Spaghetti Family part 8, you’re all on borrowed time

The glowing, swirling black chasm fell deep down through the hole in the house.

I couldn’t stop looking at it. It was hypotonic. And there was my family, Robin and Manny, hiding in a chaotic, black and white electrical cloud, all the way at the bottom.

“Do you honestly think you can save them?” Lesley asks me and I look over at her. It neither sounds harsh or rude. It almost seems penseive. “You are aware you’re all on borrowed time. Right? That this little facade was never going to last.” She straightens her lime green overcoat. “How can it? How can it when I made you.”

I shirked back at her declaration and almost fell, leaning against the wall. “You… you didn’t make me…” my heart is still in my throat. She smiles again and the blood rushes to my ears, making them feel uncomfortably warm.

“Well, maybe not.” She sighs. “But I did facilitate that you and your friends would have your immortal spares, and that it would lead into endless opportunities…”

I growl, “They are more than my friends. They are my family.”

“Hmmm. Interesting conclusion,” she remarks. She looks down the hole and shrugs. “So, will you cooperate then?”

I blink in surprise and ask dumbly, “Huh?”

“If you really consider these two unrelated persons your family, will you cooperate with me?” She says in a crisp manner. “Will you go back to your home and play nice like you all used to?” She flutters her lashes in an dramatic manner and I feel nauseated, but I feel my breath panicking at the thought of losing Robin and Manny forever. So I nod.

“Good!” She claps her hands way above her head. Suddenly the house morphs back into that sickly familiar, colorful old house, and I see Robin and Manny. We are all set in our puppet forms, but I don’t care, as I rush over and hug them tightly.

Robin gives me a strange look, “What are you doing?” His offended tone makes my heart leap in a scared way. Does he not know me?

Manny hugs me back happily but then goes off, not saying anything else.

“Guys, I thought I’d lost you!” I cry out in a heaving set of relief, but no tears come out.

Robin scoffs. “Where would I have gone off to? I don’t get lost.” And he walks off, going over to sit down on the rocking chair to read the newspaper. He’s still as sassy as ever, but something is wrong.

Manny frowns, but shrugs and says, “I doubt we were lost. We have been here the whole time.”

“Yes. Exactly. I believe the big one has gone off the deep end a bit,” Robin says cheekily, eyeing me standing in the middle of the living room with a knowing look, chuckling in an impish way, and Manny nods, laughing too. He suddenly looks at me directly and I feel myself sinking again, but this time, it is from the weight of realizing that my family has been reset.

“Why’re you mucking about there? Sit down over here and settle down,” Robin says to me in a admonishing tone, pointing to another chair next to him.

“Uh, ok. Sure,” I say, but I decided to test out their memory. I move my chair extremely close to Robin’s and sit down, taking his hand in mine. Even though my hand is a huge red clump now and his is smaller, they still fit.

“Hey! Don’t get fresh!” Robin pulls away from my hand.

I sigh. “Robin, seriously, are you in a bad mood? Why don’t you want me holding your hand?”

Robin looks at me, brow raised. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“We… we’re… well, you see… it’s a bit like…” I stutter, and Manny speaks up.

“He thinks you’re his special one!” Manny says to Robin, making the green duck open his beak in shock and though I’m not sure exactly where he got that sort of title, I nod vehemently.

“Yeah. Robin, you’re my special one. Right?” I ask hopefully, but I get an eyeful of unfolded newspaper instead.

“Hmmm! The nerve of some people!” Robin exclaims. “Special one! Hah!”

“But… we are a couple… Robin…” I say in a frustrated voice, putting my hands over my head.

I hear a crinkling of papers and I see Robin’s face.

“What? A couple? When?” He sits up a bit straighter. The tone seems curious, not disgusted or annoyed, so I feel hopeful.

“Remember when we said we…” I lean in to Robin’s ear and whisper, seeing Manny getting interested as he leans closer in his chair to try to hear. “Liked looking at one another?”

Robin’s eyes widened. “Yes. I do remember that.”

“Well..” I get up, making both of them jump a bit, startled. “I really love looking at you. A lot. Okay? And I am in love with you, Robin.” I say and Robin looks the most shocked I had ever seen him in his puppet form. I turn to Manny. “And Manny, I love you as my son. You’re so important to me.”

Manny is shocked too, and says nothing. Robin just clutches at the newspaper and stares blankly at me, and I feel a gurgling of passion in my chest rising.

“Don’t you all remember? When I got us all out of here? And we… moved? To that new house?”

They both shook their head.

“I got a proper office job. Robin… you and I are engaged to be married. Well. I have to buy you a proper ring. Trust me, I will. But, I’m marrying you, Robin,” I suddenly start to feel real tears streaming down my face. “It was a whole year of perfection. You’re my family. Don’t you remember?”

Robin sighs. “Ah, that’s tricky. I think we’d remember if we had moved and gotten engaged.”

“Yes. I would remember that,” Manny says.

I stomp my feet angrily, “Aghhh!”

“Don’t get so mad,” Robin waves off, “come over here and I’ll let you hold my hand if you’ll cool off.”

“Yeah. Calm down,” Manny adds.

“Why aren’t you calling me dad?” I say to Manny. He shrugs.

“But…You aren’t my dad,” Manny says, and I can’t take that—-it is too much to bear to hear him say that after everything. After all the father son bonding we shared… it hurts too much.

I drop to the floor and sob.

Lesley knew how to kill me after-all.