Violet makes a point of getting home from work early to spend a bit of time with the girls. She hasn’t heard from Mary-Sue and she wonders if calling Daniel had been the best choice. She’d spoken to him this morning and he had seemed quite distraught that Mary-Sue had taken off. He had not, however jumped in with an offer to take the girls. What was wrong with these parents? She’d promised to keep him posted and let him know if there was any trouble with the girls.

The girls are playing out front, the school bus having just pulled away and Violet smiles. She remembers Mary-Sue telling her over and over how awful the girls treated each other. And here they were just playing together out front. Maybe the island air was good for them.



When she offers to make dinner, Lilith jumps in to help. Grilled cheese and salad. Nothing special but comfort food. They could all use it. Violet had spent her life following her passion for animals. She’d worked in a vet clinic for as long as she could remember. Volunteering, being the vet tech and then becoming the vet herself. When the opportunity to open her own clinic opened up, she leaped at it. It was exhausting and hard but she loved it. She’d never spent much time thinking about family or kids. She was happy without it.

But coming home and having someone there, cooking a meal with someone else, eating dinner with someone else...was nice.



She listens to the girls chatter about their day. Lilith teasing her sister about math homework and boys. She has a hard time imagining these two fighting when they get along wish such ease. When there is a lull in their conversation, she speaks up,

“I spoke to your dad today.”



Lilith


My head snaps in the direction of Violet. She called our dad? I don’t know what to say to that. Were we going back? For a brief moment, Dirk crosses my mind, and tolerating my dad to have Dirk back seems worth it but when I glance at Angela and see the look of horror on her face, I remember that going home would not be like before.

“I let him know about your mom taking off.” She says, studying our faces carefully.



We all take a silent bite of grilled cheese and I give Ang a kick under the table with a look. She knows immediately what to do. There are some benefits to having a twin...I have no doubt she knows exactly what I’m asking.

Without hesitation she sniffles and Violet looks over. “Are you ok?”



“We CAN’T go back.” Angela sobs. I nudge her with my foot again. Too big, too fast. Dial it back, sister. She sniffles again.

“I made a friend today. And my language teacher thinks I can get my grades up from what they were in Pleasantview. And I know it’s only been two days, but I...I like it here.”


She has tears rolling down her cheeks and if I could give her an Oscar right here and now, I would.



Violet listens carefully and glances at me. I am not good at this game. I give her a half shrug “I made a friend too.” I say, leaving out the part where I made the friend while skipping school.

Violet sighs. “I let him know that I’d keep him posted on how things are going. But honestly, girls, I just don’t know. It’s so nice that you’re here. You’re both sweet...I’m just not sure I’m meant to be a guardian. I’ve never been a parent. And I can’t reduce hours at work, it’s just me there. And I LOVE my work and…” She trails off a bit and I can see that she’s conflicted about this. Who can blame her?

Angela nods supportively but still has the waterworks happening. No wonder my parents bought her anything and everything she ever asked for.

“I don’t know how to do this.” Aunt Vi says with another epic sigh.

“You can’t be worse than our actual parents…” I smile and she lets out a laugh but I see a look of sadness pass through her eyes.

“Ok. We can try. But girls, I can’t make any big promises here. If this isn’t working, you have to speak up. And I’ll do the same.” She says.



Angela is careful not to switch to joy too quickly and gets up, giving Aunt Vi a big hug. It feels a bit like we’ve run a con job but none of the feelings are fake. Maybe a tad exaggerated but we don’t want to go back.

That is a hard thought to own. Not wanting to go back, when we didn’t want to come here in the first place.



When Aunt Vi heads upstairs, Angela makes herself a cup of coffee and I laugh.

“Not worried about how mad mom would be?” I ask. She takes a long, slow sip and I roll my eyes. My sister, the rebel.



“You really gonna avoid the house after not coming home right after school?” Harper asks, sitting up on the balcony. Harry glances up and sighs. She’s not supposed to be up there. It’s HIS space. She often just makes herself at home, claiming it to be unfair that he gets his own apartment when she’s the oldest.

It was to keep the peace. His mother had gotten sick of him fighting with his dad ALL the time. This seemed to work. He ignores her and keeps heading towards the steps.



