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Man, that punishment sucked. I will never listen to any of Tootie's ideas ever again! I was so mad at her that I didn't speak to her for an entire week, and it probably would have lasted even longer if Mrs. Garrett hadn't had a talk with me in the kitchen.
"Molly, can I have a word with you?"
"Sure."
"Listen, I know you're upset with Tootie over what happened last week, but you can't keep this up," she warned me with motherly concern in her voice.
"Why not? She got me in trouble."
"But it was also your fault. She didn't force you to go with her."
"If she hadn't thought up that ridiculous scheme this wouldn't have happened," I countered in an attempt to justify my behavior. My excuses didn't work on Mrs. Garrett though, and she took the opportunity to remind me of a disastrous past event involving Tootie and a not so well thought out fiasco of my own.
"Well, that's how Tootie is …. young and infinitely imaginative. You shouldn't be so hard on her. Remember when you talked her into joining that march last spring and how badly that ended?"
I remembered it like it was yesterday. We had attended a rally to protest the working conditions of the Chug-A-Lug bar waitresses. Besides having to wear skimpy shorts and tight shirts there were rumors of sexual harassment within the establishment floating around. Over twenty feminists from the area participated, and I tried to get my schoolmates to join me. Tootie was the only one who agreed to come along. At first everything was fine and peaceful, but then the owner ordered his goons to beat us up! Luckily, neither one of us got hurt, but Tootie didn't speak to me for a few days. Mrs. Garrett, in all her wisdom, had appealed to me with impeccable logic, and in doing so managed to hit the desired nerve. All of a sudden I felt awfully contrite.
"I think I get your point," I sighed.
"I hope so. Shouldn't you forgive her just like she forgave you?"
"Yes," I sighed again.
"Good. Now go apologize to her."
"Now?" I asked in a tone that I am afraid was perilously close to whining.
"Now," she gave me a serious look, commanding me to do it. "It's the perfect time. She's alone in your room."
"Okay, okay."
I climbed the stairs with slight reluctance and found her sitting at the desk doing her Social Studies homework. She glanced over her shoulder at me and went straight back to doing her homework, but her face had managed to convey quite a lot in that quick look. I saw sadness and regret in her eyes, asking me to forgive her.
I took a deep breath as I approached her. "Tootie, can I speak to you?"
"Why? So you can tell me how angry you are at me?" I could hear the hurt and pain in her voice that I had seen in her eyes seconds before. This was going to be harder than I thought.
"I am still a bit angry, but most of it has faded." I paused to gather some of my courage because by then I was very scared, thinking of how she would react to my apology. "I just want to tell you that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being so angry at you and making everything awkward and tense with my silence and passive aggression for the last few days. I was just as much at fault as you were."
"Oh, there's no need," she gushed, clutching my shoulder and laying her other hand on her chest in emphasis. "I'm the one who should be apologizing. I talked you into spying on them. I'm sorry for getting you into trouble. Are we friends again?" she asked in a tone that indicated true remorse and sincerity.
"Of course we're friends." It will take more than that to sever my friendship with her, but since she's less mature than I am I understand why she asked.
She stood up and we hugged. I noticed that Mrs. Garrett was standing in the doorway watching us. I could turn everything around and accuse her of spying, I thought, but since the door was wide open I don't think I'd have enough of a case to say anything. The hypocrisy of adults drives me crazy sometimes! Tootie saw her smiling before the woman turned and walked away.
The reconciliation was like a weight lifted from my chest. Forgiveness can be such a wonderful thing. It takes a lot to do it, but once it's done, it feels great. I'm so glad to have that out of the way so that our friendship can continue as it was before the whole stupid mess.
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Mrs. Garrett reduced our chores later on that week,. This wasn't because she was being sympathetic to Tootie and me, but because she noticed Cindy was taking advantage of the situation. Knowing she didn't have to do any chores, Cindy would do things like leaving a dirty fork in the kitchen sink instead of washing it, not making up her bed in the morning, which was unusual since she's a very clean and tidy person, and creating more trash than usual so that we had to lug it out. It got to the point where all my anger had been displaced from Tootie to Cindy, and I even stopped talking to her because of it. I was afraid that if I said anything to her there would be nothing but four, and for good balance, the occasional five, letter words coming out of my mouth.
One day Cindy left a dirty saucer in the sink for me to wash. I stood and clutched the counter for a full minute so that I didn't smash the thing to pieces. I was preparing myself to wash it when Sue Ann walked up and asked, "Did Cindy leave that in the sink?"
"Yep. That's her saucer," I responded with the sponge in my hand. Sue Ann took it from me and told me to leave.
