Lost in a Good Book- A Child's Tale
Rebecca shut the book quickly, and looked around. She was sure she had been gone a long time. Her hand ran over the smooth surface of the cover. She nibbled at her lower lip as she wondered if this would be the day her brothers would discover her secret. She slipped off the chair in the corner and wandered over to the cart of books to be re-shelved. The book had only just touched the metal when someone grabbed her. Rebecca felt a moment of panic, and whirled around.
"Where have you been?!" Marcus demanded angrily. "I called you. I looked for you. You weren't anywhere to be found. You knew you were supposed to stay in this room. Edward has been searching for you too. Do you have any idea how angry Mom would be if she knew you were running off?"
Of course Rebecca knew how angry their mother would be if she had been running off, but she hadn't been. Marcus was using the same tone Mom used. He was even wording things like Mom. Closing her eyes Rebecca tried to decide if this was one of those instances in life where a child could lie and the world be better for it, or perhaps if the truth would be a better policy. In this case the unbelievable truth.
Rebecca opened her mouth prepared to lie. She knew better, really she did, but at the same time, her brothers would grant her no reprieve if they thought her to be a silly child. Marcus' angry face told her any explanation had better be good.
"I had to go to the little girl's room." Rebecca said banking on the fact that her brother's would never step foot in a ladies room. She knew also that they would never ask someone to go looking for her, because that would mean admitting they had lost her. Deep down, she knew they wouldn't want to do that either.
Marcus paused. He really couldn't call her out on that lie. He still was less than enthused. He grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the exit.
"In the future tell me before you go anywhere outside of the children's room." He said, the words clipped with anger.
Rebecca nodded, because there was nothing else to do in that instance. Mother's car was waiting for them, and she was checking her watch. Rebecca hated when Mom checked her watch in the afternoon, in the morning it meant she had to get to work, at night it meant she had a date. Rebecca cringed at the thought of another chubby old man coming to the house and trying to make jokes with her. It seemed to her that each one got progressively worse.
"Hi kids," Mom said with a sigh. Her tone told Rebecca immediately that she really wasn't paying attention to them, and that she had no intention to do so in the near future. Rebecca placed her head on her hands, she still felt really guilty about lying to her brother. The lie seemed to overshadow the rest of her day, and in fact the entire library experience was dimmed by it.
"Hot date?" Edward asked obnoxiously from the back seat. He liked to annoy Mom with crude questions. His voice and face were inquisitive, but his eyes were angry. Rebecca looked at him with understanding she had felt that way somewhere around boyfriend number three.
"Actually, I will be going out tonight." Mom said her voice happily oblivious to the emotion behind Edward's question.
Edward might have let it go at that, and if he had it would have been better. However, he was in a fighting mood. Rebecca could almost see little wheels turning in his brain. "Does Dad know you see other men?"
The car fell silent for a moment. He had asked the question that they had all politely ignored since boyfriend number one. For love of one's mother children often learn discretion, as the three siblings had. The silence lasted only a moment, and then mother began to yell.
"Me?! Tell him what I'm doing?! I don't owe him anything!" she screeched, her face turning a frightening shade of red. "I gave him three children and the best years of my life and he repays me how?!"
"Mom," Marcus spoke softly, suddenly falling into the roll of snake charmer, trying to avoid her venomous words. "I'm sure Edward didn't mean anything by that."
Narrowed eyes turned to Marcus, and then she was attacking him instead. "You are so like your father."
Rebecca felt her heart knot. She didn't want to hear anymore. Her mother had found a way not only to tear down her brother but to attack father in the same sentence. Closing her eyes she tried to imagine herself in one of her books. She could tune out the words well enough, but the tone of the fight pierced her heart.
"Where have you been?!" Marcus demanded angrily. "I called you. I looked for you. You weren't anywhere to be found. You knew you were supposed to stay in this room. Edward has been searching for you too. Do you have any idea how angry Mom would be if she knew you were running off?"
Of course Rebecca knew how angry their mother would be if she had been running off, but she hadn't been. Marcus was using the same tone Mom used. He was even wording things like Mom. Closing her eyes Rebecca tried to decide if this was one of those instances in life where a child could lie and the world be better for it, or perhaps if the truth would be a better policy. In this case the unbelievable truth.
Rebecca opened her mouth prepared to lie. She knew better, really she did, but at the same time, her brothers would grant her no reprieve if they thought her to be a silly child. Marcus' angry face told her any explanation had better be good.
"I had to go to the little girl's room." Rebecca said banking on the fact that her brother's would never step foot in a ladies room. She knew also that they would never ask someone to go looking for her, because that would mean admitting they had lost her. Deep down, she knew they wouldn't want to do that either.
Marcus paused. He really couldn't call her out on that lie. He still was less than enthused. He grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the exit.
"In the future tell me before you go anywhere outside of the children's room." He said, the words clipped with anger.
Rebecca nodded, because there was nothing else to do in that instance. Mother's car was waiting for them, and she was checking her watch. Rebecca hated when Mom checked her watch in the afternoon, in the morning it meant she had to get to work, at night it meant she had a date. Rebecca cringed at the thought of another chubby old man coming to the house and trying to make jokes with her. It seemed to her that each one got progressively worse.
"Hi kids," Mom said with a sigh. Her tone told Rebecca immediately that she really wasn't paying attention to them, and that she had no intention to do so in the near future. Rebecca placed her head on her hands, she still felt really guilty about lying to her brother. The lie seemed to overshadow the rest of her day, and in fact the entire library experience was dimmed by it.
"Hot date?" Edward asked obnoxiously from the back seat. He liked to annoy Mom with crude questions. His voice and face were inquisitive, but his eyes were angry. Rebecca looked at him with understanding she had felt that way somewhere around boyfriend number three.
"Actually, I will be going out tonight." Mom said her voice happily oblivious to the emotion behind Edward's question.
Edward might have let it go at that, and if he had it would have been better. However, he was in a fighting mood. Rebecca could almost see little wheels turning in his brain. "Does Dad know you see other men?"
The car fell silent for a moment. He had asked the question that they had all politely ignored since boyfriend number one. For love of one's mother children often learn discretion, as the three siblings had. The silence lasted only a moment, and then mother began to yell.
"Me?! Tell him what I'm doing?! I don't owe him anything!" she screeched, her face turning a frightening shade of red. "I gave him three children and the best years of my life and he repays me how?!"
"Mom," Marcus spoke softly, suddenly falling into the roll of snake charmer, trying to avoid her venomous words. "I'm sure Edward didn't mean anything by that."
Narrowed eyes turned to Marcus, and then she was attacking him instead. "You are so like your father."
Rebecca felt her heart knot. She didn't want to hear anymore. Her mother had found a way not only to tear down her brother but to attack father in the same sentence. Closing her eyes she tried to imagine herself in one of her books. She could tune out the words well enough, but the tone of the fight pierced her heart.