One AnOther

OTHER

Keller was still Keller. He just wasn't awake right now; he wasn't currently present. Keller Greene was living in his own reality, a reality in which he hadn't visited in almost sixteen years.

Back then he called it déjà vu and before that it was Tinkerwelm. Most of Keller's childhood was a total blur but Keller remembered Tinkerwelm. It was everything Keller wished he could see in the reality he lived in. It was a place where he could relive his days in a safe haven where things were always pleasant.

Whenever Agatha and Keller's Father started up again and the poppies kept on blooming on Agatha's arms and then her legs, Keller found refuge in Tinkerwelm. The poppies started blooming in the spring and continued until winter up until Keller's father was called in for work again. Until one day he just never came back. There was no use for Tinkerwelm and Keller rarely ever visited.

During the first spring after father left for good, was when Uncle Humbert started living with the family. Keller didn't know how his uncle knew, but whenever they mentioned his father something in Humbert's eyes told him that we were never going to hear about Keller's father again. At least not from him. Uncle Humbert was a mystery from the day Keller met him. Agatha had told him about how Humbert had lost his hearing in a gruesome accident in his thirties which left him with a bubbly rubber outer ears and permanent damage to his hearing. Unlike other patients, he never learned or attempted to learn sign language. He was never one to communicate using words anyway.

Humbert stood at Agatha's side holding the wedding bands. There weren't very many children in the crowd to do the honours. His once black hair was now a stream of salt and pepper. On the other side of him was Crista,though, she was the last person you would expect seeing in front of Humbert and Agatha.

Crista, Keller's sister, was the face of the family. She was the only one that the family could stand behind to maintain whatever was left of their reputation in this small town even though she never voluntarily admits that she is a Greene.

Crista separated herself from our family long before Keller was even born. The wise seven year old decided before her brother was born that she wasn't going to deal with the self destructive hurricane, that was her family, anymore. Unlike Keller Crista didn't wait around for constant storms to settle. She realized at a early age to comply with the wishes of the one with the abuse of power. She was always out of the house and she obeyed until the day the minute she managed to escape with only a few scars on her thighs. She hid her feelings very well. Then, she turned her cheek and never looked back. She left Keller and Agatha knowing that their father would be back that following spring.

No one in the family blamed her when she ran away. Mostly because she didn't run very far but also because a few years later she started sending Agatha envelopes. Envelopes that were responsible for the new pots and pans every new year and the ridding of the mountain of pieces of papers with numbers just as big.

Her envelopes contributed to Keller even on his wedding day but in Tinkerwelm Keller gave them back.

Crista never left home in Tinkerwelm and their father was always nice to Agatha. Keller spent most of his time sitting on the swings in Tinkler park as he watched the lovely people walk there and fro. People than those gathered here today at least.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..."

On the folding chairs to the side of the white isle sat many muffled faces that murmured unimportant thoughts.

"To join this man and this woman in holy matrimony..."

The couple gazed into each other's flaring eyes. Carrie had no idea who she was marrying. What's worse?
She knew nothing of that fact either.

"Do you Carrie Marthens take Keller Greene for your wedded husband, to love and cheri-"

"I, Kelso Greene, take you, Carrie Marthens for my wedded wife."

This was not Keller and least not the Keller she knew.

"Kelso??" Carrie whispered

"Keller this is not the time to slur your words everyone is watching us."

Kelso gazed at Carrie with a smirk on the side of his cheek. Carrie was not going to like the change in plans for their honeymoon night so he had better make sure he broke the news to her after warming her up to it.

Fran motel's neon red lights sizzled against the grey sky. Carrie had drowned herself in the wine so Kelso threw her on the yellowed sheets before taking out his tools for the night.

The right side pocket of his father's tool bag sat the yellow handled hammer.

Block building was Keller's favourite game as a child. He always made sure all of his blocks sat perfectly in line.

Now it was Kelso's time to play.