Status: updates when inspiration and free time collide.
Permanently Yours
That's Not the Only Way.
I bit my lip as I gripped the pink crayon tightly in my hand, doing my best to color inside the lines. I loved my baby brother Garrett. He was adorable, but mom and dad didn’t like to let me hold him. I don’t know why.
We had the same colored hair, sort of, but my eyes were darker than his, mom said. Garrett cried a lot, and he only ever wanted to play with his stuffed animals. They used to be mine.
When it was just me, mom and dad collected those Beanie Babies. I played with them sometimes, but they told me to share with Garrett now. I didn’t mind sharing, I just wish we could play together. Mom and dad wouldn’t let us play together. I think the only time Garrett left their arms was when they put him in his crib at bedtime.
Garrett couldn’t talk a lot, but he sure could cry a lot. When he cried, he got everything he wanted. It used to be that way for me, too. But now, when I cried, mom and dad just sighed and took Garrett to their room, because when I cried apparently it made Garrett cry, and Garrett wasn’t allowed to cry.
They got me new coloring books and crayons, though, so I colored when I got bored now. I was coloring a picture of Piglet. He was my favorite, then Roo, then Eeyore, and then all the other ones came after them. When I was finished coloring Piglet and the balloon he was holding onto and the sky all around him, I carefully tore it out of the coloring book and ran to my parents’ room. “Daddy, look!”
“Not now, honey,” he sighed, and he had his glasses on. His glasses meant he was doing a lot of reading. He had lots of papers stacked up on his desk chair.
“Ok…” I was about to leave when Garrett – he was crawling around on the floor – pushed daddy’s desk chair around. “Daddy!” I cried out, just as the stack of papers fell to the floor.
Dad turned around and he looked so mad, but then he saw Garrett and just looked really tired. He picked up Garrett and put him back in his crib before going back to clean up his papers. But, then Garrett started crying. “Grey, sweetie, could you bring Garrett to mommy, please?” Dad asked, taking Garrett out of his crib and putting him down on the floor again.
Garrett could crawl pretty good, and he could sort of walk if you held his hand. He was still so little, though. “C’mon, Garrett,” I said, holding his little hand tightly – the one with the thumb that he didn’t suck – and leading him out of my parents’ room.
“Wanna color with me, Garrett?” I asked happily, leading him to the living room where I had all my crayons and coloring book spread out on the carpeted floor. He didn’t say anything, but he plopped down on the floor beside me. I held a crayon out to him, pushing a picture of the mice from Cinderella over to him. I took a picture of Ariel and grabbed my red crayon, starting to color her hair now.
Garrett looked at the crayon for a while before he dropped it on the coloring book and tried to grab my picture. “No, Garrett!” I said loudly, taking his hands off my coloring book. He tried again to grab my coloring book and when I pulled it from him this time, he ripped off the corner of the cover. “Garrett, look what you did!” I yelled, gathering up my things and putting them on the couch where he couldn’t reach them. The one time I try to be nice to my brother, he rips up my stuff!
Garrett started crying, so mom came over. “What’s going on? Grey!” she said angrily, scooping Garrett up into her arms. “Leave Garrett alone!”
“But he tore my coloring book,” I said defensively, showing her the torn cover. But she was already rushing to grab Garrett’s milk bottle in the kitchen.
…This was the first time both parents had truly ignored me.
We had the same colored hair, sort of, but my eyes were darker than his, mom said. Garrett cried a lot, and he only ever wanted to play with his stuffed animals. They used to be mine.
When it was just me, mom and dad collected those Beanie Babies. I played with them sometimes, but they told me to share with Garrett now. I didn’t mind sharing, I just wish we could play together. Mom and dad wouldn’t let us play together. I think the only time Garrett left their arms was when they put him in his crib at bedtime.
Garrett couldn’t talk a lot, but he sure could cry a lot. When he cried, he got everything he wanted. It used to be that way for me, too. But now, when I cried, mom and dad just sighed and took Garrett to their room, because when I cried apparently it made Garrett cry, and Garrett wasn’t allowed to cry.
They got me new coloring books and crayons, though, so I colored when I got bored now. I was coloring a picture of Piglet. He was my favorite, then Roo, then Eeyore, and then all the other ones came after them. When I was finished coloring Piglet and the balloon he was holding onto and the sky all around him, I carefully tore it out of the coloring book and ran to my parents’ room. “Daddy, look!”
“Not now, honey,” he sighed, and he had his glasses on. His glasses meant he was doing a lot of reading. He had lots of papers stacked up on his desk chair.
“Ok…” I was about to leave when Garrett – he was crawling around on the floor – pushed daddy’s desk chair around. “Daddy!” I cried out, just as the stack of papers fell to the floor.
Dad turned around and he looked so mad, but then he saw Garrett and just looked really tired. He picked up Garrett and put him back in his crib before going back to clean up his papers. But, then Garrett started crying. “Grey, sweetie, could you bring Garrett to mommy, please?” Dad asked, taking Garrett out of his crib and putting him down on the floor again.
Garrett could crawl pretty good, and he could sort of walk if you held his hand. He was still so little, though. “C’mon, Garrett,” I said, holding his little hand tightly – the one with the thumb that he didn’t suck – and leading him out of my parents’ room.
“Wanna color with me, Garrett?” I asked happily, leading him to the living room where I had all my crayons and coloring book spread out on the carpeted floor. He didn’t say anything, but he plopped down on the floor beside me. I held a crayon out to him, pushing a picture of the mice from Cinderella over to him. I took a picture of Ariel and grabbed my red crayon, starting to color her hair now.
Garrett looked at the crayon for a while before he dropped it on the coloring book and tried to grab my picture. “No, Garrett!” I said loudly, taking his hands off my coloring book. He tried again to grab my coloring book and when I pulled it from him this time, he ripped off the corner of the cover. “Garrett, look what you did!” I yelled, gathering up my things and putting them on the couch where he couldn’t reach them. The one time I try to be nice to my brother, he rips up my stuff!
Garrett started crying, so mom came over. “What’s going on? Grey!” she said angrily, scooping Garrett up into her arms. “Leave Garrett alone!”
“But he tore my coloring book,” I said defensively, showing her the torn cover. But she was already rushing to grab Garrett’s milk bottle in the kitchen.
…This was the first time both parents had truly ignored me.
♠ ♠ ♠
thanks for reading! not my normal update length, but i like shorter updates.sorry, i failed to include kennedy in this chapter D:
he'll be in the next one for sure, i promise!
it makes it easier for me to update, and i update quicker this way :]
pretend grey's...about 2 here, and garrett's one and then some.
comment/subscribe, please! while writing this chapter, i listened to this.
good stuff.