A little girl clad in pig-tails and Mary Janes jumped out of her family’ mini van clutching her doll she had just received for a sixth birthday to her chest she stood in awe at her surroundings: a huge white house surrounded by a picket fence was standing in her view. To her it looked like a castle and she was the princess, giggling at the thought her eyes focused in on her mother who was nervously lighting another cigarette yelling at her two older brothers: Joe and Jessee.
“Joe bring those suitcases inside and Jessee…Jessee??” Her voice increasing, obviously annoyed, “JESSEE!!”
“Mommy?” she asked tugging on the folds of her mother’s skirt.
“Not now,” she shushed her youngest, “JESSEE!! GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE NOW!!!”
“What ma?” Emerged the blonde blue-eyed 9 year old from the van not looking up from his video game
“Take Anastasia inside and for heavens sake turn that blasted game off!”
He sighed picking Anastasia up, “Come on Annie, lets go inside and see Auntie Ida.” A million thought’s swirled in the young girls head, who was this aunt? Where was she? But she stayed quiet not wanting to bother her brother for the details.
The walked through the doors into a well furnished living room where an elderly lady was sitting in a recliner.
“Ohhhh” The old lady cooed, “Children come here.” She smiled opening up her arms, “Forgive me for not getting up but I have been feeling under the weather lately.”
Jessee was first to hug her, “Hi Auntie Ida.” He said pulling away from her
“Ohhh my and this must be Anastasia, you mustn’t remember me I’m your Auntie Ida. The last time I saw you, you were this big.” She said gesturing with her hands.
“Hello.” She said timidly
The lady laughed slightly, “Come here and give me a hug.”
“Why aren’t you the little lady, now tell me where’s your mother?”
“She’s outside, want me to get her?” Jessee said, answering for his youngest sibling, before waiting for a reply he dashed off and out the door.
As he left, an all black cat sauntered in, “Ohhh….can I pet the kitty, Auntie Ida?”
“Of course dear…her name is Madame Dupree.”
Bending down to pet the animal, she giggled before saying, “Isn’t she a little fat?”
The old woman’s eye shinned down into hers, “Yes that’s because she is expecting a litter of kittens.”
“Kittens??”
“Yes, now say wasn’t it your birthday a few days ago?”
“Yup.” She said her eyes never leaving the large cat
“Ah yes, I thought so. And how old are you now?”
She held up her hand and a finger “I’m six.” She stated proudly
“Six…well my, my aren’t you a big girl?” she nodded “Now what a shame, I have nothing to offer my little birthday girl…but what do you say what Madame over here has her kittens, how would you like to have your own?”
“Really!” The younger girl squealed the woman nodded her head “Oh yes! I would love that!” She said throwing herself into the old woman’s lap embracing her in the biggest hug her small arms could manage.
“Auntie!” Her mother came in hugging the old woman, “How are you feeling?”
“I’m holding up, dear… you never told me how grown up little Anastasia got to be.”
“Mommy, mommy guess what? Auntie’s got a cat and she’s gunna have kittens and Auntie said I could have one!”
Her mother laughed, “That’s great dear now why don’t you go outside and leave me and your Aunt some time to talk.”
She happily agreed before bouncing out the door, “Jessee? Jessee are you out here?”
“Who’s Jessee?” Anastasia looked around to see a boy who could have been Jessee except he was around her age looking at her from the sidewalk.
“He’s my brother. Who are you?” She said approaching her
“I’m Nick…Nick Carter.”
“Well I’m Anastasia Miller, pleased to meet ya.”
“What’s that in your hair?”
“My hair?” she reached up “Ohh, they're pig tails.”
“Pig tails?” He laughed, “Ha! Ha! Are you a pig?”
“Noooo, stop being mean! At least I don’t look like one with all that mud on my cloths.” She spun around to leave
“Hey piggy?”
“What?”
“Wanna play with me?”
