CHAPTER 69 - AND NOW IT’S MICHAEL’S TURN
LINDSAY
“I could be available in the afternoon for a call.” I reply. “What time do you fly, Gilly?”
“It’s Gilda. And not until the evening, but I think that a face to face is called for just so there are no misconceptions or mistakes. Let’s meet at your parents’ house about two. Is that okay, Nancy? I think you and Ronald should be there too.”
“Perfect for me. What about you, Ronald?” Nancy turns to him and he nods.
My stomach roils and I swallow down the bile.
“Now just…” Michael begins.
“I still don’t understand the sock thing with Gummy.” Lynette interrupts. “Can someone explain?”
“When they were tiny, she used to kiss and suck their feet. Maybe that’s it.” Justin replies.
“Oh! Oh god love her! I get it now!” Ruth exclaims, chuckling. “Okay when they were born, because of where they were and because it was really warm, they didn’t wear socks…”
“They were born in Pittsburgh. It wasn't that warm.” Michael interrupts.
“Again the listening thing. It’s evident that using your ears is not your strong point.” Arno growls.
“Apparently, neither is using his brain.” Brian quips, earning a snicker and small slap from Justin.
This must stop at once!
“Brian that was…” I begin, but am at once interrupted by Arno.
“They were born in N’Awlins where it was warm.”
“And then when Gummy first met them again, it was warm. So they weren’t wearing socks and…”
“Again.” Michael sneers. “Pittsburgh was not warm. Them not wearing socks is…”
“When did she meet them?” Ruth demands.
“I don’t know…”
“No you don’t because you weren’t there.” She spits out, keeping an eye on Gus. I really wish Michael would just let the grown-ups talk! “Anyway, where they were when they met was warm and now they are at the...wait let me show you.” She looks at her mother and she’s grinning.
What the fuck is going on?!
“Gus, can you get me a pair of socks each for the Caramels please and then give them to daddy?”
“Yes Ruthie!” He digs in his rucksack and pulls them out and hands them to him.
“Brian, can you put them on their hands?”
“Their hands?” He questions.
“Yeah, I have a theory.” She smirks. “Make sure that Gummy sees what you’re doing and when you’re done, Ben you need to let her go.”
We watch as they do as they are told and within seconds, she toddles over and takes the socks off of their hands. Then rubs them while babbling.
“Oh my god…” Mel breathes. “She thinks...oh...she thinks that because they are moving more that they are trying to get the socks off?!”
“Exactly.” Gilda smiles. “So she pulls them off, hides them and then soothes her little sisters.”
“S-so what d-do we do about that?” Justin snivels.
This is why they need me for this kind of thing! He’s not even equipped to handle the small things without fucking crying!
“Nothing.” Ben announces. “I think if you try and stop her from soothing them it will create a problem, where one need not be. As she gets older and understands, she’ll stop doing it.”
“Exactly.” Gilda smiles at him.
“Oh for goodness sake, you and your tender heart. We'll back be back in a minute!” Brian sighs and heads upstairs with a tearful Justin. “Sonny Boy…” He calls over his shoulder. “Papa needs Gussie kisses.”
“Coming!” He yells and follows them up.
The room goes silent once they’re gone and I try to think of a way out of tomorrow.
“Hey Cyn, it’s me.” Ted states. “Can you clear tomorrow for them from one onwards? They have a wannabe-parent meeting I think they should attend. Perfect! Thanks.”
I felt the barb of his words and glare at him.
“Hunner, how long till food?” Brian appears at the top of the stairs.
“About an hour, maybe two? Want me to bring our little Sweets up?”
“Yeah, Gus is a bit tired. So if they nap for a bit then…”
“Dad, want to grab Gumdrop? Me and Carmine will bring the other two.”
Ten minutes later, everyone bar Gus and the Sweets are back.
“I have a question...” Michael states. “Why are you all picking on Lindsay? All she wants is to be involved in the lives of her children. Why are you trying to stop that?”
Finally someone gets it!
“Because her child is Gus and only Gus.” Mel snaps.
“But they are his half-sisters.” He sneers back.
“But she’s not their mother!” Debs interrupts. “She’s barely been a mother to Gus these few months; something you two have in common apparently! I may have made my mistakes but you two are totally inept! Now while the curry cooks, we are not discussing this until tomorrow…”
“We?” I gasp.
“Yes, I think that Carl and I should attend as well and so should Mel and Ben, and I suppose you should too Michael. You might learn something! Now this conversation stops. What about this graphic novel and things for Rage?”
