This is not my first attempt at a story like this, but it is my first entry to this awesome website. All feedback is welcome. Hope you like it.
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It was a nice fall day in about the second month of school. I remember because I still didnât know anyone at my new school. We had moved to the new school so that my mother could teach at the local community college and my sister could attend it at a family rate. Unfortunately I was still in high school. I didnât think of it this at the time, but itâs a lot harder to be the new guy at a high school than at a college. On the positive side though, I knew it was my last year and I would be moving on soon, probably to the same college that the rest of my family was connected with in some form or another.
Home life for me really didnât change that much when I switched schools. I spent most of my time on my computer either playing video games or trying to write stories. Moving to the new house just meant that I didnât have Internet yet and all my gaming buddies were far away. I suppose having my own space in the new house and not sharing my room with my sister almost made up for everything. Not to say that I donât love my sister, but itâs a little easier to get along with someone if you are not stuck together all the time.
My sister is pretty much the opposite of me. I like to call her the other side of the coin. While she is artistic and takes after my mother, I am more of an analytical type and like math and computers more than painting and emotions. Iâve been told that I take after my father, but when I was about eight he had a breakdown and he mostly just hides in his room with his computer. Weâve all gotten pretty good at just going on as if heâs not there. At first it was like the elephant in the room, but we all adjusted in time. I think for all of us, it was hardest for my mother. She has to be one of the most affectionate people I have ever met. She loves close hugs and kisses. There isnât a day that goes by that she doesnât tell me and my sister how much we mean to her. From what I heard, before my father had his breakdown, he was only marginally affectionate, but now heâs pretty much a rock. He stays up all night on his computer, sleeps all day, and most days he doesnât even change out of his pajamas.
My mother is one of those ladies who always pushes her way through things. If something comes along that bothers her but she canât do anything about it, sheâll find something else to pour her energy and frustration into. In this case when my father collapsed, she went through this manic craft phase, the worst part of which was the pastel jump suits. My mother, in trying to save money, time and whatever else, made for all of us these pastel jumpsuits. They were all one piece, machine washable, durable and in all senses of the word, unbearable. She figured that we could wear these around the house and only wear our âniceâ clothes when we went somewhere. I donât think that mine or my sisterâs suits ever saw the light of day, but my mother to this day wears them. She even goes shopping in them.
The reason that I remember this fall better than any other, wasnât just because we moved, Iâd have to say the big reason is that my sister had started art class. She had taken art classes before, but this one was different. It was a college art class. This meant that they had a wider variety of medium and topics to cover. They werenât limited to just painting or sculpture, and there was no taboo. In fact, they were encouraged to think beyond limits that they had been given before and explore things that they hadnât been allowed to previously.
The day my sister came home with her first big project was a big day for her and my mother. They used to work together and play off each other a lot. For me, this was totally alienating. I had no mind for the kind of brain storming free thought that they loved to get into. I needed to have concrete goals and objectives.
âI want to do something with varying shades of indigoâŚâ my sister started out.
âWhat medium are you going to use?â My mother probed her.
âHmm, Iâve never tried using plaster molds on a wire frameâŚIâll bet we couldâŚâ
At this point, I knew well enough where this was going and I quickly excused myself from the room. I knew what would happen next, my mother would open a bottle of wine, and then they would put on some crazy African drum music. In the end they would have sticky notes and lists of random words pasted all over each other. I got out before they wanted me to join their trip to crazy.
I closed my door when I got to my room. I hate African drums. The best answer to that for me was to bury myself in a game and ignore the frantic free flow taking place outside my door.
About an hour after I had fled the scene, I heard my sister knock on the door. When I opened the door, she was standing there with her forearms together and her hands in points toward her mouth.
âI know you donât like this stuff, but I just have a small favor to ask you. It wonât take long, and I promise I wonât but you again for a really long time,â the really taking a few extra seconds.
âDonât build up to it so much, just ask me. I hate when you build things up like that.â
âI want to make a plaster mold of you for my project.â
âWhy me?â
âBecause I want a few male parts and mom and I donât have them.â
âWait a damn minute. You want to make a mold of my âŚ.â Pointing downward.
âIt wonât hurt, and I wonât tell anyone whose it is. Itâll be between you and me.â
âOK, now I know youâve gone over the edge. Have you started taking drugs?â
âDonât worry, Iâll practice on something else, and when I do it, it wonât hurt or even take long. I need it for my project thoughâŚâ
âAww manâŚâ
She pleaded, bringing her arms in and folding over.
âHow long will it take.â I said with a defeated tone.
âOnly a half hour max.â
âWhat do I get for all this?â
âHmmâŚwhat do you want?â
âI want to borrow your car more often.â
âDamnit, I was hoping you wouldnât think of that.â
âWell, whatâs it going to be?â
âOk, Iâll need you for about an hour tomorrow night.â
âYou said a half an hour!!!â
âThatâs just the procedure, there is some prep time involved.â
âThis isnât going to get dragged out like the paper mache head project is it?â
âNo, it canât. That reminds meâŚare you going to be able to, you knowâŚhold out?â