“I heard about your stunt today. Seriously? Can’t you just CHILL for once?” Harper questions her brother when he gets up to the balcony. He shrugs.

“It wasn’t a stunt. I came to class, I put my stuff on my desk.”

“Ooooh, so you’re a smoker now. Got it.” She rolls her eyes. This ongoing saga between her brother and father has stretched out over a year now. It seemed so pointless.



“Don’t you just get sick of him telling you what to do all the time?” Harry asks.

“He’s our DAD, that’s his JOB.” She responds. “But, by all means, keep pissing him off. Then maybe they’ll come to their senses and give me this” She gestures to the apartment space.

Harry laughs at that. It would never happen.



When he walks back into the room, his younger sister Hannah is laughing and jumping on his bed. Another sigh. So much for having some space.

“Can we go now? You said you’d take me to get the game today!” She shouts as she jumps higher. He glances back out at Harper who is still just sitting on the balcony.



“Han, I have a feeling I need to stay in tonight. Dad is pretty mad at me.” Harry explains, having forgotten all about his promise. She sighs looking disappointed.

“Isn’t dad ALWAYS mad at you? Maybe you shouldn’t keep beer in your room.” She suggests with a shrug and and eye roll. She had a good point.



“You promised to take me into town to get me my game. You know mom and dad won’t do it. Pleeeeeeeeeease?” She begs. One last glance at Harper who was likely going to rat them out and he agrees.

“But we gotta go now before dad realizes I’m home.” Harry says. Hannah grins ear to ear.



“Did you finish practicing piano?” Mr. Ghasem asks his daughter as she grabs a snack from the kitchen. She freezes. She’d practiced as soon as she’d gotten home. One hour, every day. Their dad believed you had to have a special talent, skill or passion. He’d decided HERS was going to be piano. She throws on a smile.



“I did.” She looks him in the eye.

“A full hour?” He asks, staring at her. How is it possible that he knows she’d sat for 45 minutes, mostly tapping keys randomly. 45 minutes. NOT a full hour. Or maybe he didn’t know but he knew she was a terrible liar. She pauses. Could she lie? He’s staring at her and she knows she can’t. Too bad she couldn't be more like her brother.

“Almost an hour.” She admits. He nods and then gestures towards the piano on the other side of the room. She wants to argue. She knows she won’t be expected to sit for 15 minutes. He’ll want her to redo the full hour. An hour allows for focused practice. An hour a day leads to improvement. She considers arguing. She would love to argue. Instead she chooses the petty move that will get her dad in trouble more than her brother.

“Did you work the smoking issue out with Harry?” She asks. It doesn’t even matter that it’s obvious she’s not interested. Her mother is instantly up and ready for an argument.



Harper wanders over the to the piano and lets her fingers feather over the keys as she listens to her mom rip into her dad for not telling her about whatever the “smoking” issue was. Ok. That wasn’t the nicest thing she’d ever done but she WAS sick of being told what to do ALL of the time.



She plays the keys loudly, and not well as her father huffs and heads upstairs.



“You here all on your own, kid?” The girl at the counter looks down at Hannah who just rolls her eyes. She hated being called ‘kid’.



“Nah, she’s with me.” Harry says as Hannah hands him the game she’s been desperate to get her hands on. When he gives the girl a smile, she perks up.

“Oh, how cute! You’re taking your little sister out on a date.”

Hannah looks at Harry and raises her eyebrows. He shrugs at her. It’s not his fault girls like him.



As he pays for the game, the girl makes some offhand comment about him taking HER on a date and he manages to side step it by giving his attention back to his sister.



“Since we’re already here…” Hannah starts, glancing over at the bowling lanes. “Think we can stay for a game? Or two?”

He’s already going to be in trouble. He’s sure Harper is right about losing his room above the garage, but at this point, Hannah is right. They’re already out. He agrees to ONE game.



It turns out, he’s not very good. And Hannah does not let him think otherwise.



Hannah on the other hand...



Is apparently a bowling master.



“Maybe we should try a different game...your ego can’t handle much more of this.” Hannah suggests.



They go a few rounds at the pinball machines and it’s getting later and later.



Harry notices a few yawns from his sister, despite her intense focus on the game.



Eventually SHE suggests they get going. For his sake of course. Not because she’s tired.