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You smiled and stared at the TV, shoving the feeling something bad was about to happen. You don’t think you’ve ever seen this VHS, and it had been a while since you had anything new to watch. You were excited. This seemed like the perfect topper for a good week.
“Wonderful!” The man clapped his hands. “I’m so glad you decided to stay with us! I know you will be too. Now then, let’s get to the Neighborhood. And from all of us here, welcome Home.”
The theme song played, and you stared at the TV with wide eyes. How could your mother hide this from you? The colors were bright, the music delightful, and all the characters seemed so happy. Maybe you’d be happy again one day too? You wiped away the tears. Your mother had explained it plenty. You had to move to a smaller house in a different neighborhood because your Daddy’s work closed. Your Daddy’s work closing was why he got sleepy on the couch and drinks the big kid drinks. It’s probably why he likes the drinks in the first place.
You shook your head. Your mother told you everything would be alright in the end, and you had no reason to doubt her. Even when the fighting got so loud you could only shove yourself under the covers or sit ever closer to the TV. Stuff was going to change. It’s like in those books shoved in a box in your room. Good kids get rewarded. And you and your family were good people, weren’t you? You just had to sit and get good grades and be friendly and smiling and not listen to anything and read and practice cursive and…
You could do it, couldn’t you? You were your mother’s big girl after all! You handled your Dad, you handled the move, you’re going to handle the new school, and you’re going to make your mother proud. The fighting would stop eventually, your Dad would get his job back, you’d go back to your old life and it’s like nothing will or would change.
Good things happened to good people, did they not? Your parents were good people. You think you are a good person. So when does the streak of bad luck end for you?
You snap out of it. You swear you hear someone call your name. You look around, straining to see if another person had somehow joined you. You regret turning off the lights now. You get up, checking the locks on the front and back doors. Everything was normal. This was your new normal.
You sit back down in front of the TV. Wally and another character were chatting. You strained to remember the other character. You think their name was Eddie. They were discussing delivering packages when Wally asked, “How do you deliver something to someone really special Eddie?”
The way he said it sent shivers down your spine. You swear you saw his eyes flash to you for a second. You shake it off. Maybe the move had you high-strung? And you never liked being alone, after all. You reach over and grab a cold slice of pizza.
You sighed, rubbing your eyes. You could feel the exhaustion of the day set into your bones.