Is Home Really Where The Heart Is?, chapter 12
"Caaaaaarrrrrrl...Caaaaaarrrrrrl..." What's that?...oh god, she slept over didn't she?! Aww man!
"CARL WAKE UP! It's Sunday, you shouldn't sleep in on a Sunday! Everyone knows that!"
"Well, that's not the way it worked back east, now go away." I pulled the covers up over my head and held them as tight as possible so she couldn't get them off. Unfortunately, I forgot to account for the bottom half of the sheets, so in seconds, my legs got cold. It was very uncomfortable considering my top half was dying of suffocation under the covers, while my bottom half was beginning to have frost bite set in from the cold air in my room. Ok, ok, so it was like 60 degrees, but it still felt cold to me.
"Get up! I'm bored and I've been up for two hours now watching you waiting for you to wake up." She said giving me these puppy-dog eyes. At least I guessed she was because I was still suffocating under the covers. She began jumping on my bed practically right on top of my head. So naturally, I pushed her knees, which resulted in them buckling and her falling on top of me then rolling off my bed onto the floor and right into my bass drum. It was her head hitting the bass drum that got me up. I ran over to her.
"What did you do to my drum set?!"
"Ow, my head." was her response.
"Oh geeze, are you ok Syd?"
"Yeah, I only lost another three point five worthless brain cells."
"Oh yeah, worthless...whatever you say." I helped her up and she just stood there...staring at something. What it was I'm not exactly sure, so I'll ask her.
"What are you staring at?"
"The light switch...it's so...light switch-y."
"Uhh...course it is. Come on, let's go have some breakfast." I started for the door.
"OK!" And with that she was out the door and already half way down the stairs. I was right behind her when she abruptly stopped. I ran into her.
"What's for breakfast?" she asked me.
"That's why you stopped?! To ask what was for breakfast?!"
"No, I originally stopped to admire the hand railing on the steps, but I got distracted by a moth and then I wanted to know what was for breakfast." Oh boy...whoa there's that moth she was talking about. That is entertaining!
"Uh...Syd, you go to the kitchen, I'll be right there...I just need to uhh... go to the bathroom."
Little did she know that I was sneaking off to find the hall closet in which her bag and Ritalin was stored in. I was able to both find the hall closet AND retrieve the drugs from her bag. I read the bottle, and snuck one or two (ok four), into my pocket of my pants, then continued into the kitchen. I found Syd sitting in a chair facing my refrigerator.
"Syd, why are you staring intently at the front of the refrigerator?" I asked her.
"I'm reading the pictures and magnets."
"They don't say anything except for the picture of the cow saying 'Good cheese come from happy cows, Happy cows come form California.'"
"I told you before...I enjoy the presence of cows."
"I'll make you an omelet, ok?"
"With cheese from the happy cows of the great state of California!?"
"Sure."
"WOOO! Yay! I get cheese from a happy cow! Wait, what if the cow was sad? Will the cheeses still taste the same?"
"Yes."
"Ok then!"
She began entertaining herself with God knows what. I started making an omelet for her and snuck the four pills into it somehow. I finished the egg dish and handed it to her on a plate, and I even gave her a fork and knife. As soon as it hit the counter, she examined it closely by lifting up all edges, looking at every little bit of it, and even, for some odd reason, listening to it.
"It sounds perfect!" Syd began eating, well, devouring it. I sat in astonishment at her ability to eat so much so fast.
"Did you know that your name could be made into 'Charlie'? Like, all you have to do is add an 'h' and you're Charlie!" She said between mouthfuls of egg...and cheese...spiked cheese.
"Yes, but did you know that 'Charlie' is actually a slang word for cocaine?"
"No way! I never knew that! You're so smart...how'd you know that?"
"I saw it in a book somewhere."
"You read a book? I would never see you as a reading type person."
"Well, I am...and that's really what 'Charlie' could means, and it means unintelligent person too. So see, you learned something new!"
"You know, I hate learning, but you make it fun! Will you tutor me in school subjects of which I do not understand?" Suddenly, her voice began to slow down and her movement all together lessened. It was amazing! The Ritalin! It's working! Hallelujah!
"Carlie? Would you be so kind as to get me a glass of water?" she asked. I stood there dumbfounded at how quickly it set in and how drastically it changed her. Those are some powerful drugs! Slowly I moved to the cupboard and retrieved a glass, then filled it with water from the sink. I set it down in front of her, still watching her actions with wide eyes.
"Why thank you ever so much Carlie. Please continue on with your breakfast. Just imagine I'm not here. I don't want to burden you at all." WHOA...