“OK”
Nick took her down to the lake that was behind both their houses and they made mud castles and chased the ducks… well Nick chased the ducks while “Piggy” as Nick had come to call her screamed at him to leave the ducks alone and not to get to close to the water. Once he was tired out has sat down next to Anastasia who was brushing the crusty mud off her new shoes.
“So Piggy” she shot him a look, “Whacha doin’ here anyways do ya live with Miss Smyth? She’s real nice mom and her are friends and she make’s me cookies and lets me play with her cat.”
“Naw…were visiting…momma says dat Autie’s sick and we’re staying with her until she gets better….”
“Anastasia?? Where are you???” Her mother’s frantic voice came through the leaves but Anastasia saw her brother first.
“Mom, she’s right here.” Her brother Joe scooped her up
“Oooohh Anastasia your scared me, don’t run off like that again, especially by the lake, you could have fallen in… and who might you be?” she asked staring at Nick
“ Nick Carter.”
“Oh you must be Jane’s son she’d worried as well. We should have figured that you two were out together. You better get back to the house your going to eat with us tonight.”
The kittens came 2 weeks later Anastasia chose an all black one, which she named affectionately Blacky and Nick, got one too but named it, only god knows why, Rooster. School would be starting in 3 weeks so Anastasia and her family had to think about leaving and her other Aunt would come to take care of Auntie Ida.
~ 2 week before leaving~
“I don’t wanna go…” Anastasia gasped, holding Nick’s hand one night after dinner
“I don’t want you to leave.”
“What should we do?”
“I know you can live with me.”
“My mommy won’t let me.” Anastasia pouted
Nick scrunched up his face in thought, “Well then… marry me Piggy.”
“Marry you?”
He nodded blonde hair covering his eyes, she thought for a moment.
“Ok”
Taking his hand once more they made their way down to their favorite spot, the lake.
“We can live down here until I get a job.” Nick pointed to the empty boat and they climbed in, there they sat watching as the sky darkened and the stars began to show.
“Nick, I’m getting cold.”
“It’s ok Piggy…” he said giving her a hug and yawned as sleep took over them both
“ANNIE!!!” Jessee’s voice called out and then spotting the boat took a look, “MOM!! THEY’RE OVER HERE!!”
The two frightened mothers down the path but stopped short at the sight, “Thank god there alright.” Nick’s mother sighed in relief, “We should a figured they’d be out here…I can’t believe I didn’t see them leave.”
“It’s ok, Jessee run back to the house to get the to the others we found them and bring the camera.”
With that pictures were snapped and after the Kodak moment was over there was a lot of scolding.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 week later
“Why are we here?” Nick asked impatiently scratching at the bow tie around his neck
“I don’t know… Mommy was real upset all crying and stuff.
Joe wouldn’t talk to me and I haven’t seen Jessee since breakfast or Auntie
since…”
“My mom was crying too, I don’t know why…”
Just then Joe walked in and told the two to sit down and be quiet, “Joe why is mommy so said?”
“Ha you mean they didn’t tell you? Typical adults.” His tone softened a little, “Well you see, Auntie Ida died a few days ago.”
The two friends eyes got round, “Died?” they both said at once
“Yeah…moms taking it real hard so be nice to her for awhile ok?” He got up to leave “I’ll be back later, I have to find that darn Madame Dupree. We get to keep her now.”
“Nick?” Anastasia asked voice trembling “What does it mean when a person dies”
“It means they are going away and they don’t come back…my goldfish died once.”
“I’m never gunna see Auntie again?” her eyes watering he shock his head and she began to cry
“Why??” she chocked out Nick not knowing what to do wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug “It’s ok, Piggy.”
4 days later the Millers left
“Bye, Bye Piggy.” Nick said hugging his best friend
“Nick I don’t wanta go.”
“Dat’s ok we’ll see each other, again.”
“Promise?”
“Pinky swear.”
“Annie it’s time to go.” Jessee called from the van as Nick’s mom and Anastasia’s said their goodbyes
Anastasia reluctantly let go of Nick
“Bye Bye Nick.”
“Bye Piggy.”
She climbed into the van and waved all the way until Nick was out of site and then some.
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