PARK SLOPE ISSUED 48: PROLOGUE

THE PROLOGUE

   Parkland Monskey did not found out about her staying with her grandmother until Wednesday; just one week after operation busy signal came to end. Parkland was surprise, and yet over joy to have finally had the opportunity to spine some time with a family member she has not seen in over three years. She also knew her parents were using this opportunity to get her as well as well as her two brothers away from all the madness that occurred all over Park Slop.

   Even though things have settled down, her parent still felt they needed to get their kids away from the neighborhood for a few days. And what better way to do that then to have them spine the holiday weekend in Beach Island with their Grandmother.

   “-But where is Beach Island? I never heard of it.” Zam, who was wearing a white shirt and black paths, asks Parkland in Spanish while sitting on her bed and watch his sister pack her coats in a gym carrying bag.

   Parkland who was dress in a white blows and blue jean did not look at her brother but answered the question as she search inside her closet for her sandal. “From what Grandma had told me it is a small island north of Florida.”

   “You talk to Grandma?

   “Yes I’d talk to Grandma. Why…you’re mad?

   “Yha,” wale Zam while folding his arms and looking surprise at Parkland who had her back turn to him. I wanted to talk to her and tell her how much I’ve mess her.

   “Don’t worry; you’ll have your change to tell her and more on Friday,” Parkland said while pulling or a brand new pair of sandal form her closet and placing them inside her gym bag. “Beside don’t you have some packing on your own to do?”

   “Mom want let me,” Said Zam, “She has this impression I only going pack my toys and video game for the trip.”

   “Every time we go out town you pack nothing but toys and your video game conceal. In fact I am not surprise you did not attempt to pack your gold fish in the suit case as well.

   “I did, Zam replied with a bit of a mound, “It was the day I’d found out fish cannot live outside of the water.”

                                                                    2

   Later on that night, Parkland was sitting near her desk and was finishing up her home work when she had decided to check up on Alan Hole who just came home from the hospital and wanted to make sure he is okay. When calling the house she had gotten his mother who was happy to hear from her and asked if she along with her family were okay. Parkland had in form her that everything was fine and that she along with her two brothers was going to live with her Grandmother at Beach Island for the nixes four days.

   Miss. Hole thought that was wonderful and asks if she along with her brothers was planning any sit seeing while down at the keys. Parkland informed her they might do so but later admits they would most likely span most of the time with family members and little time touring the town. However if they do go site seeing she had promise to take pictures, and make copies for Miss Hole and her family to have once they have return home.

   After aping other five minutes on the phone with Miss Hole, she had finally asks if she could possible to speak with Alan for she knew she won’t have a change to talk him once she leaves town. Miss Hole had no problem in letting her son talk to Parkland but did told to hung on because she to switch to the up stair phone and that was on the count Alan broken leg was still healing could not put too much presser on it nor walk on it for fear it would not heal properly .

   Parkland understands and after waiting for few minutes more a sound of, “hello,” had came from the other end.

   “Hello, lam brain,” Parkland said rather coldly while looking at her nails which was painted pink.

   “P, is that you?” Alan asks in a rather surprising tone for he did not expect Parkland Monskey to call him this late at night.

   “No it’s your fairy Godmother—of course it is me. Who do you think?” Snap Parkland but in a rather playful matter.

   “You be surprise, P, on how many calls start out with lam brain.” Alan explains.

  “I can magician,” Parkland said softly. “So how are you holding up?”

   “I’m okay considers I can’t really go anywhere unless I’m in a wheelchair. But what really bothering me is not being able to go to school for other week and a half.”

   “I take it PS 261 has yet to place elevators in their school.”

   “No and being all my classes are on the top floor.”-

“-Hum—claiming five flights of steps is out of the question” Parkland cut in on Alan sentence. “Well there’s always home school.”

   “Yha like I really want to stay home for two week doing nothing but school work and playing video games. I know that every kid dream but trust me it get boring vary quick.’

   Tell me about it I remember when me and some of my friends had skip school one day only to have found out the places we wanted to hung out where ether close or would not allow children inside until after school hours. To this day I still can’t believe Bill’s Pizzeria had mad that agreement with the Board of Ed But that another story for another time. What I really wanted to tell you is that I will be out of town for the holiday weekend.”

   Really—that’s great. Where are you going?”

