Kid cousin - Chayla (writing excerpt)

Chayla took one last drag on the nubby Parliament clenched between her lips, then dismembered it in the cheap ashtray (stolen from the Waffle House before it closed), looked at it gloomily for a moment, then flicked it out the open window. Her kid cousin was coming by later that afternoon, and Chayla wasn't thrilling at the idea of a reunion.

She didn't have anything against the girl, personally. She had always been kind of quiet and kept to herself at the holidays, and always seemed more interested in reading than talking. Sure. Chayla could appreciate that; when Steve and Mark and the two Kathys (one of them kin by blood, the other by marriage) were all under the same roof, there was no telling what was going to happen...but it usually involved football or NASCAR, and lots of swearing. Was it two Thanksgivings ago the next door neighbors had called the police on them, reporting a domestic disturbance. The Burgens weren't their next-door neighbors any more. Even though Chayla'd had no involvement in the fight—was sometimes appalled at how her uncles had escalated the feud—it gave her a grim sort of satisfaction that her family had won. Steve had invited the whole family over for a cookout the day after the Burgens had moved out. On the front lawn of the newly-vacated house. Sometimes blood runs thicker than water, even when it shouldn't.

The girl, though, had come from a slightly saner side of the family. She read books and didn't talk much. Didn't seem interested in cars or sports. The had probably been in girl scouts. She probably went to church on more than just Easter, and didn't feel like a guilt-ridden whore afterward. She probably volunteered at the local retirement hom oon Saturday mornings, and did her homework on time, and got straight A's (except maybe in gym class). She probably played clarinet or flute in marching band. She probably knew how to make a fucking diorama. Actually, that's why she was coming by. Not the diorama, but because she was touring Trinity, the little private college on the other side of town. Chayla had never looked into it, but she suspected they had a literature program. She sneered a little, and reached for the cigarette pack again. Damn, empty. She fidgeted with the carton, tearing it into little pieces.

No, the reason she wasn't fond of the girl were extremely simple. They didn't have anything to do with convoluted family politics, or academic rivalry (Chayla had finally made it out of high school years earlier, and was content to put that part of her life well behind her), or even honest and true bullyish rancor (although she would have been a positively brilliant target for it). It was because she was tall, she was skinny, she was blond, and she was totally oblivious. As far as Chayla knew she hadn't ever even been kissed, and here she was getting ready to graduate. And what's worse, she didn't seem to care about all that. It was little putting a hologram of a sandwich in front of a hungry man. Or describing a waterfall to someone who really had to pee. Infuriating!

Well, maybe it wasn't really that bad. After all, there was way more to life that sex. It's just that it was such a fun diversion. And it was maddening to see someone with all that potential so obviously wasting it. Aside from that, she really was a pretty alright kid. A little geeky, but, eh...what can you do about family?

The knock came on the door. Chayla dropped the mutilated cigarette carton and sidled downstairs to answer it. "Hey kiddo. how's it going? Come on in! How was Trinity?"

A bright smile flashed across Rose's face as she stepped into the duplex, then shrugged as she kicked off her shoes. "It was alright, I guess. Just another college I guess, you know? I don't think we could afford for me to go if I don't get scholarships or anything."

Which you will, Chayla snarked silently.

"But I guess it's a pretty good school, and the campus is pretty. The journalism and the American lit programs both sound kind of interesting."

Called it. Chayla chuckled. "Oh yeah? You'll have to tell me more about it. You want a drink? Got some PBR in the fridge."

Rose made a disgusted face, but there was a twinkle in her eye that made Chayla uncertain if she was serious or joking. "No thanks. I'm fine right now. Oh, but that reminds me. Mom gave me some money to order a pizza or treat you to supper or something, since you were nice enough to let me hang out for a while and take me home this evening."

Chayla tensed at the fridge, grappling the can in her hand. No one had said anything to her about taking Rose home. I guess she didn't have a choice, though. There was no way in hell the kid was going to stay here tonight, that was for sure. "You sure? No water or nothing?"

"No, I'm fine! I guess the tour was alright, but it was kind of boring and the tour guide was this junior, except it was just me and one other student and that student's mom so it was a small group, and the tour guide was just acting really weird and it was awkward and he wouldn't make eye contact and...I don't know. I just think he wasn't very good at it."

Chayla kept her thought to herself and dropped onto the other side of the ancient sofa, leaning against the armrest and crossing her legs. "Uh-huh?"

"That's...there's not a lot else, I guess."

Several moments passed, punctuated only by the sound of Chayla drinking.

"...I met a boy."

"At Trinity?"

"No. At the arcade."

"There's an arcade where you live? I thought the nearest one was in Madison."

"Well, there's not. Not really, at least. It's abandoned. Downtown. It closed down in the 70s. Seventy-eight, I think. I looked it up once."

"Huh. So, what's he deal and can you get me a discount?"

"Oh, shut up! Now you're making fun of me!" Chayla wasn't sure she'd ever seen someone smirk and glare at the same time before. Rose was an amusing mark.

"Well, okay. Maybe a little bit. But seriously, why were you hanging out in abandoned buildings? We haven't won you over to the dark side, have we?" Chayla mimed lighting a cigarette.

Rose made another face. "I found a pinball machine there. It still works, and I love it. I had never played pinball before. That's actually how we met. I was playing the machine, and I was really into it, and then when I lost I looked up and he was just there staring at me like he couldn't figure out why I was there."

"I bet it's because he couldn't figure out why you were there."

"You're doing it again. Making fun of me."

"Sure am." Chayla leaned precariously and set the half-empty beer can on the floor beside her. "But, for the sake of argument, let's assume this guy isn't a rapist or drug dealer, and I suspect you're going to tell me he's not homeless either, right? Because that's the other reason I can think of for someone to just hang out in abandoned buildings. And I can't help but think you're doing your damnedest to prove me wrong?"

"He's not homeless. I saw him a couple times at work before I ever met him. He wears some sort of uniform. He probably works at a restaurant or a store."

"You don't know?"

"We don't really talk about work."

Chayla's brow furrowed, partly out of curiosity, and partly because she was becoming increasingly confused. "I feel like I'm going to regret this, but what do you do?"

Who had replaced her stupid kid cousin with this person who, while obviously still stupid, was teetering precariously close to being an adult? Chayla wasn't sure how she felt about having to get used to talking to Rose like she was a real person now.