Chapter 182: Mimi XXIII—Not A Crime
Michele initially thought that she would be crushed like a mouse in a snake’s grasp when Cecile had squeezed ahold of her.
“My God!” Michele gasped.
“Thank you!” Cecile kept crying over and over, “I don’t deserve any regard from you, thank you thank you!”
Michele squeaked and laughed patting the girl’s smooth ebony hair and she looked quickly at Debbie who was pale and smiling. What an aversion of disaster there! That bitch of a mother almost had the girl. The instant she had seen those letters in Pauline’s claw, Michele had actually been bowled over with pity for the child, and then when the girl fainted! How lovely was that? She had never seen anything like that before, it touched her in a romantic sort of way.
“Calm down!” Michele exclaimed and that’s when the girl fell into a fit, that’s the only word Michele could think of to describe her demeanor was that she was having a fit of some sort. She was praying out loud and trembling. It was obvious that she wasn’t as stable as she seemed.
The child can’t be healthy, Michele thought to herself. There’s something unstable and damaged, I can see it. Her mother is damaging her. She could already see the girl with Danny Hinote, clinging to the boy, unable to comprehend life without some sort of figure to attach to. Over sheltered, like a house plant that would quickly die once exposed to the elements. That’s the damage the mother had branded this girl with. She could see that Cecile honestly could not survive without her, or with her.
When Cecile had calmed down, the girl looked at her with sparkling emerald eyes. They were solemn eyes, glistening eyes, aged with worry, young with sincerity. “How could you be so kind to me?” Cecile said softly.
“It isn’t hard,” Michele replied. Little kitten, Michele thought, don’t trust me.
Debbie
stood up, “I think I should relieve
Cecile blinked and ran her pink tongue over her pink lips. “No. This is wrong. I can’t be doing this anymore!”
Michele frowned and she thought of the red brand on the girl’s palms, she had been squeezing it terrible hard Saturday night, hadn’t she? Why? Had Patrick not slept in their bedroom that night? Had he gone wandering? Michele would have assumed such a thing like that would have left an obvious mark on the girl, but Patrick had said nothing of the sort. “Can’t be doing what?” she asked.
Cecile shook her head. “Deceiving mom like that. It’s wrong. I shouldn’t be. And now you’re dragged into it? It’s a crime!”
Wouldn’t it be sweet to train this young one? Michele thought. Before it’s too late, before she shrivels into a hag like her mother, never knowing what life could be. It would be interesting to see if the girl did succumb.
Michele shook her head, “No my dear,” she said. “Love is never a crime. Pursuit of it is never a crime. The games that are played with it, well sometimes that is different but no, do not feel guilty yes?”
Cecile swallowed and nodded. “I can’t keep this up for much longer.”
Make it easy on yourself girl, Michele thought. Tell your mother, choose between Danny and her but this vacillating attitude of yours, walking this tight rope, child you are tempting me to push you right off and who will catch you? Who will be waiting for you at the bottom? How deep will the water be?
Michele smiled and patted the girl’s porcelain cheek. “Make sure you’re prepared for consequences they can be more intense than you can imagine.”
“Cecile! You’re staying!”
Michele looked up to see Mitchell running, panting like a puppy, a beaming smile on his face and he was followed by the twins who were tripping and giggling. It was a sight that could melt any mother’s heart even if the children were not her own.
Cecile wiped her face and grabbed little Mitchell in a hug and the twins were quick to join in. The sight surprised and unsettled Michele. She had never seen Cecile as open as this with children; she didn’t suspect that the girl was capable of it.
“I won’t be leaving just yet beetles,” Cecile giggled as she picked Mitchell up and swung the boy around.
“What spell could you have possibly cast over that bitch?” Jacqueline asked, Michele prickled goosebumps at the warm purr in her ear. “And Mimi wins again eh?”
She smiled and looked at the young woman, the young cat. “No magic necessary, it only takes understanding of a mother.”
Jacquelyn’s smile was red and uncaring. There was a brittle, frigid icy disdain in Jacquelyn that Michele disliked and in a way felt somewhat afraid of. Women in general were warm blooded creatures, even the evil ones were passionate. Sometimes she looked at Jacquelyn and thought of a robot.
“You should have your own children yes? You would enjoy it.” Michele said.
Jacquelyn blinked slowly and for a moment looked insulted. “Why would I do that?” she said. “I’m not the breeding sort, I don’t suckle things. Perhaps that’s good enough for some, but for me, it would only annoy me.”
Michele shrugged. “As you like.”
