Life As It Shouldn't Be
Mental Case
"You’re right. I should. And I’ll say exactly that. Watch Macy and Travis for me please." I nodded again and sat down next to the two. Like she ever watched them. I was always stuck with the babysitting, which was why Johnny only listened to me when he was crying. He trusted me more than anyone else. They two were fighting over a ball of yarn like two cats would. "Come on you two stop it. I’ll give you each a piece." They just looked at me. Then Travis said, "No. It’s mine. Macy no get any." I took the ball away and told him to share. Once he said okay and Macy said thank you they stared rolling it around on the floor. I guess I have a way with little kids. They’ll listen to me, even Amanda’s kids. A few minutes later Amanda came back in th room with a smile on her tear stained face. "She said I can keep it." I smiled and let her lay down on the bed.
"Just wondering Amanda, but whose the Daddy?" I knew each of her other four kids have had different dad’s, well except the twins, they couldn’t have different dad’s, but they weren’t here to use as an exception and Amanda would start to cry if I brought them up.
"Oh, same as Travis’. He and I made up. Now I guess I should tell him. He did say I could move in with him, but not after what I just asked Mom. That would be way to much for her."
"Oh, cool. So uh. . . when you having it"
"Oh, the doctor said four months. Don and I went yesterday." There was a crash of thunder and the power went out. Not something unusual. Though, Alicia, Johnny, Macy and Travis all started screaming. Amanda motioned for me to go and help Alicia and Johnny.
"Quiet down please. Shut up!!! Mom will come in with a candle." As if on cue she stepped into the dark room. Almost the instant they saw the light they stopped screaming. "I’ll go give one to Amanda," I said. Our faces shone in the light.
"I already did, Alli. Can you go and find Joe and Jake for me? They might be down the street a ways. I need to talk to them. Hurry," she asked. I nodded and walked out of the bedroom door. I felt my way past our tiny table into the hall and opened the door. The wind was blowing and the rain was pouring down. I grabbed my old beat up sweatshirt from Joe and headed out back to look first.
"Joe?, Jake? You guys out here?" I yelled through the rain and wind. The clock in the hall had said it was only one o’clock in the afternoon that is. Everyone besides us were still in school. Both Joe and Jake had dropped out, and Amanda had decided to at fourteen after she had Travis. I was the only one in the family to make it to the ninth grade. And the weather was to bad to go all this week, so I didn’t. Come to think of it I hardly ever go, but I always somehow end up just barely passing. They weren’t behind the house. If they were they would answer me, they always do.
I walked into the 7-11 next door. "Have Jake and Joe been in here lately?" I asked the clerk. He knew our family by name.
"No haven’t been in here since around eleven or so. I’d try the gas station across the street. Jake does work there."
"Thanks." I said as I headed out the door. I stood at the side of the street prepared to run across. A few cars drove by and I sprinted across. The nearest crosswalk was to far to walk to. I was already soaked. Just from walking out the door.
I pushed open the doors into the little gas station mini mart. There was no Jake or Joe anywhere, but I decided to ask anyway just in case. "Hey do you know where Jake is? He’s my brother." These people didn’t really know who we were.
"Today’s his day off. Shouldn’t you know that missy? Hasn’t been around here all day. Why aren’t you in school?" I rolled my eyes and walked out of the store. I decided to check a few of the shops down the road in case. None of them had seen either of them. I wasn’t worried. They did this all the time. Then I remembered something. They said they had a show tonight, but why going there all day when they played at seven at night was confusing. I turned around and started to walk the other direction. It wasn’t far off, just a few blocks down the street. I crossed back across the street. The spray painted building was practically a second home to them and me. I started up the steps. They were spray painted with 924 Gilman Street. I pushed open the door and walked back by the empty stage. There was a bulletin board with the names of who was playing tonight. Operation Ivy at eight at eight and Mental Case, my brother’s band at seven.
"Hey Alli, what cha doing here?" It was Joe. He had his guitar in his hand. "Come to see the Mental Cases play? Little early." I rolled my eyes and walked over to him. "Staying for the show? I’ll let you in for free."
"Yeah sure. Why not. Mom’s been mental. She doesn’t know where you guys were. She wants you at home. " I said in one breath.
"And we started to care when?" Jake walked up, drumsticks in hand.
"I was just saying."
