My Love; My Life: Slipping Through My Fingers

Very 1st Diary Entry

*Bay's Diary*
*A Million Dream (Reprise) from the Greatest Showman, sung by Willow Paige Hart-P!nk's daughter; background music only*
Setting: February 26, 1980; Bailey & Georgie's room-Bay at her desk...

Dear Diary,     26 February, 1980
     My new baby brother & sister arrived taday while mommy was out shoppin at Walmart; Daddy rushed outta the house so fast, I think e fergot me & Georgie where home. Uncle Ed & Aunt Char-I mean Uncle Carl came over n watched us, we had tons of fun, Uncle Carl chased us around the yard & uncle Ed let us eat all the ice cream we wanted-after we finished all of our tater tots & spaghettini cut up hot dogs. I love it when family watches us, cause then we getta do whatever we wanna& their the ones who get in trouble fer it-not us. The idea of bein an older sister has started ta grow on me, Georgie thinks I'm nuts & says that I ain't gonna last cause of my nightmares. In other news, Naw-Naw went somewheres mommy & daddy says we ain't able ta go ta visit without never being able ta come back from.
     I can't help wonderin what he means by that-I asked Georgie, but he didn't understand it none neither; neither uncle Ed or Carl would tell me nothin neither. Mommy & daddy says that Georgie & I'll be startin school soon-we ain't wanna go, we both wanna stay right ere n play with em all day long. A new family moved in just down the road from us, we ain't met em "formally" yet-whatever that means-but mommy says theys gotta daughter mine & Georgie's age fer us ta play with. I hope I've practiced enough so that I don't accidentally wake up my new siblins when I wake up from my nightmares-that would be a disaster for everyone. But Uncle Ed says that it's more likely gonna be the other way around, that they're gonna be keepin me & Georgie up with their cryin & what not-

"Bay," comes the knock of their father on their bedroom door, "Georgie, come meet yer new baby brother n sister."

"Comin," they say in synchronization

     The two siblings go running down the stairs, practically shoving past each other & almost knocking one another over along the way down them, until they finally come to a halt before the adults & tiny aliens in the plastic baskets. The two soon to be five year olds just stare at the small, squishy things-one asleep & the other staring right back at them with a look of thought to its face...

"Which is which?" One of their Uncles asks their parents

"On the left is Melissa Charlene," their mother tells them, "George's pick."

"N Sheldon Lee is on the right," Their father ads in, "Mary's pick."

"I see ya didn't go down the religious middle name path..." their other uncle notes

"George wouldn't lemme," Mary huffs

"Ya gotta give our son a stupid name," he argues, "ain't that enough?"

"..." Georgie & Bay look between each other as their parents start to bicker

"DADDY, DADDY, DADDY!" Bay shouts, breaking up their arguing immediately, "I wanna horsey ride!"

"I don't think$"

"PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEE!" She begs him, "please, please, please!"

"Let daddy ave a beer first$"

"George," Mary starts to scold

"I'll get it fer ya daddy!" Bay replies as she runs off into the kitchen, leaving her mother to glare at her father, "I AIN'T ABLE TA FIND NONE!"

"What?" George says in disbelief, "that ain't possible."

"Ed, Carl," Mary starts, "did you two..."

"Nope," they say at the same time

"I did see Bay dumpin somethin down the sink," Carl admits, "but I thought it was just some bad milk or somethin."

"Our milk ain't gone bad yet," Mary tells her brothers, "why would y'all think she was?"

"Bay said it was," the brothers says at the same time

"N neither of y'all thought ta actually check fer yerselves if it was bad?" She asks now scowling at them

"Course," Ed clears his throat, "she was also cleanin up broken glass of the floor till I told er ta go do somethin else n lemme take care of it-"

"Why would she even be near the liquor ta be able ta accidentally break it?"

"Cause daddy n everybody else is always drinkin it," Bay says quietly-lying-as she now returns, "so I wanted ta try it too."

"Yer too young ta be drinkin that stuff darlin," George tells her, "I don't want ya goin near daddy's drinks no more-understand?"

"Yes daddy," she says quietly

"Good girl," he tells her with a smile, "now, how's bout that horsey ride?"

"YAY!" She cheers

"Not so loud sweetie," Mary tells her, "you'll make yer sister

"..." Bay quickly covers her mouth with her hands

"We'll be goin now Mary quite contrary," Ed tells her, "see ya Georgie, down by the bay."

"Bye George," Carl chimes in, "Jr, Bayou Bay."

"Bye, bye!" Her & Georgie call after them

"STOP!" Bay suddenly shouts at her brother once their uncles are gone

"What's wrong?!" Their parents panic at the same time

"He," she points to Georgie & then to their new siblings, "poke, poke, poke."

And that how my nightmare ALWAYS ends-with me a promise ta a dead royal, sudden darkness & wakin in a cold sweat; I ain't able ta help wonderin if it means anything. Is it a warnin bout the future-or somethin? Well, no matter what it is, I have a detailed recording of it all in this diary & I swear I'll do everything I can ta protect my family. After all, one small change can make a world a difference...