CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED and THIRTEEN
(part one)
Friday early morning — 5:35 a.m.
Sitting near the end of the table, Tanesha looked around the Castle dining room. The room was full of excited people. While she had slept, everyone had met to make a plan to fight for her mother. Heather told her that Blane had said that they were up almost all night ironing out “something good.”
Her mother wasn’t going to be trapped by Alan Alvin again.
And the men in blue suits had found some “very interesting” things in Yvonne’s journals.
She glanced at her parents. She had no memory of these two people ever being in the same room. This morning, her mother was tucked up against her father. His left arm around her, she ate with her left hand and he with his right. Occasionally, he fed her rather than himself. She would nod and smile and continue eating as if nothing had happened. They moved with practiced ease, as if they were one body with four arms.
Katy ran into the dining room. Mike, with Jill in his arms, came in after her. Jill gave everyone the back-handed princess wave as she passed. Mike deposited her near the empty chair next to Tanesha. She leaned over to kiss Jacob and sat down between him and Tanesha. Katy sat next to her Dad.
“That was quite an entrance,” Jill said.
“I’m glad it worked,” Tanesha mumbled through her wired jaw. “Jake said you were ready to cast your hair down for a new prince.”
“I’ll tell you, sometimes I hate my meddling family,” Jill said.
“Even though you’re the chief meddler?” Tanesha asked.
“Even though,” Jill smiled. “I don’t hate them today.”
“They’ll be here in a moment,” Delphie said.
“Noelle,” Sandy said from the chair on Tanesha’s right.
Noelle came over to Sandy.
“You remember what you’re supposed to do?” Aden asked.
“I’m supposed to tell them that no one is awake and I don’t have the gate code,” Noelle bit her lip. Her eyebrows crumpled in and she shook her head. Leaning forward, she whispered to Sandy, “But that’s a lie.”
“I know,” Sandy said.
“I can’t lie,” Noelle’s eyes threatened tears.
The buzzer to the gate rang.
“I just can’t lie,” Noelle said.
“It’s not a lie, it’s acting,” Sissy said from her seat next to Aden.
“No it’s not,” Noelle said. “It’s a lie.”
“The child shouldn’t have to lie for me,” Yvonne put her napkin on the table and stood up. “I’ll just…”
“No you won’t,” Rodney said.
“I’ll do it,” Sissy jumped up. “I’m going to be a great ballerina. Great ballerina’s are great actresses.”
“But the child…” Yvonne said.
“Stay here,” Sandy said. “Sissy will buy us some time.”
Denver Cereal continues tomorrow…
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