"Molly, just go. I'll wash it."
"Thanks," I smiled at her and walked away to finish simmering down elsewhere.
"No problem. I'm going to have a word with Cindy." I hope so - I'm sick and tired of Cindy's crap. Excuse my language, but that's how angry I am!
With one hand on the kitchen door, I turned and asked her a question. "Sue Ann, when are you going on another date with Scott?" I was just curious.
"Sometime after the break, I hope. He hasn't called or anything. Why?" There was a slight hesitation when she asked me that question, as if she thought I was looking into her soul.
"If it happens, I bet you are looking forward to it, aren't you?" I responded casually, not letting on that I know her real feelings.
"I sure am," she answered. Her body language was exposing her 'lies,' as she showed her signature signs of uneasiness like gritting her teeth and smiling more than the situation called for.
"Well, I hope he calls back," I answered her lie with a lie. I hope he goes away - not just for Cindy's sake, but for mine as well. I can't stand him!
She smiled back with a grin that was much too enthusiastic. "Thanks."
I left the kitchen feeling better about Sue Ann. She can be quite naïve and stubborn, yet she does have a soft side.
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Because my dad had started seeing another woman my main concern for the rest of the week was my parents' divorce . I can't believe he's dating someone else! It led me to read an article in 'Harper's' magazine about divorce and how it affects children, which just riled me up even more. I hope I don't have to see that witch when he comes to pick me up for Thanksgiving, which is just around the corner.
On the Monday night of the week of Thanksgiving I was reading in the kitchen when I heard some noise coming from the living room. When I checked it out I saw Blair coming in with her Boyfriend of the Week, Jason Hass. Well, so much for not needing a man like she had told me a few weeks earlier.
They had just returned from rehearsal. Eastland and Bates are putting on a joint version of Shakespeare's classic, "Romeo and Juliet," which will begin in two weeks. Of course Jason is Romeo and Blair is Juliet. I couldn't think of a better 'actress' to be Juliet. She's been pretending to like men for years, so pretending to like a man for a night in front of a huge audience shouldn't be too much of a stretch for her!
Jason is a very confident cocky guy who thinks he's Casanova and Don Juan rolled into one. He sees himself as the next Jan-Michael Vincent. To me, he's no different from the rest of the Bates boys, but girls go crazy for him. He has had a grudge against Greg Hockney ever since Greg started dating Blair, as he has had his sights on Blair for a long time. At least, that's what Greg told me.
With the front door still open Jason wasted no time making his move on the always-flirtatious Blair. The room was dark enough for them not to notice me, but there was enough moonlight for me to see them and their faces, which made for perfect conditions by which I could observe them.
"I'm glad rehearsal went well," she told him, flashing her trademark smile.
"So am I, but I could use a little more practice." Oh my goodness, where does he get his pick-up lines? From Playboy magazine?
I noticed that Blair was hesitant and laughed nervously as Jason leaned in to kiss her. This was a perfect moment to examine her body language. It was very clear she was highly uncomfortable about the prospect of him kissing her. She squirmed a lot and tried to back away as much as possible. She also did her best not to kiss him back. Now, I don't think this can be automatically interpreted as a sign of her homosexuality; it might be that she's just not interested in him. However, this is not the first time I've seen her do this with the guys she dates. When other people are around she's not discreet when kissing them. In fact, I think she loves the attention. It feels like an act. A section in the body language book covers repetitive behavior. It states that certain repetitive behaviors of a person's body express what's really going on in their mind. It's like their fingerprint.
This brings to mind another one of her past dates, my friend Greg. He was one of her longest dates ever. They were together for a good five months before they broke up. From what he told me, it was always awkward when they smooched. She was not into it very much, and he noticed that her eyes were usually open and looking off into the distance like she wanted to be somewhere else. When most people smooch, they close their eyes. Supposedly, that's because it allows the lovers to focus on the experience and not be distracted by something else. Well, that's what I've heard, anyway, since me and Ralph have never gotten any further than a simple kiss on the lips, and I'm fine with that. I'm not going to let him go beyond first base with me!
That's another thing about Blair. She'll easily let guys get to first base, but she never lets them get to second. Not that I see anything wrong with that, but when someone claims to like men as much as she does, I wouldn't expect that person to be such a prude when it comes to physical affection. Granted, she's a tease, but what does she get out of it? It's apparent that she's not enjoying it, so it must mean she's using it to hide something else about herself.
