It works for them... why not?

My Favorite Family Member

My Favorite Family Member

Max, with a genuine smile, tells Lucas -Don't forget anything- He nods and leaves the house, where the children are already waiting for him in the car.

He asks -We're coming back Sunday night... are you sure you don't want to co...?- But Max cuts him off -No...- and closes the door in his face.

After she hears the car start, she breathes a sigh of relief and, smiling, announces -Finally, I'm alone with my favorite family member!-

Major Tom sees her and barks happily, clumsily getting up on his hind legs. Max catches his front paws just before he falls and starts pretending to dance with him while humming.

Max walks over to a box of tapes, finds one covered in dust with a faded, yellowed label that reads "For Firefox from Coconut Head" with a smiley face, puts it in the stereo, and starts calmly dancing to "Redbone - Come and Get Your Love." He grabs the laundry basket and dumps its contents on the floor like confetti in a parade.

Then Max calmly eats the pancakes, reheating them in the microwave even though it's late, and adds plenty of syrup and whipped cream.

She leaves the plate in the sink with all the other dirty dishes, glances at the dish soap for a moment, but dismisses the idea.

Max then picks up the bottle of Jim Beam and says calmly -The doctor said only one glass a day... but the doctor isn't here- as he pours the liquid into a glass with ice.

Then, with a towel and bathrobe under her arm, she says -And now I'm going to take a relaxing bubble bath ALL BY MYSELF...- She turns the stereo up full blast and goes into the bathroom.

(At that precise moment in Ohio)

The desperate kids pile furniture up against the door. Kate says urgently on the phone, -YES... YES... MAYFIELD!- Then she turns to her friend's little brother and asks -Are you sure it was in Indiana?-

Josh replies -That's what the article says, but it was written only a year after the tragedy... maybe she moved again-

Kate suddenly says into the phone -Yes... Miss, I'm still here...- Then she urgently asks for a pen and paper, quickly jots down the number, confirms it, and then confronts the group -There's a residence listed as "Sinclair-Mayfield" Could that be it?-

Deena takes the phone and the paper and replies -Better than nothing...- and starts dialing the number.

(Meanwhile, at the Sinclair-Mayfield house)

All that can be heard is the phone ringing, the dog barking, David Bowie's "Space Oddity," and Max singing it in the bathtub.

The answering machine finally picks up and begins recording Deena's desperate voice.

I know it's very short, but keep in mind that this WAS GOING TO be the end of the previous chapter, but it was just making it too long.

It's so you can see that our beloved rebellious redhead is still there; you just have to dig deep into that suburban mom's story. And I wanted to explain how on earth they found Max if he's not even in the same state anymore.

A little anecdote I forgot to mention: when I was a kid, my older sisters got a pair of stuffed polar bears for New Year's. They were huge, and I wanted them... but they said no, that they were theirs. Looking back, it was obvious that wasn't the reason. It was because they were afraid I'd break or dirty them. And to be fair, I was very messy... but try explaining that to a 7-year-old. I wanted those bears, I NEEDED THOSE BEARS, OR I WOULD GO CRAZY, AND THEY WOULD GO CRAZY WITH ME.

Spoiler alert... I never got the bears.

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