Pennsylvania, 2007 (Present Day)351Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡel07k8FGP6
Note: Mavy's Viewpoints
"Leaving? We are leaving the house, Beth?" Dad said through clenched teeth, not sounding nervous at all. But, Malcolm, Mavis, and I were totally nervous.
I know that Dad knows that we have nowhere else to go if we are about to leave this house that we have grown up to. We share such memories in here. Special memories in here, especially that unforgettable time that Mavis reached her first period.
The memory that even though I thought of one hundred times, I will keep laughing at.
Aunt Beth sighed, to my surprise, she was grinning. What is she grinning for? That we are leaving the house soon and once we have already stepped out of the house, she will sigh in relief and mutter, "Finally get rid of those burden on my shoulders."
Was that why?
"Well, clearly, you are being a forgetful dad now, Andy," she remarked. "At first, your daughter destroyed the frame that I have been keeping for years, taking good care of because the picture was going to be almost torn. Then, your eldest son over here, Mavy, that I thought was the wisest among these three toddlers, destroyed the guitar that did not even last for a month that he requested from me that I kept saving for."
Jeez, how rude can a person be?
Those were just materials, and people always say happiness, love, and other things that everyone says is really valuable, is more important than materials, right?
Aunt Beth is so materialistic. How come have not I seen that before? We have been living in a materialistic community for almost twenty years. I am so blind. We are so blind.
Dad did not say anything further. I know he was trying so hard to control his temper, so he just stormed out of the living room, heading to the stairs.
We waited.
"Mavy, Malcolm, Mavis!" he yelled. "Get up here and pack your wardrobe! We are completely leaving! Just as she said! You too, Abby!" he commanded.
I can't believe it in the first place. We were really leaving, and Dad was the one who was commanding us to pack our wardrobe.
We stayed in our positions.
Then, Mom looked at Aunt Beth, completely worried. She turned to Aunt Beth. "Beth! Can we talk about this in a calm way? Come on, I'm your sister and they are my family. And we are your family too. Will you really turn your back at me because of a broken vase?"
Aunt Beth looked taken away a bit with Mom's words, then her eyes were in control again. "You are right about being my sister," she said coldly, "but I cannot spare any more second with your...family." She looked at us disgustingly. "And you three, you've heard what your dad had said. Now, do a bunk!"
We ran quickly upstairs; I went to my room, Mavis went to hers, and Malcolm, of course, to his.
I took my backpack and started packing. Since there weren't so many things to shove in my bag, I took only minutes and grabbed my phone, running to my father's room.
"Dad, are we seriously moving out of this house?" I asked him, his back turned to me. "I mean, where are we going to live now?" I added.
He sighed, then turned to me. "I know a place," he told me, and I just scrunched my eyebrows in confusion.
I left him there and headed downstairs. I saw no one there, so I just headed to our car. I sat at the back seat beside the window.
It was a good thing that I was early because Mavis and I will fight again who will sit beside the window. But Malcolm just sits there on the other side, not caring at all. He will just sleep sometimes.
I waited and waited. What was taking them so long to get in here? Won't Aunt Beth be mad if she knows we took forever before we could even pack our wardrobe?
I leaned back and took my phone. I commenced calling my best friend, telling her that we will be moving houses now. She asked why, but I just said that I have no idea where we were moving.
I sighed and leaned back, staring outside the window.
The front door of the house opened, and I saw my parents come outside first, then my two siblings. They slid inside: Dad in the driver's seat, Mom on the passenger's seat, Mavis came running, but her smile faded when she saw me already on the window-side, Malcolm rested on the other side, not caring as usual about me and Mavis' arguments.
"Come on!" she said. "You always sit in there! Let me be on that side for now!" she begged, and I just shook my head, grinning.
She once told me that whoever is the one first to sit on that spot will just sit in there, comfortably. She thought that time that she will always go first before me.
"Who's the first one to ride here?" I asked.
She rolled her eyes and finally leaned back on her seat, as Dad went out of the driveway.
As the driving continued, we stayed silent until Mom spoke.
"Andy," she beckoned gently, "where are we going? You know we've got nowhere else to crash in anymore. Now, tell me, where are we going?"
Dad shrugged. "I know a place. It's not that far. But, I just have a friend, and he told me his family has a place to live in. We are close since we're in high school, so it's definitely welcome for us to use. I just called him earlier, and he said it was fine. He will meet us later in there. Now, do you still have a problem?"
Mom sighed, then shook her head. "Who's this friend of yours, by the way?" she asked. She always worries about who Dad was befriending. In short, she cares so much.
"Joshy," he said, "Joshy Capes. He's a good man, you'll like him."
Mom's expression lightened suddenly. "How old is he?" Include the age to what I said.
"Turning thirty-seven?" Dad shrugged. Well, the man was not bad, after all. He is thirty-seven, and my dad is thirty-nine.
"Come on, Mavy!" Mavis begged once again. "Just let me sit there, please! I want to stare outside while listening to The Fray and Snow Patrol. Please, please! I really want to," she told me.
I am a big fan of The Fray and Snow Patrol. Their songs are the ones that I really want to sing when I am in the mood, but that statement of hers will not make me change my mind. This spot is mine currently. Call me an evil brother now, I don't mind, at all.
"I'll do anything you'll ask for or want me to do! Just, please! Come on! You're still my older brother, anyway," she reminded.
That did put me in second thoughts, but I finally decided that I will just stay here. Besides, if Mom and Dad saw me bossing her around would lead to another serious discussion, and I'm sure as heck that Mavis will just laugh her ass off at me.
I shook my head, grinning. "No is a no, that's my decision," I told her. "Stay in your seat, I don't care if you get down in your knees, dude."