"Uhh...it's ok. I'm not that hungry all of a sudden." Yeah, 'cause I was so amazed at her changes!
The phone rang and it made me jump from my trance in which I was currently in. I went over and picked up the phone. Then I pressed the 'Talk' button so I could actually talk on it.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Hey Carlie, It's Mike! How are you today? I'm fine and dandy! Did you ever have coffee before? Coffee's good! I love coffee! It's my friend! How about you?" I'm supposing it was Mike all hopped up on coffee...just a guess.
"Uhh...hi Mike. Why are you calling here?"
"I wanted to know if Sydney was there. Is she there? Huh? Huh? Huh?"
"Yes." I said slowly, afraid of the effect my answer would have on a coffee induced sixteen year old.
"Can I talk to her? I uhh...put her on! Now!"
"Ok, ok...hold on." I walked over to Syd and covered up the mouth piece.
"Syd, Mike's on the phone. He wants to talk to you."
"Oh, thank you Carlie. You are such a fine young girl." she said smiling at me in a dopey manner. "Hello, Michael, how may I be of service to you on this fine Sunday morning?"
"CARLIE!" I heard coming through the phone.
"Michael, is that any way to behave when you are on the phone with someone? You could have permanently damaged my hearing." I went over and took the phone from her.
"Mike? Help. Please. She's acting like a mindless eighty year old!"
"Ok I'll be right over. In fact I should be over in about 3 minutes flat. You should time me! I always run! Do you like to run? Running is good for you! I wonder if coffee could help her? I'll bring my big on-the-go mug with the fresh coffee I just made! That should help her!" Oh dear...lose one psychopath, and you gain another.
"You do that Mike."
"Ok I will. Maybe I shou-" I hung up the phone before I let him finish.
"Carlie, that was not very nice of you to just hang up on Michael like that." I could hear Syd lecturing me, but ignored it. I was getting better and better at ignoring her lately, at least, when she wasn't jumping around on the walls.
Exactly three minutes later...Mike had arrived, with his coffee.
"Hi Carlie! I was on my way over and I got thirsty and I kind of drank the coffee. You should make another pot!"
"Mike how much coffee have you had so far?" I don't really know if I wanted to know if he knew how mudh coffee he drank so far... Did that make sense?
"About 10 cups! Ten BIG cups and then I had the mug on the way. I love coffee! Coffee is-" And he hit the floor before he could finish. I was amazed. He was hopped up on over 12 cups of coffee, and he fell asleep in my house. I managed to drag him over to the couch, I'm strong like that., but that doesn't necessarily mean he made it onto the couch...I couldn't lift him up, so I left him there next to the couch. I did however grab a pillow and place it on his head so he was slightly comfortable. How mean do you think I am? Right then I vowed to never let Mike have any more than the needed amount of coffee to wake him up in the morning.
***
"Oh god, I have such a headache." I heard Mike complaining as he walked into the kitchen. I was reading the back of the milk carton as I ate my cereal when he came in.
"Well Mike, you only had about 15 cups of coffee then passed out on my floor, so I can't possibly imagine why your head hurts."
"Oh yeah, the coffee...I'm never drinking coffee again."
"Sure, we'll see how long that lasts." He sat down and began to stare at me. Stop looking at me!
"Why are you-...What do you want for breakfast? There's still some eggs left over from Syd's omelet." I asked. I catch on quick!
"I'll pass on the omelet, but since you mentioned it...I'll have some eggs and toast! Can I?"
"Sure." I got up and began making Mike some eggs...and toast. Me, having my mad cooking skills from my mom, managed to burn myself at least twice. Stupid toaster! That's when Syd came in.
"Why hello Michael, I did not know you were here. How come you did not tell me Michael was coming over Carlie?"
"He fell asleep on the floor and I forgot to tell you...oops." I shrugged as I flipped some eggs. I should get paid for this.
"Carlie?" Mike asked.
"Yeah?"
"Why is Sydney talking like a monotone eighty year old?"
"I gave her her Ritalin this morning. What else could calm her down?" I put some eggs on the plate followed by the toast.
"How much? I've never seen, or heard, her like this." I looked over to Syd who was folding napkins.
"Uhh...four. Why?" I questioned as I put his plate down in front of him.
"Can I see the bottle?"
"Sure." I got up and went to find the bottle of drugs that were to keep Syd talking at a normal pace. I found the bottle and handed them to Mike.
"There ya go. Oh, and I gave her 4 because it said four every two days, and she said she didn't take any yesterday."
"That says two every four[i] days!"
"So I just overdosed her on Ritalin... I knew I was somewhat dyslexic with numbers." [i] Oh darn, that can't be good.