And another thing - I once overheard her telephone conversation with a psychologist. I didn't intentionally eavesdrop; I was waiting to call Ralph. When I asked her about the call she told me it was to deal with her parents' divorce. That 's reasonable, but her parents divorced eight years ago and she just started seeing the psychologist this summer. Tootie told me this, and I took mental note that this coincided with the time Blair started to hate Cindy. The more I think about it the more the pieces start to come together, and the more I realize I've got more missing pieces to fill in.
Blair finally put on the brakes after what might have seemed like an eternity to her. "Jason, let's just say goodnight for now."
"But why? There's no one else here."
"Oh, I'd say that in fact there's a certain redhead here as well," said the certain redhead as she descended the steps and turned on the lights.
"OH! Hi, Mrs. Garrett," Blair sheepishly greeted the woman. I have to admit that I get a kick out of watching Blair's facial expressions - she's very animated.
"I see you two are getting in some extra 'rehearsal' for the play," the woman said in her usual tongue-in-cheek tone.
"Well, what can I say… practice makes perfect," Blair replied with a guilty smile.
"Yeah, we really want to get it right," Jason added, trying his best not to show how nervous he was. Nice try buddy, but you're not that good of an actor.
I noticed Blair anxiously tapping on the side of her leg. Yep, that's another way someone shows they are tense.
"Well, I'm sure Blair has had enough 'rehearsal' for today, right?" Mrs. Garret's voice grew sterner.
"Yes, Mrs. Garrett." Blair's response was very accommodating, like she was relieved and wanted to thank the woman for saving her from Jason.
"You're totally right. Well, I have to get going. See you at the auditorium, Blair," he said as he gallantly blew her a kiss.
Blair smiled and waved at him, "Bye, Jason."
Blair turned and found a rather concerned Mrs. Garrett looking at her.
"I know you are a busy girl, but you have other homework assignments to finish. You have a History paper to do, a Biology test coming up, and don't forget the poem…"
"Yes, I know. I know I need to get them done."
"So, take that seat of yours upstairs and put it in the seat at your desk," she commanded as she patted the right side of her ward's behind. As soon as she turned away, Blair jokingly patted her on her butt twice and ran upstairs. It was hilarious. I laughed loud enough for Mrs. Garrett to hear me, which blew my cover faster than that Marilyn Monroe wig at the restaurant.
"Molly? Were you here the entire time?" She asked, her voice peaking towards anger. I was surprised she hadn't spotted me before.
"I sure was. I saw everything."
She gave me a rather stern look. "You know this means that you were eavesdropping again?"
I gulped as I realized the ramifications of having once again allowed my curiosity to get the best of me. In the future I either need to be way more careful or stick to documentaries! "Ummm… no, not really."
"Well, you were lucky Blair didn't find out. Consider this a warning. Next time, you will have to clean the stable for two weeks."
"What?" No, not the stable! I can't stand stable work.
"Do I make myself clear, Molly?"
"Yes, Mrs. Garrett."
"Don't be like Tootie."
"Trust me, Mrs. Garrett, I won't."
Mrs. Garrett looked at me for a long moment as though she were carefully considering something before continuing, "For Blair's sake, I want to know what Jason did before I arrived. Did he try to force himself on her?"
"They didn't do much. They kissed a little, but he didn't seem to be forcing her or anything, although it seemed Blair was reluctant. In fact, she seemed pretty relieved you stopped it."
Mrs. Garrett didn't say anything for another long moment. This time she looked like she was mulling over what I said. I suspect she suspects the same thing I do about Blair.
"So she did. I think I'll go make myself a sandwich. Please don't tell me there's no more bacon."
"No, but we ran out of bread."
"Well, I guess I'll just use extra lettuce like bread and pretend it's the green version of Wonder bread!" she joked as she headed to the kitchen.
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Sue Ann had a word with Cindy the next day, just as she had promised. Tootie saw the two arguing in our room that day and had told me about it.
"Don't you know what you're doing is wrong? I know you've been leaving dirty dishes and clothes for them to wash. You're taking advantage of them," Sue Ann scolded.
"Not really. They shouldn't have spied on us. Now they're paying the price for it," Cindy responded.
"Yeah, but you're making their work unnecessarily harder. Your actions are no better than theirs!"
"How so? They had no right to be there on our date!"
"No, they didn't, but that's no excuse for you to take advantage of them! You should go and apologize," Sue Ann commanded.
"What? Heck no!"
"Fine, then don't speak to me until you apologize!"
Tootie told me Sue Ann stormed out of the room furious. "Sue Ann, come back please. I'm really sorry!" Cindy had called out.
Tootie was lucky that Sue Ann hadn't spotted her eavesdropping as she left. When she poked her head into the room she saw that Cindy was crying. "I'll give her something that will make her apologize…" she muttered to herself.