She glared at me, then leaned back at her seat with folded arms, wrinkling the sleeves of her clothes. "You're so selfish," she remarked.
"You're so desperate," I retorted.
"You're so ugly."
"You're so lazy."
"You're so immature."
"You're so adopted," I told her.
That will put her to stop, that was for sure.
"Dad?" she beckoned, complaining about my so harsh note about her. "Look at Mavy. He called me 'adopted.'"
I grinned.
"Mavy, stop that," he said, "she's not adopted."
I did not reply to anything back to him. I just grinned at Mavis's defeat. She was just in her seat, still with folded arms and lowered lids, showing vexation.
"What?" she snapped, glaring at me as though I were her prey.
* * *
We reached our destination and pulled over in front of an old-looking house. It was big. Pretty big. I think it was really old. Maybe some years ago it was built? What, twenty or something? I'm guessing.
I was the first one to go out of the car. As I stepped farther, I heard dried, fallen leaves and some gravel crunch beneath my feet. Cold wind brushed my cheeks quickly while I walked toward the porch. I jogged on the small, old staircase and gripped the handle. I twisted it, but it was locked. Before I even knew it, Mavis and Malcolm were already behind me, looking over on both of my shoulders, eagerly.
I'm guessing they were way too excited. I am, though, because when you look outside of the house, you could already tell that the interior was big. Pretty big. That got us waiting to enter this big, old house.
Don't judge me, I like old style.
"What are you waiting for? Open it!" Malcolm commanded.
"Yeah, anyway!" Mavis said.
I shrugged. "Can't," I told them, "it's locked. Guess that Joshy-guy will open it up for us." I started toward our parents, who were still inside the car, talking. Dad was phoning someone, Joshy, perhaps. Mom was just regarding him, waiting for the call to end.
Stopping at Mom's window, I knocked. She rolled it down and asked me, "What is it?"
"The door is locked," I told her, shrugging like what I did earlier to Mavis and Malcolm.
"Honey," she stated, sounding like she knew why, "the house was untouched for ages. Of course, it's locked. Joshy will open it once he gets here. Now, tell your siblings to behave themselves. They are looking like some bunch of weird people, examining this house." She eyed them, smiling.
"Yeah," I agreed at her statement. "They are way too excited about exploring the large interior. Was it good inside, though?"
She shrugged. "Haven't a single idea. Why don't you look at the windows? Perhaps it's still...clear."
I turned my head to the house before responding back to her. "I don't think so. The house looks..." I shrugged, and shook my head, not deciding what to say.
She chuckled quietly. "Well, I heard from your dad he'll be here soon."
I nodded, then commenced for the porch once again. Sitting in the last step, I rummaged through my bag, looking for the water that I had brought with me. I drank it, bringing it down to my throat. Mavis came suddenly.
"What did Mom say?"
I shrugged and drank the last drop before responding. "Joshy will open the house," I told her. "He will come by any minute now," I added.
"What time?"
"I don't know. I said 'any minute now.' I did not say any certain time. If you want to know," I said, "just go talk to Dad about it. You could even talk to Joshy."
She sighed and went away again. I knew patience was not one of her best attributes. She always wants everything to be done in a heartbeat if you know what I mean.
I smiled amusedly and shook my head. "Patience," I muttered. I took my phone and stared at the picture of me, my aunt, Mavis, and Malcolm. We were pretty close back then. She was not covered in materialism before. But ever since she and her husband divorced, she changed. A lot has changed about her.
Her smiles were now covered with boastful smirks. Her beaming eyes before was now replaced with death glares and hatred. She just changed completely. From head to toe. Every part of her changed. She was the one who taught us back then to be good and respectful and polite to people. But as I said repetitively, she does not care anymore. In exaggeration, if an old lady fell on her knees, she will just laugh. That's just an exaggeration as I said, but I do not quite know if she will literally do it.
"What are you staring at that phone of yours?" I heard Malcolm. He was grinning. He rushed toward me and snatched my phone away. "Is this your best friend, Deirdre?" he questioned, sarcasm coating his tone.
I shook my head, soberly. As a matter of fact, Deirdre is only my best friend and she does not like me. She told me she likes Michael Adams from our school. And he is a cool guy, too. We are not that close, but I think we could be good buds.
"No," I said, firmly, "it was not. It's our aunt. Stop messing around, Malcolm!" In subjects like these, I could be pretty serious, since among us, my siblings, my aunt and I were the closest. She was the one who was taking care of me while Mom and Dad were at their work and when I was at my age, seven.
Finally, he rolled his eyes and handed me back my phone. He went back to examining the house, getting the details in his head as many as he could remember and gawk at.
Not pretty much noticeable, Dad and Mom went out of the car, presiding at the back for the trunk. I waited some more as I shoved my phone in my pocket. My left leg went up and down from waiting for far too long.
I guess I was turning a bit like Mavis by every second. I tried to pick some gravel from the ground and throwing them as far as I could, still being careful not to hit our car and Mom and Dad, trying to cure my boredom.
Running my fingers through my hair, I groaned. "This is so boring," I muttered.
"Join us then!" Mavis invited, and I shook my head.
"No, thank you," I refused. "I don't want to run around the house and look like a stupid weirdo."
"We are not weirdos," she demurred. "Fine. Just sit there then, and let your ass get burned from sitting there for too long. Me and Malcolm will enjoy running around." She went away and began looking around once again.
What kind of siblings do I have? Jeez, some weirdos? I don't know what to call them!
Once we saw a black car speeding toward us, breaking the dried leaves on the ground, we all gathered on the porch, waiting for Joshy to come out of his car.
He stopped the engine and the door opened. He slid out of the car, slamming the car door after him.
So this is Joshy.
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