The A Girls Archive

“You need to talk to someone.” Alice gave her recommendation to April with a thunk to the back of April’s bobbing head.

“I can’t hear your nonsense!” April hollered to the world and pointed at the head phones partially askew on her ears.

Alice stopped in her tracks ready to head the two steps back to April to exhibit very unladylike behavior. Alma, slyly peering up from a comic book, noted how Alice’s hands were clenched into fists. “Alice, if you hit her with a fist like that you will break your thumb. Your thumb goes on the outside of the fingers, not against the palm of your hand.”

“Of course you would know, Alma. Isn’t that a wonderful thing to know? How to punch someone. How to be violent.” Alice, like herself but amplified, stared a hole into Alma’s forehead.

“Well, Alice, to be honest it has come in handy and not a few times in your defense. So knock it off. What’s your problem?” Alma shut her comic book making it clear that the last question was an offer as well as a rebuke.

“She needs help. She’s out of control.” Alice raised her voice answering Alma but directing her volume at the back of April’s head.

“Do you have a specific reason why or is it the usual? Really Alice, I need details if I am going to help in any way.”

At that Alice stomped from the room yelling after her, “Who asked you for your help?! You’d just make things worse!”

Alma eased out of her chair and sat down on the floor next to a head bobbing April. “I see you have borrowed her shoes. I assume without asking, but that’s not enough to question your mental state is it? I mean they are pretty ugly but come on.”

April ignored the invitation to commiserate and began to hum and move her shoulders to a beat.

“What is up with you two? Wait. Why do I care?” Alma pressed her hands against the floor ready to give up and then she noticed the floor. More precisely she noticed the lack of anything on the floor.

“April, those headphones aren’t connected to anything?” Alma asked and was ignored. April kept on humming. As Alma stood trying to suss out what was going on and trying to figure out why she was even interested, the mother yelled down from the top of the stairs, “April! Get you butt up here this minute!”

April ignored the demand and began to sway to what seemed like it may have been a jazz or blues tune.

“She is not listening to anything!” Alma answered for April with unintended rebellion.

A furious thumping grew more imperative as it came closer. The mother appeared over the banister to the living room where two of her daughters were bobbing their heads. ‘What the… April! Where is all of my make up? What have you done? Answer me!”

April, without looking over to the mother threw the headphones to the ground and made a run for the door. Alma instinctively put a foot out.

“Sorry Ape. Habit.” She held a hand out to her sister who had fallen and lay splayed face down on the carpet. “Screw you, Alma!” April cried and real tears started to come from her. Alma could tell they were real because April’s face had turned berry red.

“Okay. I have no idea what is going on here, but I am out of this. It’s an every day disaster with you people.” Alma slapped her hands to her thighs and walked outside to sit on the front steps and look at ants.

Alice, who’d taken up residence for toe examination on the far east end of the porch sighed loudly.

“I’m not going to ask, so you can stop your sighing.” Alma said.

“She’s crazy. She almost got me fired. There are four girls coming over to beat her up and she has two bottles of vodka in her closet. And a funnel.” Alice continued her toe examination and began to push the cuticles back from the nails.

Alma turning to see Alice noted, “So is it just me or is toe picking in public just about the grossest thing a person can do?”

“She stole three pounds of fudge and smeared it all over my boss’ son’s car. She threw a jumbo cherry slush at the witches who always push that stroller around town. And she broke stuff. Stuff she can’t hope to repay. I don’t know if my boss called the police or not. He just asked me to leave for the day and take care of her.” Alice stopped picking at her toes and began to cry, “Why are all of my sisters so embarrassing? What did I do to deserve this?”

“You know his name?” Alma began ticking off a list of the usual suspects in her head.

“No boy this time. She’s just nuts.” Alice whined and threw her hands down to her sides.

Alma pushed herself up and brushed off her back side making ready to investigate but the mother stood in the doorway. Then she turned silently back to the living room and shut the door. “I suppose I am to assume there will be no closure.” Alma said.

“Who cares about your closure. I don’t. You can stop talking to me now.” Alice replied.

“I was talking to myself. Better company.” Alma shot back and made her way down the front steps from the porch.

“I’m glad you like it. Knowing you, it’s all you’ll have for a very long time.” Alice said it just loud enough to make Alma quicken her pace to the sidewalk.

In four separate places a single thought merged in the wind, “I have got to get out of this place.”

This entry was posted on Monday, July 12th, 2010 at 10:35 pm and is filed under Parts, The A Girls. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.