It was raining, but thankfully Angie's teacher had an umbrella.
Standing outside the school, holding Angelica's hand, the two waited for Angie's mom to pull up to get her daughter. It wasn't pouring, but it was wet enough for Angie to be wearing galoshes and a little rain slicker over her clothes. Her teacher checked her watch, and rolled her eyes. Angie's mother, Rebecca, was almost always late, but at least this time she had a reasonable explanation. The rain always screwed with traffic, and so it was likely this one wasn't her fault. After a bit, she finally saw Becca's car pulling up as it slowed to a stop and the passenger side door opened. Angie's teacher helped her climb inside and then shut the door as she looked through the window at Becca. "I'm so sorry," Becca said, "thank you for waiting with her, you're an absolute dream." "It's okay, I don't mind, I just wanna make sure everyone gets home safe," she replied, waving, "Have a good weekend." The car lurched forward and Becca pulled away, heading back onto the road as Angie buckled herself in. For a little bit, they just drove towards home, neither one saying a thing. As the car came to a stop at a red light, Angie looked out the window at the rain dripping off the trees leaves and smiled. She liked it when it rained. She finally looked back at her mom, who smiled warmly at her. "He's coming you know," she said. "He is?" "Mhm," Becca said, tapping her nails on the steering wheel, "He should be here soon. He was leaving a day ago, so he should be here anytime now. He's bringing you chocolate." Angie smiled. She loved chocolate, and she loved seeing her father. *** "Well," Leah said, sitting with Melanie in her office, "I think it's safe to say you're ready." "Is it safe to say that?" Mel asked. "Absolutely!" Leah said, chuckling, "You've shown remarkable growth and improvement, and as long as you stay on your medication, everything should stay the same, or improve. I'll schedule you for a weekly appointment, if you'd like, but I don't think you need weekly honestly. I'd say monthly would be better for you, but it's up to you." "I like weekly," Melanie said. "Weekly it is then," Leah said, jotting it down on her notepad as the door to her office opened, and they both looked at the door to see Emma entering, quietly apologizing as she took a seat beside Melanie on the couch. Leah looked back up at Melanie, capped her pen and said, "Congratulations, Melanie, you can go home." Melanie wanted to cry. She never expected this day to come. She was going to be able to see her apartment again, to see Gus every day again, to do whatever she wanted, wear whatever she wanted. She wasn't 'cured', she knew that much, but she was as close to 'cured' as someone like her could get, and god damn if she wasn't proud of herself. "You her ride?" Leah asked Emma, who nodded. "Yeah," Emma said, "We're meeting with some friends for lunch to celebrate her release, and I'm who she asked to get her." Just then Emma's cell rang, so she pulled it from her purse and answered it. It was Darren. She smiled as she exited the room, explaining how she was getting Melanie right now. After she'd left the room, Melanie stood up and stretched, as Leah walked to a small safe in her office and started turning the lock. "I have something for you," Leah said, opening the door to the safe and reaching inside, pulling out a crown. She stood back up and turned to face Mel, holding it out to her, adding, "remember? You left this in my care, and I said I'd hold onto it until you got back." "...my...my crown," Melanie said, staring at it blankly. "Don't take it if you think it's going to hurt you, obviously, but I figured you'd want it, especially after...well...you know." Melanie took the crown and smiled, her eyes wet with tears. She then threw her arms around Leah, hugging her firmly, making Leah laugh. "I couldn't have done this without you, thank you," she said softly. "It was my pleasure, Melanie," Leah replied. After leaving Leah's office, Emma gathered Mel's bags that she'd packed the night before, and carried them out to her car while Mel searched around her room for anything else she might've left. As she stood in her room, she heard some feet approach the door and assumed Emma was back, but when she turned, she saw Amelia standing there, looking at her shoes. Mel walked towards the door, but Amelia wouldn't look up. "You're getting out?" Amelia asked quietly. "Mhm, leaving any minute now. I was going to stop by and see you before I went, so I'm glad you-" "I made you this," Amelia said, holding out a small picture book, which Melanie took and looked at, before looking back at Amelia. "You can come," Melanie said, "You're not stuck here. You can come with me." "...I like it here," Amelia said, "It's safe in here." "It can be safe out there too, if you have the right people," Melanie said, "let me be the right person." Amelia blushed, but shook her head. Mel felt her heart drop, but she knew she couldn't push her to do something she didn't feel comfortable doing. This was where she lived, and who was Melanie to make her leave her home? Melanie ran her hand up to Amelia's face, making her finally look up, their eyes catching one another. Melanie smiled, then leaned in and kissed her for what felt like an eternity. After it ended, she rested her forehead on Amelia's, both their eyes shut, and she smiled. "I'll come back for you," she whispered. Melanie joined Emma in the car a few minutes later, and together they drove towards a nearby BBQ place, where they were to meet Gus and Bea