Sugarpill

2- Ice Cream

                     At that moment, Mom came into the living room. She looked to me. “Are you okay, Mitchell? I heard that you are going to dinner with Pennelope Phelps…that ought to be interesting,”

                     “My gawd…is there anywhere in this house that doesn’t have ears?” I asked, as Mom laughed. She looked up at me, rustling my hair, as how I was now slightly taller than she was. “Don’t be so prude. I’m sure a year at school has made Pennelope a little less…bratty,”

                     “Now you’re making a mockery of my situation,” I groaned, mother laughing again. She knew how Pennel was, and out of all Meridian’s friends she liked Pennel, the least…but Mom didn’t let it show in her manners. “Am I? She’s nice looking, she’s a go-getter, um….she has…um…all her teeth,”

                     At that point, I laughed, as Mom had run out of compliments. We walked into the kitchen, and sat at the table. The dinner looked delicious as usual- roasted chicken with herbs, julienne potatoes, steamed string beans with a light glaze of butter on them, and honey-butter rolls…there was also a plum/orange sauce to pour over the chicken. Mom poured our glasses with wine. I looked to her oddly. “Oh, so you’re letting me drink here now,”

                    “I feel you’re mature enough,” replied mother. “Now your sister, on the other hand- that is a different story,”-I kinda swallowed…obviously, mother knew of Meridian’s partying escapades, and getting sloshed to the point where she could barely drag herself in the house- one time it was so bad that when Meridian vomited in the toilet, she pissed and shitted on herself at the same time. I had to pick her up and put her in the shower…I put on dish gloves, and threw out the ruined underwear. Meridian woke up, scared as hell, because she thought someone had slipped her some roofies, and raped her. She came to my room, crying and hysterical as hell. I wanted to keep my mouth shut, and make the whole incident my own little private joke, but when she started freaking out about possibly having an STD, or possibly being pregnant by her “anonymous date-raper”, I had to spill the beans. Meridian’s facial expressions changed from angry, to mortified, to disgust, when I told her what happened. “You saw me NAKED?!”

                     I looked at her. “Be fucking forreal, Meridian…number one, I’m not some incestuous pervert- I’m your brother. Number two- cut me some slack! I wouldn’t have even seen that if you wouldn’t have urinated and defecated on yourself…that was fucking nasty, having to clean your shit up-literally,”- upon explaining that, Meridian stifled herself…she looked down once again, like she usually does.

                     “I’m sorry, Mitch…I’m sorry you had to see me like that and bother with me. I won’t do it again,” she said, wanting to cry. I gave her a hug. “We’re family…if I don’t bail you out of shit- no pun intended, who would?”

                    “I feel so embarrassed,” she squeaked, finally crying. “I made a fool of myself at the club, I’m sure,”

                    “It’ll be okay,” I breathed. So for the next few weekends, Meridian didn’t go out to the club…and when she finally did so again, she didn’t get as drunk as she had that particular weekend, but still there I was, dragging her inebriated ass upstairs and dumping her off in her bed.

                      So all that time, Mom and Dad were aware of her binge drinking…I wonder if they know of her little coke and Adderall habit she picked up in college? I heard the door shut, and heavy footsteps coming towards the dining room. I looked up, as Dad stepped into the dining room. Mother rose, and went to retrieve him a plate. He had taken off his work coat. “Hey Mitchell…how is school?”