Maniacs

by Lee Wise

  “Awesome! Come into my parlor.” Jill insisted. I followed her into the living room. She had transformed one of the corners into a stylist’s corner.

  “I love what you’ve done with the place!” I grinned.

  “It’s every hairdresser’s dream!” Jill smiled. “Let’s get started. We need to wash your hair first, so I will have to grab some water first and boil it. We can each grab a gallon.” I helped her gather jugs and we boiled water. “Thank you! Now I just need to get it to the right temperature by adding cold water and voila! Lean your head back.” She washed my hair which I hadn’t had a hairdresser do in a while. It was so relaxing!

  “I guess this is what I needed! It’s so relaxing.” I sighed.

  “Good. I’m glad. I know that you’ve been sad about your sister’s announcement. It’s going to be hard, but she will be back.” Jill said.

  “It’s just hard not knowing where she’s going or when she’ll be back. If phones were still around…” I sighed.

  “I know.” Jill agreed. “Okay, let’s move to the styling station.” She moved the bin of water. “Perfect!” We laughed. There was only the one chair and station. “What would you like done my dear?”

  “I don’t know. What do you think?” I asked.

  “I really liked the style you had last year that was kind of a bob.” Jill said.

  “Yeah. John hated that.” I replied.

  “But did you like it?” Jill asked.

  “I did.” I said.

  “And do you like the beard that he’s growing?” She asked me.

  “Not at all.” I responded.

  “Yet, he’s refusing to get rid of it…” Jill hinted.

  “You’re right. Let’s do a bob.” I smiled.

  “Awesome. Then it will also be really easy to maintain.” Jill said.

  I smiled. “That’s true.” She cut and styled my hair and it got my mind completely off of Cathy.

  “Thank you.” I said when she was finished.

  She smiled. “No problem Aleisha. Anytime.” She gave me a hug. “Remember, I’m always here for you. You can always talk to me.” She said.

  I smiled. “Same goes if you need someone to talk to.”

  “Mama!” Megan and Sarah ran in.

  “What’s up my beauties?” I asked.

  “Ooh! I love your hair!” Megan announced.

  “Me too!” Sarah agreed. “Angela said that if you go in with us, we can see the kittens!”

  “She did?” I teased them.

  “Yes!” They both said.

  “Let’s go then!” I responded.

  “Yay!” They cheered.

  “Thank you Jill!” I smiled.

  “No problem!” She replied. “I’m going to get the other kids. I’m sure they will want to see the kittens also.”

  “Good idea!” I said and went upstairs to see the kittens with my girls. They were so adorable. “Look how precious they are!”

  “They’re so tiny!” Megan replied. “Just like the new puppies.”

  “But they aren’t as big as the new puppies.” Sarah said.

  “That’s true.” Megan agreed.

  I smiled. “Alright. Let’s go so that the other kids can come in and so that mama kitty…”

  “Rapunzel!” Megan interrupted.

  “That’s right, Rapunzel doesn’t get nervous.” We left the room.

  “Aunt Cathy said that her and Uncle Robert are going on a little trip with Jenny, but that they won’t be gone for long.” Sarah said.

  I nodded. “That’s true.”

  “I’ll miss her.” Sarah said.

  “I’ll miss all of them!” Megan said.

  “Me too!” Sarah agreed.

  “Do you think that they will send a postcard?” Megan questioned me.

  “There’s no mail! They can’t send a postcard!” Sarah argued.

  “Well, okay. As long as they send pictures.” Megan said.

  “They can’t do that either!” Sarah replied.

  “Well, can they take pictures?” Megan asked.

  “I guess so.” Sarah said shrugging her shoulders.

  “So, why can’t they send them?” Megan asked.

  “There’s no one doing those jobs right now baby.” I responded.

  “Oh.” Megan replied. “How long will they be gone?”

  “Aunt Cathy already said that she doesn’t know!” Sarah lectured.

  “That’s why I’m asking mommy!” Megan explained.

  “I don’t know either honey.” I said as we walked downstairs. We met up with the other kids with Jill as they were coming into the house.

  “We just saw the kittens! They were so cute!” Megan said.

  “Let’s go see them!” Mary exclaimed. The kids got ready to run upstairs.

  “Hold on! You can’t go in without me and it’s only a couple at a time.” Jill stated.

  “Ladies first.” Caleb said. Nate groaned. Jill and I smiled.

  Sarah, Megan and I went outside. “I’m going to watch them work on the garden!” Sarah announced.

  “Me too!” Megan said. They ran off.

  “Be careful!” I shouted after them. They went to stand next to Emma and Piper who were watching Chase and Alex work.