"I guess we'll have to see what happens." we both just looked toward Syd who was enjoying herself as she folded napkins into elaborate shapes.
"CARL WAKE UP! It's Sunday, you shouldn't sleep in on a Sunday! Everyone knows that!"
"Well, that's not the way it worked back east, now go away." I pulled the covers up over my head and held them as tight as possible so she couldn't get them off. Unfortunately, I forgot to account for the bottom half of the sheets, so in seconds, my legs got cold. It was very uncomfortable considering my top half was dying of suffocation under the covers, while my bottom half was beginning to have frost bite set in from the cold air in my room. Ok, ok, so it was like 60 degrees, but it still felt cold to me.
"Get up! I'm bored and I've been up for two hours now watching you waiting for you to wake up." She said giving me these puppy-dog eyes. At least I guessed she was because I was still suffocating under the covers. She began jumping on my bed practically right on top of my head. So naturally, I pushed her knees, which resulted in them buckling and her falling on top of me then rolling off my bed onto the floor and right into my bass drum. It was her head hitting the bass drum that got me up. I ran over to her.
"What did you do to my drum set?!"
"Ow, my head." was her response.
"Oh geeze, are you ok Syd?"
"Yeah, I only lost another three point five worthless brain cells."
"Oh yeah, worthless...whatever you say." I helped her up and she just stood there...staring at something. What it was I'm not exactly sure, so I'll ask her.
"What are you staring at?"
"The light switch...it's so...light switch-y."
"Uhh...course it is. Come on, let's go have some breakfast." I started for the door.
"OK!" And with that she was out the door and already half way down the stairs. I was right behind her when she abruptly stopped. I ran into her.
"What's for breakfast?" she asked me.
"That's why you stopped?! To ask what was for breakfast?!"
"No, I originally stopped to admire the hand railing on the steps, but I got distracted by a moth and then I wanted to know what was for breakfast." Oh boy...whoa there's that moth she was talking about. That is entertaining!
"Uh...Syd, you go to the kitchen, I'll be right there...I just need to uhh... go to the bathroom."
Little did she know that I was sneaking off to find the hall closet in which her bag and Ritalin was stored in. I was able to both find the hall closet AND retrieve the drugs from her bag. I read the bottle, and snuck one or two (ok four), into my pocket of my pants, then continued into the kitchen. I found Syd sitting in a chair facing my refrigerator.
"Syd, why are you staring intently at the front of the refrigerator?" I asked her.
"I'm reading the pictures and magnets."
"They don't say anything except for the picture of the cow saying 'Good cheese come from happy cows, Happy cows come form California.'"
"I told you before...I enjoy the presence of cows."
"I'll make you an omelet, ok?"
"With cheese from the happy cows of the great state of California!?"
"Sure."
"WOOO! Yay! I get cheese from a happy cow! Wait, what if the cow was sad? Will the cheeses still taste the same?"
"Yes."
"Ok then!"
She began entertaining herself with God knows what. I started making an omelet for her and snuck the four pills into it somehow. I finished the egg dish and handed it to her on a plate, and I even gave her a fork and knife. As soon as it hit the counter, she examined it closely by lifting up all edges, looking at every little bit of it, and even, for some odd reason, listening to it.
"It sounds perfect!" Syd began eating, well, devouring it. I sat in astonishment at her ability to eat so much so fast.
"Did you know that your name could be made into 'Charlie'? Like, all you have to do is add an 'h' and you're Charlie!" She said between mouthfuls of egg...and cheese...spiked cheese.
"Yes, but did you know that 'Charlie' is actually a slang word for cocaine?"
"No way! I never knew that! You're so smart...how'd you know that?"
"I saw it in a book somewhere."
"You read a book? I would never see you as a reading type person."
"Well, I am...and that's really what 'Charlie' could means, and it means unintelligent person too. So see, you learned something new!"
"You know, I hate learning, but you make it fun! Will you tutor me in school subjects of which I do not understand?" Suddenly, her voice began to slow down and her movement all together lessened. It was amazing! The Ritalin! It's working! Hallelujah!
"Carlie? Would you be so kind as to get me a glass of water?" she asked. I stood there dumbfounded at how quickly it set in and how drastically it changed her. Those are some powerful drugs! Slowly I moved to the cupboard and retrieved a glass, then filled it with water from the sink. I set it down in front of her, still watching her actions with wide eyes.
"Why thank you ever so much Carlie. Please continue on with your breakfast. Just imagine I'm not here. I don't want to burden you at all." WHOA...
"Uhh...it's ok. I'm not that hungry all of a sudden." Yeah, 'cause I was so amazed at her changes!