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The following day was chore day, and Cindy's day to clean the room. This was part of her punishment for taking advantage of us. She and Sue Ann still weren't speaking to each other, and it obviously bothered Cindy quite a bit.
Back in our room Tootie asked, "You know what today is?" with a rather devilish smile. I knew she was up to something. Whatever it was, I didn't want to be a part of it this time!
"No, what is it?" I asked reluctantly. I want to make it clear that I want no part in any more of her half-baked, harebrained schemes. I'm still undecided on which one is worse - Blair and her 'brilliant ideas,' or Tootie and her snoopy schemes.
"It's Cindy's day to clean the room. So I was thinking…" she trailed off. I did say I don't want to have anything to do with her dodgy plans, but I'll make this one an exception…
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's make it look like a tornado hit this room."
"Yeah! She should be used to that from back in L.A.," Tootie joked.
"No, Tootie, in L.A. they have earthquakes, not tornados. Where Sue Ann lived they have tornados."
"Oh… well, let's make a natural disaster out of this place!"
We sealed the deal with a high-five and started messing the place up. We tossed our dirty clothes all over the place, jumbled up the bedding , threw the pillows on the floor, and made the tops of our dressers looked like that junk house on the TV show 'Sanford and Son.' The room was so junky that Fred G. Sanford would have felt at home! By the way, what does the 'G' stand for? When we were finished we smiled at our 'accomplishment'.
"Just wait until Cindy sees this - she'll freak out!" Tootie said proudly, offering me yet another high-five. I said nothing, and just returned the gesture. The huge grin on my face was answer enough.
We went to Natalie and Sue Ann's room to hang out with Natalie and listen to Tootie's gossip. She had so many juicy tidbits to tell that she could be her own tabloid magazine!
About an hour later we heard Cindy scream. It was loud enough for us to hear it from the other room, but fortunately Mrs. Garrett didn't seem to notice. She was probably busy making dinner downstairs.
"What was that?" Natalie asked, alarmed. Tootie and me exchanged devious smiles.
"Oh, it's Cindy getting her due punishment," I said as we headed to our room. When we arrived, we saw a miffed and peeved Cindy.
"What the heck happened in here? No one told me tornados existed in Peekskill!"
"Not unless it's 'WO'man-made," I said from behind her. She turned around and saw Tootie and myself smiling at her smugly. She looked furious.
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" She scowled.
"Actually, WE did it on purpose, to pay YOU back for what YOU'VE been doing to US," I told her.
"What do you mean?" she asked rather rudely.
"What we mean is all those times you intentionally left extra dirty dishes and dirty clothes for us," Tootie responded with her hands planted firmly on her hips. We were not smiling, and Cindy was so angry that her eyes looked like they were about to pop-out of their sockets.
While Sue Ann uses her mouth, Cindy uses her eyes to express her feelings. They say that the eyes are the windows to a person's soul, and in her case it's definitely true. She's animated and tends to wear her heart on her sleeve just like Blair. Maybe that's why they hate each other so much, because they're so much alike in both positive and negative respects.
It looked like Cindy was about to go off on us again, but she suddenly had a change of heart and began sulking instead. It seemed to dawn on her how guilty she really was.
"You're right; I have been taking advantage of you both. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."
"Well, we accept your apology," Tootie replied.
"Oh, that's great!" Cindy smiled, thinking she was getting off scot-free. How wrong she was.
"But that doesn't mean you don't have to clean up the room," I told her firmly, reminding her of her task.
"Yeah!" Tootie said as she pointed to the mess.
Cindy groaned, "Okay..." and started cleaning up. Tootie and me just smiled at each other.
"We will check on you every twenty minutes, so don't try anything slick."
She sighed, "I won't."
"Good." I shut the door and hoped she learned her lesson like we had.
During one of our check-ups we saw Sue Ann enter the room. We decided to stay back and snoop.
"So, those two took advantage of your situation? How do you feel now?"
"Crummy, just plain crummy. Did they tell you I finally apologized?"
"Yeah, they did. It's about time, don't you think?"
"Yeah, it was."
"Look, even though we had an argument yesterday, I am still your friend … your best friend."
"No, Sue Ann, you were right, I was taking advantage of them. That was very mean and cruel of me to do to my friends, especially Molly, who I consider my second best friend - after you, of course."
"Well, it's great you still think of me as your best friend. I'll go with you to the roller derby if you still want me to."
"That's awesome!" Cindy hugged her. "Can I ask you one big favor?"
"Sure."
"Can you help me clean up this room?"
To Be Continued...