Paper Rings (A Calvin Murtaugh Story)

Chapter 5: Brunch

Another symptom of my parents' dreams coming true, came in my least favorite form. They called Nora. They called my older sister to come help Dad watch the littles. Mom and Dad must have decided it sometime after Lorraine and I'd gone to bed because there they were, on the phone, begging her to come.

That was one of the reasons I didn't like my sister. If your family needs you, you come. You shouldn't have to beg. You certainly shouldn't have to compete for her attention against a wannabe actor with an ego the size of the Strait of Gibraltar.

When Mom and Dad's initial tactics didn't work, they began with the guilt trip. They gave the phone to Lorraine, Sarah, and Kimmie, the guilt tripping masters, while I just sat in the corner. Okay, let's be honest, I was sulking. I was majorly and completely sulking.

"If Nora doesn't want to come, then she doesn't have to come," I growled out while reading my SAT book on the overstuffed corner chair. "I'll take care of it. If she wants to pretend that we don't want to exist, that's fine. We don't need her anyway."

"Hey," Dad pointed at me, I raised my eyebrows at him in a challenge, looking up from my book. "She isn't pretending that we don't exist."

"She was photoshopped into our Christmas Card," I retorted snarkily. "You're right. That is the epitome of family affection."

"Reese," Mom looked at me with concern, "Do you need to talk?"

I shrugged, "I don't particularly want to talk, no."

"That's not what I asked, and you know it. Look, we need Nora here," Mom told me gently. "You have to study, and you have tryouts for the volleyball team next week. You'll be busy. Obviously, we will still need you to help but you have obligations too. It'll be easier on both of you if you worked together.

"Dad, she wants to talk to you," Kimmie handed him the phone and Nora spoke for a moment, before he put it to his chest to relay her message.

"She says she'll come if they both can sleep in the same room," Dad mumbled as if we all couldn't hear him.

I muffled a dark chuckle with my hand, but Mom heard it and sent me her own glare.

"No, she knows the rules," was Mom's low response to that request, before turning to the others and saying loudly. "She wants to have her own room when she's here, isn't that sweet?" Mom kept the smile on her face before she turned back to Dad and her laughter and smile was immediately replaced with a deadpan look. "No."

"Yeah," I looked at Lorraine with raised eyebrows. "Her own room with creepy Hank."

Lorraine laughed at that, knowing exactly why I described him as such. If he wasn't checking himself out in the mirror he was checking out my sister...or my mom...or me....or Lorraine. He was really creepy, not that I could tell Nora that without her accusing me of lying. She was always ready to put Hank before us.

"Okay, look," Dad sighed to Nora over the phone, "why don't you just come over on Sunday, and we'll talk logistics. All right. Bye"

"Tell me Doorknob Man isn't babysitting too," Sarah begged.

"Yes," Mom turned on her sternly, "he very well might be, young lady."

Dad, taking on a tone of authority, pointed the phone at her, "And do not set his pants on fire again."

"Yes," Mom agreed.

Sarah just smiled, remembering her scheme. "Classic."

It really had been classic. Just a water balloon of kerosene artfully thrown towards his legs and a malfunction of the outdoor grill. Simple. Classic. Evil.