   “Beach Island,” Parkland said as she rose from her chair and began to paces the room, “you heard of the place”

   “No,” Alan replied, “never heard of it. Is it Florida?”

   “Somewhat, said Parkland, “me and my two annoying brothers are going to spin some time with our Grandmother who move down there tree years ago.

   “Cool,” said Alan.

   “Yes,” said Parkland, although it might have never had happen if all that nonsense around the neighborhood had happened not to mention Zam getting grounded for destroying Ruffton’s cell phone.”

   “Oh, said Alan in a rater low ton, “but things are slowly returning to normal and you have to admit, P, operation busy wasn’t a complete waste of time.”

   “How so?” asks Parkland.

   “Well from what I’ve been told people are being a little more contagious in using their phone around dangerous areas.”

   “-That’s because people are still afraid some kid might walk up to them and attack them for using their phone. Parkland pointed out asks she sat on the edges of the bed. Beside I really think will be another week or so before things finally return to normal which is why I think mom and dad is allowing use to stay with Grandma.”

  “Your mom and dad aren’t coming with you?”

   “Both, mommy and daddy could not get off working the weekend,” Parkland explain while laying felt on the bed as while as looking up at the ceiling while holding her cell phone in her hand, “which mean I playing babysitter for the moment we get on the plain. To moment we land in Miami.”

   “But aren’t you afraid of flying by yourself?”

   Parkland rolled her eyes at the question. “Are you serious? I’m not five years old and this is not the first time me and brothers have few on a plain without our parents.” beside grandma will be there to meet use once we arrive so you don’t need to worry.”

   “Well if you say so” said Alan.

                                                               3

   After helping her mother pack some of Zam’s belonging Parkland Monskey had entered Ruffton’s only to fine him sitting on the floor, and looking into some of his old pictures of him as a little boy. Parkland look at him while folding her arm yet become concerned when she had notice the worried some expression on his face as he stared rather sadly at the pictured of himself on his fifth birthday where he was all smile as her grandmother held him in are arms and give him a kiss on the cheek.

   “You okay?” Parkland asks while standing behind him.

   “Three years,” Ruffton said softly in Spanish while staring at the picture we haven’t seen hour grandmother in over three years. That’s just something I simply having a hard time expecting.”

   “I know Parkland said in a way which told Ruffton she completely understand what he was feeling as was too was bothered by the fact this vacation will indeed mark the first time they will spin time with their grandmother seen she had movie out of the Park Slop neighborhood. “But at less she still calls use and seen us emails whenever she has the changes”

   “That not the same as her physically being her with use,” And the fact that it was our Mom who suggested we should spin the holiday weekend with grandma and not the other way around really bothered me.”

    “Are you saying our grandmother does not want up use to visit her?” Parkland asks her brother and yet the question she had asks had made of think of the possibility that their grandmother might not have wanted their company if their parents have not talk her into it.

   Ruffton did not answer right away but once he did it was in a rather bitter tone. “When I had a chance to talk to her about us spinning a few days with her she sounded thrill that we was coming but we all know how easy anyone can hide their true feeling in ordered to keep from her hurting someone feeling.

   Parkland was at a loss for words. She stared at her brother who was now completely quite and was holding the one picture in both hands, and then rubbing it gently with his two thumps. She then sat down on the floor nixes to him and stared down at the picture he was now holding. Parkland smiled. It was a picture of her older brother sitting on grandmother’ lap while she read to him a story form some of the old Spanish fairy tells book she had kept on one of her book selves. Ruffton was three years old then but to him he remembered it as if it was Yesterday. Parkland however could not believe how plucky her brother’s face was back them and found it funny that it was not the tall handsome stone face person that was sitting nixes to her now.

   “What did you eat before sitting on grandma’s lab?” Parkland asks sarcastically for she was trying to change the low mood which had filled up the room.

   “You was pretty chucky yourself, if I can recall.” Ruffton replied while cracking a smile while keeping his eyes on the picture he was still holding in his hands.

   Parkland smile again and to Ruffton the emotion his older sister was showing had taken him a bit by surprise. It was not like she has never shown any kind of sense of humor before. He was more use to the fact his sister were the strongest of the family when it come to not showing anything that to her could be use against her in any way, shape, or form. the family is no exception being she is the older of her two siblings she have show her parent that she can be in charge of maintaining order as well as making sure her two brothers are keep in check. this often leads to people in both in her family as well as people she often come in context with to have a cold feeling towards her. Yet parkland did not some to care what other think of her, even if she did she never shown toward her family or her closes friends. Yet here is Parkland, sitting nixed to Ruffton, sharing one of those rare family moments as they both look over some of families’ pictures of childhoods pass.

