My Guardian Angel

Chapter 8: The Outside Skit

             The weather was getting colder as time  flew by. The leaves on the trees fell down, and miniscule snowflakes fell on top of the branches. Not that it stuck or anything, for it was Kansas and there was never an official snow day where the snow layered upon the ground. Instead of wearing our normal shorts and a t-shirt, we changed to long jeans, a long-sleeve shirt underneath a warm woolen coat. But my family still played outside in the freezing weather. They hardly seemed to notice the coldness.

"Lenny, please come here." After he came running towards the door, where I was standing, I added, "It's getting very cold out there." I gently put a warm coat around his body. The sleeves were very long, and the bottom went just above his knees.

"I think I'm warm enough Bridget."

"I believe you are. Now you can go and play," I said, lightly pushing him towards the backyard where my other siblings were playing "house." The older children were the parents and they had nasty little children.

"Bridget? Hurry up! You can't stay inside all day," Gretchen complained as she ran towards me, and pulled me by the arm, dragging me towards my family.

"Wait a second. Just let me get my coat." I told her as she let go of my grip, and I ran inside to find a jacket. Fern must be wearing mine, I told myself because I couldn't find it. The only choice I had left was my mother's. I searched through her closet and eventually found the jacket, in the right corner, stuck between two sweaters.

"Hurry up, Bridget!"

"Coming!" I screamed back, as I grabbed the coat. It smelled like the vanilla fragrance that my mother had put on every morning. It smelled good, and I could have smelled it all day, but I didn't want to disappoint Gretchen.

"Thank you. What coat are you wearing?" Gretchen asked, as I M old one," I replied, but then raced out into the yard. Over the past couple of months, I had gotten much better about the death of my mother. When I reached the backyard, I found Bennett holding on to Wendell, and spinning in a circle with his feet flying in the air.

"Hey, here comes Bridget? Wanna play with us?" Bennett asked me after he placed Wendell on the ground. His little feet could barely stand up, and he ended up falling on the ground in dizziness.

"Sure."

"You're our mommy!" exclaimed Greta as she placed her arms around my legs, giving me a hug.

"Okay, let's begin!" I said excitedly, and the game of "house" began.

"Okay, so you're the mom, and your husband is going to war, and you’re saying the goodbyes." Klaus stated to me.

"Oh, Bennett. How I will miss you dearly!" I said in a voice sounding like an older woman. I gave Bennett a big hug, trying to play my part as best as I could.

"I'll be safe. I promise," he replied.

"Kiss!" Hilda whispered. I paused through the hug, but then let go.

"I'm not gonna kiss Bennett," I told her. Even though we had kissed before, its different when it's in front of your whole family.

"Oh yes we are!" Bennett said, and he pulled me in close one more time, and placed his lips on mine. As we were kissing, I heard cheering and laughter in the distance. All at once, it felt so real. I felt like Bennett was leaving me, and I began to cry. When we pulled away from the kiss, I noticed that he was crying too. I laughed through the tears, but then Bennett said, “Why are you crying?”

“It’s just that I don’t want you to leave me!” I cried, and I immediately hugged Bennett again, not wanting to let go. “Why are you crying?” I asked him, talking into his shoulder.

“I don’t know how Father did it.” he started. “No wonder he’s so grumpy. To lose your soul mate, so quickly, and to never see her again. It’s heartbreaking.” I now felt ashamed that I gave my father such a hard time. I saw my family watch us with confused faces.

“Oh, we’re done,” I said as they gave a sigh of relief.

“Wait for me!” yelled Gertie, as she walked out of the house, with little Hans in her hand. She was holding him by the arms, so his feet were dangling on the ground. Hans was covered from head to toe in oversized jackets and hats, but he looked fairly comfy. Even though Gertie wasn’t holding him very calmly, he seemed to not notice and just smiled when he saw the whole family. “There,” she said when Gertie reached me, practically dropping Hans on the ground. But once again, he didn’t notice. Such a tough baby, I thought to myself. “I carried him all the way here,” Gertie said proudly.

“Nice work!” And we were off the playing the game. After my “good-byes” to my husband, I watched as he left; this time, trying not to cry.

            Then the scene changed. My “child” had gotten the flu and I had to take care of her. Hilda kept giggling the whole time as I examined her like a doctor.

“Sick children don’t laugh!” I said, but soon enough I was laughing as well. And then the whole entire family was having a laughing fit on the cold ground. “Do not laugh young lady while the doctor is examining you!” I said sternly, in a sarcastic voice.

“The doctor isn’t supposed to laugh either!” said Klaus, who had begun to ease up from his laughing. That was true, so I tried hard to stop laughing for the rest of the day.

“Please don’t leave me!” I exclaimed after I finished examining Hilda. “Stay healthy!”

“Bridget?” Bennett asked me.

“Yes? What now. For your information, I’m in the middle of watching my patient hyperventilate!”

“You’re a horrendous actress.”

“Why, thank you Bennett!” I said sweetly, but then changed into a furious tone. “Now may I please get back to my patient? She is waiting, getting sicker and sicker because of you!”

“Ya, Bennett! You should be ashamed of yourself! What happens if our Dad was busy talking to somebody who said he was a bad actor while your mother was sick in her bed?” Well that got everyone quiet. I looked over at Bennett, who was awkwardly watching the birds in the distance, trying not to pay attention to the stares. Laura was just picking on the grass alone.

“Well, I think that’s all for today,” Fern said, taking the words right from my mouth. We silently walked back to the house, with Hans in my arms, his face barely visible because of all the extra layers. I still had no idea what to do, so I sat down next to the piano, in the basement. I slowly placed each hand on the keys, playing a song that I had written. I played each note with my heart, expressing what I loved to do. I felt peaceful, but then Bennett came over to me.

“What are you playing?” he asked me.

“It’s a song that I wrote. Do you like it?” I had only just begun to start playing it.

“It’s beautiful,” and by the way his eyes looked at me, I knew he wasn’t lying.