under pressure

every dream has its price tag

"Listen Mom, I hear what you're saying. But, it'll give me a chance to spend some time with nature and get out of those smog-infested malls you're always ranting about. Yes, correctly so, Mother. The air here isn't really air. But, what could be healthier than spending Friday night riding horses through Topanga Canyon? And riding is such super exercise. Yeah, I know I've never been riding before, but you're always saying how girls could be more adventurous. So, Mom-"

"Woah, woah, Bren," Brinan and Brandon sat in their sister's room, trying to help Brenda come up with a plan to convince their mom to let her go away with her friends over the weekend. Brandon was lying on the bed with a book on his head, while Brinan had her eyes closed, finding this extremely boring. "You're trotting down the wrong path here. You gotta hit mom where her soft spot is. Y'know, milk that mother nature stuff." Brandon said, making Brinan understand where he was coming from. She stands up, going to stand behind the mirror and on a stool, so Brenda could see her.

"This is what you say. 'Mom...mommy, remember when we used to hike in the woods around Gull Lake when we were kids? I miss those times so much. And now I can recapture them." Brenda's smile grew as she listened to her.

"Perfect!"

"Just make it seem natural, alright? Bree, you sound like you really want something from Mom. She has to know how much you want it, without actually knowing how much you want it. You gotta make it seem like we haven't been rehearsing this for about 30 minutes." Brenda nods and kisses their cheeks as they leave the room.

—

Brandon and Brinan stood in front of the bulletin board in the corridor, looking for jobs. Brinan needed something to do with her life that wasn't school, while Brandon just wanted money for car insurance.

"You two are job-hunting? How un-Beverly Hills." Andrea said, walking up to them. Brinan could sense mockery in her tone.

"Is that a bad thing?" She asks, making her shake her head.

"For me, no."

"I'm just doing my bit for car insurance. Brinan has a boring life so I'm convincing her to hunt with me." Brinan hits his arm, shaking her head.

"Well, any leads?"

"Yeah, we got Garden Graphics, Veggie Heaven Produce, This Town Restaurant. I think this has been a slam-dunk job search, if you ask me." Brinan says, sarcasm evident in her tone. Andrea laughs, leaving the two.

—

Brinan was lying down on her bed, reading a magazine when Brenda stormed into the room, the telephone in her hand. She was muttering words of annoyance.

"Great, an antisocial cordless," was one of the phrases she used. She opened the window to see her mom standing there with the gardener. "Mom, the phones are down again!" She yelled out.

"Wonderful!" Their mother yelled back, pure sarcasm in her tone. Brinan let out a snort as she shut the window, going to sit next to her sister.

"How are you feeling on this fine morning?" Brinan asks, closing her magazine. Brenda deadpans at her.

"Les Misérables, c'est moi. How could Tiff use me like that? Y'know, maybe I should've told on her but I just couldn't do it." Brinan puts a hand on her older sister's shoulder, feeling bad for her.

"Hey, it's over now. Don't dwell on what could've been done." Brenda lets out a sad sigh.

"We new kids sure do get a raw deal." Brandon walks in and shakes his head, flopping beside them on the bed.

"It doesn't just go for kids. These people I work with; Vietnamese, Israelis. They're like how grandpa was, coming here with no money. They get completely exploited." The two girls nod, understanding.

"Yeah, like look in our own home, with Mom hiring Anna."

"Yeah, but you can bet Mom pays her fairly. These guys at my job are working for pine nuts."

"Can't they do anything about it?" Brinan asks, finding this to be extremely unfair.

"I don't know," Brenda nods, then gets up and leaves. Brandon calls out after her. "But, you know what, I'll be fine and so will you."

—

Brenda and Brinan sat at the dinner table doing homework, when Brandon walks in, a big smile on his face as he spins a basketball around his finger.

"I got a real job!" He exclaims, making Brinan give him a high-five, happy for him.

"Brandon, I thought we already discussed this."

"Uh, the other gig was a false start. How'd both of your days pan out?" He asks, looking for food in the fridge.

"Oh, very cool. I was accused, unaccused, self-accused, fought with my mom, lost a friend, but I finished reading a really good book." Brandon and Brinan look over her shoulder to see what she was doing. He picks up the notebook, holding it for them both to see.

"Jean Val-gene stole?"

"Uh, Valjean, Bree." She rolls her eyes, continuing to read.

"Jean Valjean stole for hunger. Other kids steal for different types of hunger. There's the hunger to belong. Many of us have had the urge, but Jean Valjean acted on his impulses." Brinan was impressed with her sister's writing, giving her a pat on the back.

"And there is a difference between the two, honey. Your paper is beautiful." Their mother says, walking in and putting her hands on Brenda's shoulders.

"It's homework, Mom. Homework is definitely not beautiful."

"Well, I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. I know you well enough to trust you," She then points to her other children. "You two on the other hand." They chuckle, while Brandon takes the notebook out of Brinan's hands.

"Oh, please. I'm trying to read. 'There's emotional hunger, these people need understanding. They can show greatness and not let others take the rap. There are all kinds of hunger.'" Brandon high-fives Brenda as their father walks in.

"Mine is the biggest hunger of them all. They have the chintziest little–you couldn't even call them sandwiches at the tennis thing." He says, making Brinan giggle.

"California lean cuisine, Dad." He laughs, wrapping an arm around his daughter's shoulder, kissing the top of her head.

"I missed you all out there."

"Well, you missed a lot. Y'know, there is Anna's melting pot mystery meat." He asks if she tried it, but she says no, saying that she was too upset.

"Don't even talk to me about food, I ate at both of my jobs today," Brandon wrapped an arm around his Dad's shoulder. "Dad, I had two jobs today. I drove through miles of concrete."

"Miles of concrete?"

"So he says. Also, I got a job at the movie theatre. I'm gonna be working the concession stands." Everyone cheered for the girl, proud of her.

"Way to go, Bree. Way to go, Brandon," He then takes a bite of the food that Anna made. "Way to go, Anna." The family laughs, all happy to be in each other's company.