southside trash [shameless]

• Chapter 16 • Ginger •

"Good job you guys, and don't ask." I smile tiredly at her.

"Hey Kev, it's me," Fiona says on the phone, "uh, can I borrow your car just for the night? I just need to-"

She's interrupted by Frank mumbling a unenthusiastic protest and pulling the phone away from her, hanging it up and putting it down.

"You won't need the car." He mumbles in defeat.

"How are we gonna get Ginger?" I look at him in confusion.

"She's dead." He deadpans.

"What?" Fiona and I exclaim in unison.

"Who's dead?" Debbie peeks up in interest.

"Aunt Ginger." Lip responds, sounding quite lost.

"No!" She wails.

"Debs, you never met her." Lip reminds our little sister.

"And now I never will!" She explains in despair as if this is truly the worst thing to ever happen to her.  As opposed the Carl who is silently fiddling with the hairdryer cables completely oblivious to the whole situation.

"Don't give me a hard time. I've been very upset about this." Frank attempts to defend himself, "I'm in mourning."

"When did she die?" Fiona asks.

Frank hesitates, shrugging as though he's trying to figure out when. "Twelve years ago."

We all look at him in absolute shock and exasperation.

"Well, Debs, seems like you never had the chance to meet her." I try to joke.

"I was trying to protect you all from the trauma." He gives us a fake excuse.

"Shit." Fiona mutters under her breath.

"How do you think I feel?" Frank asks rhetorically, "that woman was my heart and soul. She practically raised me."

"Dad. You've been cashing her checks." I point out, "that's a felony.  We're living in her house, was there even a will?"

"You don't need a will if she's not technically dead." Frank says as if it makes any sense.

"Yes," Fiona slowly replies, "She is technically dead, Dad. Dead is dead. Just because you haven't told anybody that she's dead doesn't make her not dead." She says walking around the counter towards him, "fuck!"

"What are we gonna do now?" I vocalise the question that we're all thinking.

"Well..." Veronica smirks, before proposing a plan she's formulated. We steal an old lady from the old people's home where she works and have them masquerade as Ginger for the social security lady.

Once we've all agreed it's the best plan we're gonna come up with, Fiona, Debbie, Frank and Veronica head off to go pick out our stand-in.

I'm sitting on the couch doing some AP Biology work when they walk through the door with a sweet old lady.

She looks around the room, mouth agape, "oh my goodness."

"What's wrong?" Veronica says calmly, placing her handbag down on the coffee table.

"Nothing." She replies, allowing us to all let out a breath of relief, "everything is just the way I remember it."

"We kept the house exactly the same Aunt Ginger." Fiona says, smiling at the woman and rubbing her shoulder.

"Oh, I can see that dear." She smiles, "oh, look, there's the bookcase my brother Norman built." She points to the bookcase that her brother Norman most definitely didn't build.