"Hey, Don’s not here yet, do you mind helping us out? We’re need of a bass player at the moment." Joe said. I nodded. They knew I could play bass really good. It came as easy as talking did. Just naturally, though I only talked a lot around my friends, and that still wasn’t very much, but I could play bass. Even better than Don could, but he was their friend and I was their sister. I slipped the bass over my shoulders and asked what we were warming up with. "Umm, lets try Get Out Of My Life. You gotta sing along."
We started playing, "Are you playing dumb with me? ‘Cuz I can’t tell. I know you were never meant to be. Fuck off and go to hell. . ." We finished up and Don walked in.
"Just wondering Amanda, but whose the Daddy?" I knew each of her other four kids have had different dad’s, well except the twins, they couldn’t have different dad’s, but they weren’t here to use as an exception and Amanda would start to cry if I brought them up.
"Oh, same as Travis’. He and I made up. Now I guess I should tell him. He did say I could move in with him, but not after what I just asked Mom. That would be way to much for her."
"Oh, cool. So uh. . . when you having it"
"Oh, the doctor said four months. Don and I went yesterday." There was a crash of thunder and the power went out. Not something unusual. Though, Alicia, Johnny, Macy and Travis all started screaming. Amanda motioned for me to go and help Alicia and Johnny.
"Quiet down please. Shut up!!! Mom will come in with a candle." As if on cue she stepped into the dark room. Almost the instant they saw the light they stopped screaming. "I’ll go give one to Amanda," I said. Our faces shone in the light.
"I already did, Alli. Can you go and find Joe and Jake for me? They might be down the street a ways. I need to talk to them. Hurry," she asked. I nodded and walked out of the bedroom door. I felt my way past our tiny table into the hall and opened the door. The wind was blowing and the rain was pouring down. I grabbed my old beat up sweatshirt from Joe and headed out back to look first.
"Joe?, Jake? You guys out here?" I yelled through the rain and wind. The clock in the hall had said it was only one o’clock in the afternoon that is. Everyone besides us were still in school. Both Joe and Jake had dropped out, and Amanda had decided to at fourteen after she had Travis. I was the only one in the family to make it to the ninth grade. And the weather was to bad to go all this week, so I didn’t. Come to think of it I hardly ever go, but I always somehow end up just barely passing. They weren’t behind the house. If they were they would answer me, they always do.
I walked into the 7-11 next door. "Have Jake and Joe been in here lately?" I asked the clerk. He knew our family by name.
"No haven’t been in here since around eleven or so. I’d try the gas station across the street. Jake does work there."
"Thanks." I said as I headed out the door. I stood at the side of the street prepared to run across. A few cars drove by and I sprinted across. The nearest crosswalk was to far to walk to. I was already soaked. Just from walking out the door.
I pushed open the doors into the little gas station mini mart. There was no Jake or Joe anywhere, but I decided to ask anyway just in case. "Hey do you know where Jake is? He’s my brother." These people didn’t really know who we were.
"Today’s his day off. Shouldn’t you know that missy? Hasn’t been around here all day. Why aren’t you in school?" I rolled my eyes and walked out of the store. I decided to check a few of the shops down the road in case. None of them had seen either of them. I wasn’t worried. They did this all the time. Then I remembered something. They said they had a show tonight, but why going there all day when they played at seven at night was confusing. I turned around and started to walk the other direction. It wasn’t far off, just a few blocks down the street. I crossed back across the street. The spray painted building was practically a second home to them and me. I started up the steps. They were spray painted with 924 Gilman Street. I pushed open the door and walked back by the empty stage. There was a bulletin board with the names of who was playing tonight. Operation Ivy at eight at eight and Mental Case, my brother’s band at seven.
"Hey Alli, what cha doing here?" It was Joe. He had his guitar in his hand. "Come to see the Mental Cases play? Little early." I rolled my eyes and walked over to him. "Staying for the show? I’ll let you in for free."
"Yeah sure. Why not. Mom’s been mental. She doesn’t know where you guys were. She wants you at home. " I said in one breath.
"And we started to care when?" Jake walked up, drumsticks in hand.
"I was just saying."
"Hey, Don’s not here yet, do you mind helping us out? We’re need of a bass player at the moment." Joe said. I nodded. They knew I could play bass really good. It came as easy as talking did. Just naturally, though I only talked a lot around my friends, and that still wasn’t very much, but I could play bass. Even better than Don could, but he was their friend and I was their sister. I slipped the bass over my shoulders and asked what we were warming up with. "Umm, lets try Get Out Of My Life. You gotta sing along."
We started playing, "Are you playing dumb with me? ‘Cuz I can’t tell. I know you were never meant to be. Fuck off and go to hell. . ." We finished up and Don walked in.