MICHAEL
I roll my eyes at her comments and turn to Boy Wonder. “Yes Justin. Tell us about our new venture.” I know that’s going to annoy him and relish his reaction.
“You do realise that you are behaving like a brat, right? While that is an improvement on your usual personality trait, for someone trying to get his rights restored, it’s not a good look.”
“Booyah!” Ben snorts.
“Anyway Debs, we’re waiting for Ginny and Malia…”
“What for?” Lindsay demands.
“They have the images of Rage Unleashed.”
“Can’t you just send us the link? What’s with this cloak and dagger stuff?” I huff.
“There is no link because that’s not what we want to do.” He retorts. “The way we want to do it guarantees that there can be no...um...attempts at coat tailing or the legal term is copyright infringement, for the more educated in the room. They’re five minutes away.”
“Wait a minute! You said Malia?” Lindsay frowns. “Why is she...oh my goodness she and Ginny are dating?!”
“No. Malia works for us.” Boy Wonder replies and that causes Lindsay to gasp.
“When did that happen?!” She demands.
“Why is this your business?” Justin retorts. His smug calmness is really pissing me off!
“I am just…”
“For someone so just, you are always unjustifiable! And I mean always!” He snaps. “Oh saved by the fucking bell! Mom, can you get that?”
“Of course sweetheart.”
Ginny and Malaria come in with tubes and I itch to snatch them out of their hands.
“So this Rage person, who is he?” Ronald asks and I roll my eyes.
“Rage is a character imagined by me and drawn by Justin and...” I explain to the nice, but dim, Ronald.
“We bought the copyright off of him and changed Rage into an anime character. And we've made further adjustments.” Brian interrupts.
Anime?! Adjustments?! And what’s with the fucking ‘we?’ He was never involved with Rage except as my inspiration for it!
“Okay gimme!” He demands. “I’ve seen them on screen but not in full.” He takes the rolls from her and opens it up. “Oh my God, Sunshine! That’s....that is perfection!” He kisses him and I regret the fourth lobster tempura.
“Come on let us see!” Carl demands and Brian turns it around. “Wow, it’s like you but it’s not…”
“So we’re going to put the posters all around the cities like we did before...I mean, eventually, like we did before against Stockwell.” Brian continues.
“And these are the novels we have started…” Boy Wonder blushes... blushes for fuck sake! “I, I mean, we haven’t finished it yet; it’s an ongoing thing.”
They start to hand them round but neither Lindsay nor I get a copy. “Why…”
“Because we don’t trust you.” Brian tells me bluntly. “The videos and shit you’ve been doing means we don’t trust you to not put this out there before we’re ready and…”
“Justin? Jennifer? Did this actually happen like this?” Nancy asks with tears in her eyes.
“Not exactly. It was a bat, not a knife and…” Boy Wonder starts to explain.
“So Michael, you made hay out of his...no, their pain for amusement?! How could you?!” Nancy ask, crying openly now.
“They couldn't have been in that much pain since they, well he, wrote it with me at the time!” I defend myself. How dare she imply that I am an asshole?!
“I, we, no I was so wrapped up in appearances and distant, we had no idea. For that, Jennifer, Justin and Brian, I apologise. Leave this with me. Slitherer is coming out of the dark!”
“Uh Nancy…” Boy Wonder begins. “You…”
“Oh yes, I can and oh yes, I will! He’s gotten away with it long enough! And as for you, Michael, you want this book so badly? You can have it!”
The next thing I feel is a blinding pain as she throws the book in my face! While I clutch my face whimpering, I hear her order Ronald to give her his copy.
“This is your copy dear...you want it?”
“No! No, I don’t!” Lindsay shrieks. “I think it would be best if we go now. Come on, Michael!”
“But…” I mumble.
“You need to get that looked at.” She tells me firmly and hauls me to my feet. I wince some more as she digs her nails into my arm. “Put the damn book down or I will finish the job my mother started!” She snarls in my ear and I drop it.
LINDSAY
As we head to the hospital, I almost wish it was me who caused that satisfying crack as the hardcover book hit him! I do my best to ignore his wretched moaning and think about what they were saying about it being warm where they were. Debs and Jennifer exchanged a look. If I’m honest, it was more like satisfied smirks and it makes me even more determined to be in on their little fucking secret. How dare they think there is any kind of propriety in keeping my stepdaughters’ whereabouts secret from me?! Oh wait... I think I have it! They must have another place somewhere and I bet it’s near Gilly. I smile to myself and decide above all else to find out where it is ahead of tomorrow's meeting!