and Darren. Sitting in the car, watching the mental home get smaller in the distance, Melanie wanted to cry. All her life she'd been terrified of winding up in a place like that, and now she was terrified of leaving it behind. She felt Emma put a hand on her thigh, and she smiled, resting her hand on Emma's. At least she had her friends. After all, what's a princess without her loyal subjects? *** It had been weeks, and no phone call, no arrival, no chocolates. Angie was heartbroken, and Rebecca was furious, though she didn't let Angie see this. She kept trying to call, but she only ever got voicemail, and eventually, even the phone was shut off. Now she had no way of reaching him. How could this happen? How could he just vanish like this, without ever saying a word? Then, one morning, when preparing to drive Angie to school, Rebecca was approached by a cop in the lot of the apartment complex. The windows were up, so Angie couldn't hear anything, but she saw her mother talking to the cop momentarily, before cupping her mouth with her hands and screaming before dropping to her knees. She watched the cop kneel and console her mother, but she didn't have any understanding as to what was going on. After a few minutes, Rebecca climbed into the car and started it, trying her best not to cry anymore. "What's wrong?" Angie asked. "...nothing's wrong, baby, let's go to school," Rebecca said. This news would have to be delivered delicately, Rebecca thought as she turned the key in the ignition, hearing the car roar to life. After all, how do you break it to a little girl that her father is dead? The things that kind of loss could do to a child, she thought. *** "She's got you beat, dude, give it up," Gus said as he watched Bea and Darren have a rib eating contest while waiting for Emma and Melanie to arrive. They were seated at a long table by a window in the back, and he was nothing if not impressed by Bea's abilities to scarf down food. "This is bullshit," Darren said, tossing a bone down on his plate, "she's younger than me, she's got a better metabolism." "Dude we're the same age," Bea said. "Really?" "Yeah huh," Bea replied, nodding, setting her own bone down now and grinning, "I can't help it if I'm a glutton." "You keep showing me new skills and I keep finding each one more impressive than the last," Gus said, kissing her cheek, making her laugh as Emma and Melanie arrived at the table. Emma sat beside Darren, while Melanie sat on the other side of Gus, who leaned over and hugged her, making her giggle. "I'd hug you too, honey, but I'm all saucy," Bea said, wriggling her fingers at Mel. "Boy if that ain't the truth," Gus said, making them laugh. "So," Darren said, leaning forward and wiping his mouth on a napkin, "How's it feel, kid? To be out of there? Be back on the outside? Got any plans now that you're among society again?" "She didn't get released from prison, Darren, what the hell," Emma said, chuckling as she lifted his iced tea to her lips and sipped. "It's...weird," Melanie said, "When you go into a place like that, it seems like it'll be for forever, but...it isn't for forever, and eventually when you're let out, it feels like you were never there before. But...I wanna apologize to everyone, because my behavior wasn't-" "No," Gus said, interrupting her, "no, I mean, yes, your weren't stable and it was dangerous, but...honestly, Mel, our lives were awful before you, and now they're better because of you. These two were milquetoast as hell," he said, motioning at Darren and Emma, both of who laughed as he added, "and me...I was a barely recovering alcoholic and I didn't think I could ever trust anyone to get close to me again, and you kicked in my door and forced me to be friends with you, and I don't think I could ever thank you enough for that. Recognize you were ill, certainly, but don't apologize for it. It wasn't your fault, and now you're better, so it all worked out." Melanie wanted to cry. She had the best friends anyone could ever ask for. She leaned her head on Gus's shoulder and shut her eyes. And yet, happy as she was, there were still lingering issues in her mind. She missed Amelia, and she hated that she wouldn't leave the home, and of course, there was the issue regarding Shane's apartment... After a while of gorging themselves on BBQ, Bea goaded Darren into beating her at pool, while Emma watched, leaving Gus and Melanie alone at the table. They watched from the table and laughed, each drinking a soda of their own, until Melanie finally cleared her throat and looked at Gus. "I need your help," she said. "Yeah, with what?" he asked, scratching his nose. "...I need to clean out Shane's apartment," she said, "Mom wants to give it up, obviously, so we need to clear it out. She can't bear to do it herself, so she's asked me, and now I'm asking you, because I'm not sure I'm strong enough to do it on my own, to be honest." "Yeah, that's no problem, I could do that with you," Gus said, "When?" "I was hoping tomorrow," Mel said, "I mean, unless that doesn't work for you, or whatever." "Naw, tomorrow's fine. Bea's got training anyway for the faire this year, so I'll be free," he said. "...do you still like me?" Melanie asked quietly, surprising him. "What do you mean?" he asked, "Why wouldn't I?" "I guess I just always believed that people didn't like me when I was, I don't know, stable? Once I was admitted, I worried that if I got better, you guys would stop liking me. You wouldn't wanna be my friend anymore because I wasn't interesting anymore-" "You weren't 'interesting', Melanie, you