyes filming over with steel. He leaned his head back, his lips pressed in a thin line as he looked down at her (she was short- a couple of inches shorter then him). “I get it. Maybe we should stop this, then. You know, I go back to being a full time family man- you go get a boyfriend that doesn’t come with strings attached!”

Suddenly the tables were turned in that room, as quickly as a snap of the fingers. My Dad was the one with the leverage now- and Rita was the one pleading like a doomed gladiator in the coliseum. It was up to my Dad now to decide her fate.

“D-d-don’t- Don’t say things like that!” she suddenly wailed, breaking into loud and noisy sobs. A clever move. My Dad immediately dropped his icy stance, his brow creased with worried as he scooted around Rita, putting his arms around her trembling frame.

“Hey- hey, don’t get upset… I wasn’t being serious… I don’t think we should stop this.”

“T-t-that’s n-n-not what you s-s-said,” she snivelled, weakly banging her wrists against my Dad’s arms. “Y-y-you said y-y-you w-w-wanted us to s-s-stop!”

“No, no, no! I was talking out my ass, Rita- I don’t want you to go off with someone else! Fuck, I’d be suicidal the moment you’d walk out the door!”

“L-l-liar,” she snuffled half-heartedly, before letting her head droop onto Dad’s shoulder. She rubbed her head against his neck, letting his arms swallow her.

“Shh… Sh…” Dad whispered into her hair, kissing the top of her head.

“Promise you won’t leave me,” she whispered back, her voice still shaking.

My Dad closed his eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply before answering:

“I promise, Rita. I promise.”