Welcome to Hell: Rediscovering First Love

The four of us so different yet cut from the same cloth of fiber that could not be broken. The feeling of being with my three sisters while we waited was intensely soothing. I was home again. This was where I belonged without a doubt in my mind, I thought as I listened to their banter. My father pretended not to listen to us but I could tell he loved having his girls together again. His legs were stretched in front of him, crossed at the ankles. His head tipped back resting on the wall, eyes closed as if he were sleeping but he was listening. I could tell.

Michaela was sharing her most recent difficulty with Wynne who was thirteen and hormonal. I remembered Kat’s journey through puberty filled with angst and tears, then screaming and slamming doors. Then they were teasing Adin about the gym teacher Brad.

“I want to meet him while I’m home,” I told my sister absently.

Michaela cooed, “He’s a doll. Wynne has him for gym class. I met him at open house.”

“Not only is he handsome he’s very kind,” Adin told us.

She was lucky. I thought about James. How long had it b

een since he had done anything kind for me?

Then Gemma began complaining about the adjustments of being married. She wouldn’t have rushed into so quickly if she had known how hard it was to live with a man. All eyes were focused on Gem as she explained that Troy wanted to try to have a baby right away but Gem needed to get used to him before complicating their lives with a child.

I thought she was using her head. This closeness with my sisters I had missed. We had always felt this way about each other, even with Michaela who have had our differences. I talked to them regularly on the telephone or through emails but this time being with them and sharing our lives I had missed.

“Why did you climb that tree?” I asked absently.

“What?” My three sisters asked in unison clearing confused by my question.

Fleetingly I looked at them and realized they thought I had lost it “Remember Micki? You climbed the tree outside my bedroom window and Grandma Rosa marched outside and told you to get down.”

“What made you think of that?” Michaela asked me, head tilted to the side trying to remember the incident.

“Reminiscing. I was sitting at my window seat last trip and realized that from your vantage point in the tree that day you could have seen into my window. You probably could have just climbed through the window instead of climbing down. I thought you were so brave for going so high.”

“Gab, you’re nuts. Why does it matter?” Michaela was getting irritated.

“Why did you climb the tree that day?” I asked again.

“That isn’t important.”

“She was pissed about something,” Gem said,

“I was not,” Micki replied petulantly.

“She was,” Adin responded to Micki’s denial.

“You were only two how do you remember?” Micki snapped at Adin.

“You were angry with Grandma Rosa,” Adin declared knowingly.

“You’re right,” I agreed.

“Tell me why this important?” Michaela asked in a snappy tone. She was getting pissed at all of us.

“I’ve just been thinking a lot and wondered why you climbed so high.”

“Grandma Rosa had told her she couldn’t have more ice cream. Whenever Micki was mad she would climb that tree as high possible.”

“Where I thought I could escape them,” she said almost sadly. “Whenever either the grandparents or our parents argued I remember I would climb up the tree. I wish I could escape into that tree sometimes now.” My sister’s voice was far away and sad. I knew she was thinking of Byron.

“We all hated it when Yancy and Pop argued,” Gem said. “God were they loud.”

Adin and I looked at each other and laughed.

Pop’s ears perked up at the mention of his name.