Bedtime Brats

“Come on little ones!” Their mother calls through the hallway. “Time for bed!”

The two girls run through the house and hides. You can hear their snickering echoing because of the walls. Hearing the two girls playfully laugh in the same house that she grew up in brings a smile to her face.

“Mommy, why are you crying?” My youngest daughter asks me in a quiet concerned voice.

“Just thinking about all of mommy’s memories here.”

“What memories,” my older daughter chimes in.

“The tales of two sister Gemini’s. They were thicker than thieves. Inseparable. Kind of like you and your sister.”

“Can you tell us that story, Mommy?” Both girls clap their hands in agreement with excitement.

“On one condition. You two in bed, under the covers, now.” Mother smiles and her own thoughts flashback to her childhood.

I’ll never be like my mother. She was so embarrassing! There were times when she would tell me to go to bed, but the last thing I wanted to do was that. Staying up late and all night was so much more appealing.

Both girls hop into the bed and grab their favorite blankets and pillows. They stay sitting up in bed with their stuffed animals clenched to their chests.

“Lay down you two. No trying to stay up all night.”

Their big eyes stare at her waiting for the story to start. She let them snuggle into their blankets and tucks them in before taking a seat in the rocking chair beside their bed.

“There were these two sisters. If one went somewhere, they both ended up going. No one could really tell the two apart if they were up close. From a distance, you could tell there was a height difference. Even though there were three years of age difference, it didn’t look like it.”

Their eyes dart between the two of them. They were two and a half years apart. Erin and Teresa try to playfully tickle each other. Mother moves them further away from each other.

“Mom, are you okay?”

“Yes, Erin. I’m fine. There’s more to this story.” She takes a deep breath before continuing. “As one grew older and more responsible, the other sister grew older but didn’t get the maturity level. She believed no matter what she did, there were no consequences for her. Her big sister would take care of her, bail her out, do whatever she needed so they could be together.”

The youngest smiles, “What happened to her sister, Mommy?”

“She ended up in jail for a while. It got to the point where the bail was too high for her sister to keep paying. Her sister had the best joy of starting a family with a wonderful guy who treated her well. Her kids came first. Her sister had to learn the hard way that she had to depend on herself.”

“Mommy, that’s not nice though! You should take care of your family.”

“Baby girl, hopefully you never have to learn about that. You do need to take care of family, but when they start draining you, you have to worry about your sanity too.” She moves from between the children and moves towards the door.

“No matter what, there is only a certain extent you can go before you lose yourself trying to help someone else. I know. I’ve been there. Until you two, I put everyone before myself. Now with you two girls, I have to think about myself because what would you do without me?”

“Can you tell us more of the story?”

“Not tonight. It’s bedtime. We can continue the story tomorrow though. It’ll be our little new bedtime routine. Promise. Now, go to bed.”

Teresa says, “Hugs and kisses.”

“Bedtime wishes,” Erin chimes in.

“Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite.” Mother heads out of their bedroom and turns off the lights. Walking through the halls, her fingers drift against the trim on the walls.

Making her way to her room, she gets herself ready for bed. She removes the makeup from her face and eyes and changes her clothes. Laying down in bed, her memories cloud her judgement. Her sister, her parents, all of the memories within these four walls.

The sunshine would warm her skin to the touch. Her eyes would sparkle under the clouds. Her mother’s song would be heard in the kitchen as she cooks the meals. She was always thinking ahead and making sure there was food prepared for all week.

Her father would be in the garage working on his latest creation. There was always a car coming and going. No one really knew what her father drove. Sometimes it was an old beat-up pickup truck, others it was a sleek convertible. During the family trips, a sedan or SUV worked just as well to pull the trailer of things they had.

No matter how far they were going her sister and her always had to pack four bags, minimum. They would laugh all the way to their destination. Nothing would allow them to stop. All the wrong turns, all the heartache, everything led back to this house.

Now it was the house she was raising her kids in. They would have similar memories, just like she did. The good ones, the bad ones and the ones which pained them to think about.

These four walls would withstand anything the world could throw at them. Their safe haven. With it being paid off, the only yearly costs were the insurance and taxes. These two wouldn’t have to worry about anything. The ability to live without fear of losing the house would be the best thing for them.

The buzzing alarm startles her as the day begins. The day starts over. Her dream is over with the happy memories she had of her childhood. She gets up and gets the kids outfits out so they can make more memories today. Living in the moment, reading between the lines, life is great for them all.

“Good morning my darlings! Let’s get up and get the day going. How does the park sound?”