Page 106 of Together in Harmony
“Dudes, Harry is on conference call, he needs us to sign off on some album artwork, can you come take a look?”
Poor old Hugo. He really does get stuck being the band-dad.
“Sure,” says Asa. “Meet you at the cabin in a few?” he asks me.
“Sounds good.” I look at my three loves. “Let’s get all our chores done and reconvene. Talking about Keanu has got me all kinds of worked up.” I give them a wink.
Let them stew on that while they talk to Harry.
HARMONY
Walking through the meadow, I think about the first time I met my guys. I was lying in this spot and thinking about the good things in my life.
Sheila and Patsy, being able to hide in the cabin, my crappy online job, and my blog.
Now I have so much more to add to that. My guys, the truth being out there about Screech, no longer hiding.
The cabin looks dejected. Cobwebs are building up around the windows again, and as I enter, I can see the thick layer of dust has reestablished itself on every surface. I take a sniff. Yep. The mice have regained supremacy. I guess I feel good for them, I had entered their space and tried to drive them out of it.
Not fair really.
“Have at it, mice.” I say. “It’s all yours.”
I may not know anything about plumbing or heating, but I do know how to empty garbage. For old time sake, I put in the Wham! cassette and press play. Then I open the fridge, get a trash bag, and start throwing in the wilted broccoli and old cheese.
“Wake me up, before you moldy,” I sing to the blue-tinged Swiss.
I am getting my groove on. This cabin has been wonderful, but I am very happy to let it go and move on to my next chapter. My next chapter. I can’t wait.
Mustn’t forget to collect my notebooks. I’d left the full ones here, along with my old laptop. I’d taken to using a spare one the guys had.
What else?
I open the drawer that is full of Einstein's things. Need to pass those on to Waldo. Einstein and Waldo, the thought of them together is making me smile when suddenly my arm is wrenched behind me.
“Wham! Frenzy? Holy shit, I knew you were tacky, but this is too much.”
As George Michael keeps on singing, my half brother holds my arm and strokes my hair.
Don’t freeze. Fight back. You can do this.
Screech jabs something into my ribs. “This is all very boring,” he says. “I am really not a weapons person, but you just won’t quit will you?”
There is something pushing into my ribs. It’s painful and I am pretty sure it is a gun. I knew Screech enjoyed causing me mental pain, but after the fentanyl incident, I realized he’d crossed over.
He wants me dead now.
I have to keep him talking, Asa will be here soon.
“What did I ever do to you, Screech? I never hurt you. Why do you hate me so much? You are my half-brother, doesn’t that mean anything?”
He laughs. His familiar, sarcastic, put-on laugh. “Ha ha ha. That’s the best part, I just decided it was fun. It is fun. My Frenzy plaything.”
He is truly insane.
He is holding my one arm behind me, but my other is clenching the kitchen counter. Can I reach for a weapon? I can reach a scrub brush, a teaspoon and a cat collar.
Think, Harmony, think.