were worrisome. Don't ever think your poor mental faculties are what made you interesting. What makes you interesting is the fact that you decided it'd be better if you were healthier. That's a strength not everyone has," Gus said, "Hell, it took my marriage to fall apart for me to admit that my drinking was a detriment, not a quirk. You're stronger than I am, and I'm stronger now for having known you." Melanie smiled and looked at the table, trying not to let him see her cry. She reached across the table, and he held her hand. "I love you, Melanie," he said, "you're my best friend, man. I'm so glad you're home." "I'm glad I'm home too. I love you too, man," she said, "thanks for keeping my shit together while I was gone." "Thanks for getting your shit together while you were gone," Gus said, the both of them laughing. Yes, it was a wonderful first day of the rest of her life. She'd worry about Shane's apartment the next day. *** Angie had been morose since Rebecca had told her about her fathers death. She wouldn't play the way she used to, she didn't like anything she used to like, and frankly, Rebecca was beginning to get worried. She watched Angie lay on her bed and color, but she didn't color with vigor anymore. It was more like something to do to pass the time, not an activity she actually enjoyed. Becca walked away from the room and sighed, scratching her head and fighting back tears. She thought back to when Angie had been born, and what he'd said that day... "I'll always be here when she needs me" Sure, he'd said it, but where was he now? When she needed him most? Now he was nowhere, and children don't cope well with that level of abandonment, intentional or otherwise. She knew from the start he had another life, a life he couldn't bail on, but when he told her he was finally coming home, she knew that life was over and they could finally be a family. And now what were they? A broken family? No. A broken family was a family that couldn't find a way to be a family. He'd wanted them to be a family. This was an accident. They were broken, though. Just not in the traditional sense. *** "Wow, nice digs," Gus said as he and Melanie entered the apartment. Shane's place was well kept, organized, and minimal. It almost didn't even look lived in, as if he didn't spend a lot of his time here. Melanie shut the door behind them as they entered and she stood in the center of the living room, hands on her hips, exhaling, blowing her bangs from her eyes. "...this doesn't feel real," Melanie finally said, "This...this doesn't feel real. That's the only way I can describe it, as unreal, and as someone who's spent a good portion of her life dealing with unreality, let me tell you that I know what I'm talking about with confidence." Gus chuckled as he walked in more, looking through Shane's CD collection in the tower. "Had good taste in music, we could've been friends," he said. "He was always able to make friends, I was the one who had trouble," Mel said, walking to the table by his couch and opening it, pulling some things out as she added, "even then though, it always seemed like he was alone more often than not. I think he was scared. After dad died, I think he was scared to get that close to someone again, in case something happened to either himself or them." "Understandable," Gus said, pulling a CD from the tower, "ooh, this album's out of print!" "...this drawer has a fake bottom," Melanie said, catching Gus's attention. "What's that now?" he asked, turning and walking towards her. Melanie pulled the entire drawer out and then removed the false bottom, only to find an envelope underneath. She sat on the arm of the couch by the table and unclipped the top of the envelope, sliding out papers of all shapes and sizes. Gus sat beside her, looking at it with her, her eyes widening with each line read until they finally came to a photo. "...oh my god," Melanie whispered, "...oh my god." The papers? Birth certificates and other information regarding a little girl named Angelica, and a wedding certificate regarding Shane and a woman named Rebecca. And the photo? Well, the photo showed Shane and a little girl, presumably the same little girl the birth certificate belonged to, standing in front of a school together, as he hugged her tightly, and scribbled on the back was the writing "Princess's first day of kindergarten w/ dad!" Melanie collapsed back into the couch as everything she thought she knew about her brother melted away. Even Gus knew the implications, and didn't know how to react. The two of them sat together on the couch, staring at the apartment, unsure of how to go on. "...he had a daughter...a wife," Melanie whispered. *** Shane and Melanie were standing outside the school a few months after their fathers death, and Shane was buttoning the collar on Melanie's shirt as she struggled to get free. He grinned at her energy, then knelt down to be eye level with her and touched her face. "Remember to smile for your school photo," he said. "Why?" "Because you look nice when you smile," Shane said, "Remember? Dad always said you had the nicest smile he ever saw. I'll be back to pick you up after I'm out of school, okay? Just wait for me here. Now, salute." Melanie saluted and Shane saluted his little sister back. "Make the kingdom proud, your highness," he said.
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Royally Screwed follows 24 year old Melanie Irres, an average young woman...who legitimately believes she's a princess. Archives
July 2023
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