  Cathy walked over to me and we got to talking about everything. I told her that I was going to miss her and she talked about a summer in highschool that she spent abroad. I explained that times were a bit different now than they were back then. She again just shrugged her shoulders. Finally, she just got my mind off of everything and we talked about when we were teenagers and had boyfriends. I think we both got the idea in our minds when we saw Piper and Emma watching Chase and Alex. I also told her about Nate and Sarah.

  John and Robert walked over. “I love your hair babe!” John said to me.

  “Really? Last time I got it done like this, you hated. It.” I replied.

  “I like it now!” John said.

  “It’s a lot easier to maintain.” I responded.

  “That’s true.” Robert agreed. “You should get your hair cut before we leave also.” Robert suggested to Cathy.

  “I think I will. I could get a bob also. We could be the Bobbsey Twins.” Cathy said. I smiled. Robert shook his head.

  “Robert, I think you should style your hair like mine.” John joked. “Then, we could be twinsies!”

  “Ooh! That sounds so nice!” Robert laughed.

  “I’m going to miss this.” I commented.

  “We’ll be back before you have a chance to miss us.” Robert said.

  “I’ll miss Cathy a lot earlier than you!” I joked.

  “Ouch!” Robert laughed.

  We heard barking. “Oh no!” I said.

  The kids ran over. “Do we need to go in?” Piper asked.

  “I’ll run and check.” John said. “Get next to the house in case.”

  Robert and John went to the side of the house. A minute later, they were back. Robert was holding Mr. Doggleton. “This guy was barking at the goat and about to be headbutted!”

  “Would teach him something.” John said.

  “Oh no! Come here my baby!” Cathy took him and held him. “I’m going to miss my wittle baby, but mommy and daddy won’t be gone long and Auntie Aleisha and Uncle John are going to take good care of you!”

  “Stop torturing that poor dog with that baby voice.” Robert laughed. We all laughed.

  “I’ll put him in the house for now. It will give the animals a break from his mouth.” She opened the door and got ready to put him in.

  “Can I give him some snacks?” Nate asked. He had just walked outside.

  “Sure!” Cathy said.

  “Wait!” Robert demanded. “Raise your hand if you have given him a snack today.” Mary, Megan, Jill and John raised their hands.

  Robert looked at John and John smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “I wuv his wittle face!” John laughed.

  Robert shook his head, but smiled. “I think that he’s had
enough for right now.”

  “But just one!” Nate pleaded.

  Robert sighed. “Okay, just one, but that’s it. No wonder why the dog has put on so much weight!” We all laughed.

  “But he runs around so much, he burns it off!” Caleb laughed.

  “That’s true!” Sarah said. “When can I give him snacks?”

  Cathy laughed. “We’ll let your mother decide. Soon, you guys will be in charge of him.”

  “You’re not taking him with you?” Sarah asked.

  “We can’t.” Cathy said shaking her head. “Not on this trip.”

  “So, we’ll be babysitting him for you?” Megan asked.

  “You will.” Robert said.

  “That means that we can dress him up.” Megan exclaimed.

  “What?” Robert said. “Mr. Doggleton already has a problem with his name, but now you’re going to dress him up also?”

  Sarah and Megan giggled. “Yes!”

  Robert shook his head. “Poor dog!”

  “We can dress you up instead!” Megan suggested.

  “Yeah and do your nails!” Sarah said.

  “And his hair!” Brianna giggled.

  “No way!” Robert said.

  “Please?” All the girls begged.

  “Fine, but no girly colors okay? I’m a manly man.” Robert said.

  “My teacher said that no color is a boy color or girl color!” Sarah commented.

  “Pink it is.” Piper laughed.

  “Not pink! John, help me!” Robert begged.

  “Nope! I’m escaping while I can.” John ran off.

  “Mama, you and daddy need to play a board game with us after. You promised.” Sarah said.

  I had already forgotten about that. “Okay.” I agreed.

  “Yay! Come on Uncle Robert!” Megan said. The kids pulled him inside.

  “Oh boy! I have to watch this!” Cathy said and followed them inside. John came back over.

  “You doing a little better?” He asked.

  “I am.” I said.

  “Good. Come see what we have done with the garden so far.” He begged.

  “Okay. After we have to play a board game with the girls.” I replied.

  “Sounds good.” We walked over to the garden and he explained all the plans that they had, including the meat smoker that a couple of the guys and Angela were working on right now. I tried to listen, but I had too many thoughts in my head. In two days, life would change again. What would life be like after, I wondered? Would Cathy, Robert and Jenny return? What would they find out there? Would they rid the world of that group of dangerous ones and how many more dangerous ones were out there? Would we ever go back to the life we had before with school, work, having our own home?

  The next two days flew by and before we knew it, it was time to hug my sister and brother-in-law goodbye. I gave Jenny a hug also. There were a lot of tears, but the promise was that they would be back one day. Their adventure was beginning and we would begin another day on the farm missing loved ones but knowing that life must and will go on.