They need to be trained. Michele thought as she flipped through the pages of a clothing catalogue. They’re young, they’re in love, they’re unaware and unprepared. It’s more than just a conquest, a one time fumbling with a trembling innocent in the dark. There’s something more here. Cecile can be turned into a woman, she can be more than a nun or a wallflower. Daniel, somehow it seems as if he is just eager, waiting. He will be easier. Once a boy has a taste than he never escapes the want.
“See mommy!”
Michele looked up from the catalogue and looked at Jana who was sitting on the carpet, holding up a crayoned picture, dusted with glitter.
“How nice,” Michele said. “How pretty, bring it over.”
The girl giggled and ran over to her, sitting on the couch. Michele took the picture and placed it on her lap. It was vivid with dark colors and images. Immediately Michele could see no set rhyme to it, and it looked very abstract in a way.
“Tell me about it,” Michele said, pleased that the girl was nursing an imagination, showing creativity.
Jana cleared her throat. “It’s kitties! See!”
Michele nodded. “Yes I see, pretty black ones. Why are they black?”
“Just because,” the little girl answered.
“And what about that one?” Michele asked as she pointed at the smallest cat, “Why does it have two different color eyes?”
“She’s a Magic Kitten!” Jana said.
Michele laughed. “Magic?”
Jana nodded. “She’s the youngest one, she has two different color eyes because she’s special, and the other kitten is magic too, this one.”
Jana pointed to the small kitten she had drawn on the other end of the paper.
“Why is that one magic?” Michele prompted, at this point she was absolutely thrilled to see that Jana was indeed nursing a lovely imagination.
“Because,” Jana said. “When she was born she was not supposed to be, and so she’s special, really really special!”
“Are the other kitties special?” Michele asked in French.
Jana shrugged and answered in English. “Only because these two, helped this one get born and this one, she’s the mommy.”
Michele nodded, utterly confused but still game. “Why are they magic? What does the magic do?”
Jana cleared her throat and wrinkled her face in a thoughtful way, her eyes widened. Just like Patrick she was an obvious thinker, it tickled Michele.
“The magic is magic!” Jana said throwing her arms out. “That’s all.”
“Where did you think of this?” Michele asked handing the picture back to Jana.
“A dream,” Jana said with a nod. “It was a dream.”
Just like her father, Michele thought.
“What else was in the dream?” Michele asked.
Jana swallowed. “The rest was scary.” Obvious fear paled her face.
“What was it?” Michele asked feeling a twinge of worry. She suddenly remembered Jana’s weeping, crying from a nightmare that someone was trying to hurt them. It was the night before that person had broken into the house. She didn’t like believing too readily in superstitions and premonitions but there was always something about Patrick’s dreams, and sometimes Jana’s that always sent up a red flag in Michele’s attentions.
Jana reached out and pressed her palm against Michele’s stomach and said in a whine. “There was a monster eating you, right there, and I couldn’t stop it!”
“Eating?” Michele asked in a quiet voice damning Patrick for letting her see scary movies. She was going to put an immediate end to that!
Jana nodded. “But.. but the magic kitten stopped it, the one that wasn’t supposed to be born, and it was ok again. She stopped the monster.”
Michele hugged Jana.
“Mommy,” Jana asked.
“Yes baby?”
“I was seeing lions on the television and they were eating a baby zebra, and they were eating all of its guts…” Jana began and Michele rolled her eyes.
“Well that’s why you had a dream about me being eaten and cats!” Michele said in a peeved voice. “That stuff is too gruesome yes?”
Jana shook her head. “Nah UH! I can see it I am strong like tiger! I know that’s the fax of LIFE! What I wanna ask is how come the lions don’t eat their own babies if they eat the mommy zebra’s babies?”
Michele sighed. She knew that the male lions sometimes ate cubs but she didn’t see why she should have to be the one to tell the girl. “They don’t eat their babies because they love their babies and they need to raise them and make them grow just like them so they can be strong, and carry on the family. Understand? Zebra babies don’t belong to them and are meant to be eaten because they’re meat, and lions eat meat.”
Jana squirmed. “Like cows and chickens?” she asked.
“Yes,” Michele said. “Just like cows and chickens.”
“Isn’t that bad to kill?” Jana asked. “I mean killing other babies like the lions do? Does that make them evil?”
“No, not if it helps the lions survive,” Michele replied. “It isn’t a crime. It’s how things are. You like veal don’t you? That’s baby cow and lamb chops are baby sheep.”
They sat in silence for a little bit, Michele could hear the ticking of a clock, the sound of Gigi panting, and then Jana sighed, “I don’t think I like eating veal anymore Mommy. Not if we have to kill baby cows.”
“Then don’t,” Michele replied. “No one’s forcing you, decide for yourself.”
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