The phone rang and it made me jump from my trance in which I was currently in. I went over and picked up the phone. Then I pressed the 'Talk' button so I could actually talk on it.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Hey Carlie, It's Mike! How are you today? I'm fine and dandy! Did you ever have coffee before? Coffee's good! I love coffee! It's my friend! How about you?" I'm supposing it was Mike all hopped up on coffee...just a guess.
"Uhh...hi Mike. Why are you calling here?"
"I wanted to know if Sydney was there. Is she there? Huh? Huh? Huh?"
"Yes." I said slowly, afraid of the effect my answer would have on a coffee induced sixteen year old.
"Can I talk to her? I uhh...put her on! Now!"
"Ok, ok...hold on." I walked over to Syd and covered up the mouth piece.
"Syd, Mike's on the phone. He wants to talk to you."
"Oh, thank you Carlie. You are such a fine young girl." she said smiling at me in a dopey manner. "Hello, Michael, how may I be of service to you on this fine Sunday morning?"
"CARLIE!" I heard coming through the phone.
"Michael, is that any way to behave when you are on the phone with someone? You could have permanently damaged my hearing." I went over and took the phone from her.
"Mike? Help. Please. She's acting like a mindless eighty year old!"
"Ok I'll be right over. In fact I should be over in about 3 minutes flat. You should time me! I always run! Do you like to run? Running is good for you! I wonder if coffee could help her? I'll bring my big on-the-go mug with the fresh coffee I just made! That should help her!" Oh dear...lose one psychopath, and you gain another.
"You do that Mike."
"Ok I will. Maybe I shou-" I hung up the phone before I let him finish.
"Carlie, that was not very nice of you to just hang up on Michael like that." I could hear Syd lecturing me, but ignored it. I was getting better and better at ignoring her lately, at least, when she wasn't jumping around on the walls.
Exactly three minutes later...Mike had arrived, with his coffee.
"Hi Carlie! I was on my way over and I got thirsty and I kind of drank the coffee. You should make another pot!"
"Mike how much coffee have you had so far?" I don't really know if I wanted to know if he knew how mudh coffee he drank so far... Did that make sense?
"About 10 cups! Ten BIG cups and then I had the mug on the way. I love coffee! Coffee is-" And he hit the floor before he could finish. I was amazed. He was hopped up on over 12 cups of coffee, and he fell asleep in my house. I managed to drag him over to the couch, I'm strong like that., but that doesn't necessarily mean he made it onto the couch...I couldn't lift him up, so I left him there next to the couch. I did however grab a pillow and place it on his head so he was slightly comfortable. How mean do you think I am? Right then I vowed to never let Mike have any more than the needed amount of coffee to wake him up in the morning.
***
"Oh god, I have such a headache." I heard Mike complaining as he walked into the kitchen. I was reading the back of the milk carton as I ate my cereal when he came in.
"Well Mike, you only had about 15 cups of coffee then passed out on my floor, so I can't possibly imagine why your head hurts."
"Oh yeah, the coffee...I'm never drinking coffee again."
"Sure, we'll see how long that lasts." He sat down and began to stare at me. Stop looking at me!
"Why are you-...What do you want for breakfast? There's still some eggs left over from Syd's omelet." I asked. I catch on quick!
"I'll pass on the omelet, but since you mentioned it...I'll have some eggs and toast! Can I?"
"Sure." I got up and began making Mike some eggs...and toast. Me, having my mad cooking skills from my mom, managed to burn myself at least twice. Stupid toaster! That's when Syd came in.
"Why hello Michael, I did not know you were here. How come you did not tell me Michael was coming over Carlie?"
"He fell asleep on the floor and I forgot to tell you...oops." I shrugged as I flipped some eggs. I should get paid for this.
"Carlie?" Mike asked.
"Yeah?"
"Why is Sydney talking like a monotone eighty year old?"
"I gave her her Ritalin this morning. What else could calm her down?" I put some eggs on the plate followed by the toast.
"How much? I've never seen, or heard, her like this." I looked over to Syd who was folding napkins.
"Uhh...four. Why?" I questioned as I put his plate down in front of him.
"Can I see the bottle?"
"Sure." I got up and went to find the bottle of drugs that were to keep Syd talking at a normal pace. I found the bottle and handed them to Mike.
"There ya go. Oh, and I gave her 4 because it said four every two days, and she said she didn't take any yesterday."
"That says two every four[i] days!"
"So I just overdosed her on Ritalin... I knew I was somewhat dyslexic with numbers." [i] Oh darn, that can't be good.
"I guess we'll have to see what happens." we both just looked toward Syd who was enjoying herself as she folded napkins into elaborate shapes.
