Moonlight

Part 16

September, 16, 2011

Karen watched as the entrance hall of the Buckingham house threatened to drown in chaos. Suitcases and bags had been packed for a weekend trip. Only that Karen didn’t know why anyone would need to travel with half their belongings for a two days trip.

Stevie had decided to release herself from her self-inflicted house arrest and go out and leave the house again to travel with the kids and visit Lindsey. The arrangements had been made and if everything would turn out as planned no one would even know that they had left the house.

“MOM.” Will suddenly called out of the living room, looking lost. “Have you seen my Nintendo?”

Stevie, just coming downstairs, carrying Sulamith, took a deep breath. She had been answering a dozen have you seen... questions since the kids had come out of school.

“It’s in the living room.” She answered, trying to remember if she had left it there for Will to pack of if she had already packed it herself, knowing her son wouldn’t live through a cross country flight without it.

“It’s not.” He answered, not as loud anymore after seeing his mother standing in the entrance hall.

Placing her dog on the floor, Stevie went after Will into the living room and to the drawer she had stuffed in all the Nintendo. Rummaging through the drawer herself she found a black case. And after she took a look, she saw Will’s DS.

“So much for it’s not there anymore...” She motioned to slap him up the head and handed the black case to her son. “You need anything else you can’t find yourself?”

“No, thanks mom.” He hurried to get out of the room, fearing he would fall victim to another ‘Open your eyes before you call me’ speech of his mother this afternoon. She had already giving him one when he had asked her where his cell phone was. It had actually been laying on the kitchen counter where he had left it not half an hour before.

“God, these Buckingham men.” Stevie muttered and went back into the entrance hall. “One day they’ll give me a nervous breakdown.”

“What?” Karen asked only having understood half of what her boss had said.

“I said these two will give me a nervous breakdown” Stevie repeated. “Some day.”

“Who?”

“My husband and son.” She shook her head. “Stevie, have you seen this? Mom, have you seen that? Where’s my...? Can you tell me...? I swear if they leave their heads somewhere someday I won’t be surprised.”

“I take it Will’s packed now.” Karen laughed. “We should leave or we need to hurry.”

“I won’t have much of a problem at customs...” Stevie began but then remembered she didn’t want to get recognized. “You’re right.” Taking a look next to the front door, she saw her daughters’ suitcases. “Will has his cell and DS, so he should have everything he considers he needs. Leelee, Stella?” She called the girls. “Are you ready to leave?”

“I’m on the phone.” Leelee called out of her room, phone in hand. “Wait a sec...” She told her friend on the other end of the line, before screaming down. “We need to go?”

“No, I just called you to come down cause it’s Friday.” Stevie replied. “Who are you talking to now?”

“Lola.”

“You’ve seen her two hours ago.” She shook her head at her daughter. “Get off the phone please, we need to leave. And bring your sister down with you.”