Chapter 3

Then:

I lived in fourth floor walk-up. I climbed the steps with a backpack full of groceries and four plastic bags in my right hand. I reached my floor and saw a crowd in the hall; four people. I didn’t recognize three of them at first. It had been seven and a half years since I’d spoken to them.

Squire stood near my door. I recognized her. I’d seen her twice in those seven-years and each time she’d appeared from nowhere and disappeared as quickly as she’d come with me catching a glimpse just after she’d blown up my romantic life with the same bullshit Tabby had made up. I noticed she had some deep scratches on her arm.

As I took in the others the recognition came so slowly. My mother’s hair had gone gray. She looked fragile in a way I’d never seen before.

Steve looked twenty years older, rather than seven. I suspected he was still working at the plant from that alone. He was still stuck in the fate I would’ve chewed off a leg to avoid.

Tabby was worse for the wear. She’d been crying and she had a black eye and bruising on the same side of her face to match and she was holding her shoulder which showed me she was missing two fingernails. The source of Squire’s scratches was obvious.

My mother spoke first, “Mark?”

“I don’t know who you people are, but you need to step aside so I can get into my apartment.”

Squire spoke, “You know who we are, knight ... we need to talk.”

I used my hand that only held my keys to wave indicating they should step aside. The crowd shifted and I popped open my door, slipped in, and slammed it behind me. I popped the lock and both deadbolts. The knocking started immediately.

I ignored it and went to put up my groceries. I’d intended to celebrate finally achieving most of my goals and that was ruined now. I’d spent three years surviving on ramen, three-day old pizza, and watering down canned soup, since my master’s didn’t come with a football team to play for to cover my tuition, room, and board. I’d intended to fix myself a good meal; Pork chops, multiple vegetables, and rolls. I hadn’t eaten that well since my last cafeteria meal. Instead, I likely wouldn’t eat that night.

I pulled out the latest book I was reading and dove for the couch I’d found thrown out four blocks over and drug here. I read for a while trying my best to ignore the knocking. I had to guess they were switching cause it just didn’t stop. After an hour I gave up and went to the door. I unlatched, unlocked, and opened it.

“What?”

Moira, “We’re sorry. We need to talk. Let us in.”

“I’ll let you flap your gums, then you go. You go and you don’t come back. If you fail to leave, I will call the police and you will be removed.” It takes around 90 minutes to respond to an emergency call here, but you don’t need to know that.

I opened the door and the four filed in. I shut and latched the door then went back to my salvaged couch. I wasn’t exactly flush with seating so that lead to the four of them standing around and searching the industrial carpet for any sign of dropped change.

“Are you okay, Tabby?”

Squire scoffed, “What? After what she did? That’s the first thing you ask.”

Tabby’s voice was a bit hoarse, “I’m fine.”

“Alright, How’d you assholes find me?”

Moira spoke, “Don’t be like that. We know we fucked up. We came to apologize. To invite you back home.”

I laughed, “You’d have to knock me out and tie me up to get me to go back to that fucking town. Now, answer the question or we’ll skip to the part where I call the cops to get you to leave.”

Squire said, “I always know where you are. Tabby and I followed you to Arizona and then here to Cali.”

“Why?”

Squire shook a bit, “Because I’ve been watching you to make sure you never did anything to someone else.”

“And here, I assumed the truth had come out ... that Tabby lied about me to make time with you. Did it work?”

Tabby wrapped her arms around herself in a tight self-hug and looked like she wanted to disappear. Moira spoke next, “That ... we just found out the truth ... and while, I’m not happy about the ... relationship that came from those lies. The past is the past. Now, we’re sorry. We were wrong. We need you to come home.”

“What did I tell you when you sprang this bullshit on me? It’s over. There is no forgiveness for you. You disowned me. You don’t get to take that back. You don’t get to apologize and have me return to a hell where I’m falsely known as a rapist because my sister didn’t just ask my other sister on a date ... as sick as that fucking idea is.”

Tabby countered, “We were already sleeping together when she told me about ... When she lied to me about you.”

“Eeew? Really? Eeeew.”

Tabby nodded, “She ... she wanted to bring you into it and I couldn’t have that. I’m sorry ... I thought it was the only way.”

Steve and Moira grimaced cause they apparently knew that already.

“Well, I wouldn’t have joined in anyway. You were my sisters. There is no way I’d ever lay a finger on either one of you.”

Squire seemed to take offense to that, “Why not?”

“Alright, I’ve got two more questions ... then you all need to leave.”

Steve, “You’re really just going to ignore us for the rest of your life?”

“Yep. How’d did the truth come out?”

Tabby answered, “I ... I told April when she was going to sabotage your job. She was going to write a letter to your new boss and get you fired ... I ... it was one thing when it was just girls ... you can always get another of those, but this was your dream and I couldn’t take that away from you too.”

“And she was upset with that which is why you have the bruising ... Alright, last question. I was cast out for bullshit Tabby made up, but Tabby cost you a son and a brother. Why is she still here even if it is a bit worse for wear? Why didn’t you disown her and kick her out for the damage she did?”