                                                                     4

   Parkland did not sleep well that night. What Ruffton told her about their grandmother not wanted them to visit had indeed dwell on her mine a lot more then what she had realize. She kept waking up in the depths of night. And in her classes she had found it hard to concentrate on most her subjects. And after talking to her best friend, Kristy, about the troubling reality in which been brothering her.

   “-You can’t seriously think your own grandmother does not want to spine time with you. Kristy asks in Spanish. As both she and Parkland lean on the metal gate outside of the schoolyard, “I don’t buy it.”

   “I know it sound stupid,” Parkland admitted to Kristy, “but it has been three years scene me and my older brother seen her face to face. Even Zam was was ony two years old only really have the voce grandma to go buy and, has no memory of what she really look like. And even thought we keep in context by phone and e mail, the fact that it was my parents who had asks her if we could stay had made me a little unease as to reception we may have once we get there.

   “Oh, P, you worried too much” Kristy said with a laugh, “you really need to put you gad down when it come to your own family. You’re putting way too much into nothing. So what if your mom and dad had asks your grandmother if you could spin the holiday they important thing you seem to have pass over is that you grandmother said yes. And would she have said yes if she did not want you around?”

   Parkland opens her moth to say something, but Kristy cut her off before she had a chance to speak.

   “Look, P, I am not gonna lie. The thought of not seeing someone I love for a long time will bother me too but it must be a good reason for it and am sure you will fingers it out once you arrive but for now you need to get those crazy thoughts out of her mine. And just be happy that you are going, and will have a chance bath on the nice Florida sun.

   Parkland rolled her eyes but did not respond to what Kristy had told her. She knew she was right. She had been dwelling on it so much that she was not looking forward going to Beach Island. While writing some note in her science class, Parkland was thinking how stupid it was to even think her grandmother did not wanted to spin time let alone wanted to her and her brother to stay with her for the holiday weekend. Yes ther was the tree year gap yet like her best friend had told her there must have been a good reason she had yet to know about, and she will sure fine out once she meet face to face with her Grandmother.

   After going striate home from schools she quickly showered and change clothes before she and the rest of her family head to the car that was park outside their home. From there they drive to a nearby diner to grab a bit to eat before heading to JFK air port.

   From there both her mother, and farther had give their goodbyes; hugging their children and telling them to behave while in the care of their grandmother. They also told parkland to keep an eye out of her brother Zam and make sure he does not get into any trouble. Parkland nodded her head yet after they was about to dock the plain, her father had said something which force Parkland to looked quickly over her shoulder.

   “Jesus,” parkland said surprisingly while giving her parents a hard stair. He’s with Grandma?”

   Her father was about to say something but her mother had cut him off by saying he was there to help give Nina a helping hand. Parkland gives her mother a suspicious look but did not have time talk further on the matter for need to board the Pine that was due to take off any minute.

   “So Uncle Jesus is with Grandma,” Parkland thought to herself for this was did not knew his uncle was with grandma and was wondering why her mom and never mentioned the matter to either her or her Ruffton for that matter. And how long was he with Grandma? From what she had remembered he and his wife were living in Texas. So are they in Beach Island just to visit as well? Somehow she really doubts that but decided not to say anything to her two brothers and hold judgment until her arrived in Florida.

   How long will it be before landing in Miami?” Zam asks Parkland was sitting nixes to him and was holding a pair of head phone.

   “About three hours,” Parkland said to her little brother while adjusting her chair so she relaxed.

   Ruffton did not say anything throughout the trip. He just lay back on the just. Put on his head phone. And open a spy book. While her little brother simple rest his head on the sister’s lap.

   There is a lot of mystery involving this trip. And staying with their grandmother is just a small piece I what lies in store for Parkland and her two brothers.

   The storie takes shape in

                                              PARK SLOPE ADVENTURE: THE MAN IN RED  

                                                  STARTS OCT, 15 2012

by Jockerlee 77

2012 Manic Expression.com

2012 The Net Dellers.com

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