Crazy Horse's Girlfriend (9781940430447) by Erika T. Wurth Read Free Book Online Page A

wasn’t too hot. I placed Mary in the tub and turned to Carrie, who was sitting on the toilet, crying.
    â€œCarrie, c’mon, not this again, hey?”
    â€œHave to pee, Margaritte! Have to pee!” She did this every time. It killed me.
    "No you don't, Carrie. I'm not falling for it this time," I said, laughing a little. I waited a few seconds to make sure she didn’t have to pee for real, and then peeled her off of the toilet and set her crying and scratching into the tub. Sometimes she tried bolting, but this time, she just turned her head up to the ceiling and wailed. Mary looked at her curiously for a minute and then turned to her Barbie and started whispering into its ear.
    I located Carrie’s Barbie, which miraculously had been dragged in with her and dropped it into the tub. Carrie cried for a few more minutes and then looked over at her Barbie, angrily at me, sniffed a few times, and then started washing her Barbie with bathwater. I washed them while they played with their Barbies, and then pulled them out, dried them and took them over to their bedroom and got them into their pajamas.
    I got the twins at the table, their Barbies in front of them, and then set the table with silverware and napkins. I asked Mom if there was anything else I could do.
    â€œNope. It’s almost done.”
    â€œCool,” I said, and sat down.
    I could hear the door open and close. We tensed.
    â€œHi girls!” we heard from the living room and we relaxed. He was in a good mood. Dad came into the kitchen, up to Mom and then kissed her on the cheek.
    â€œSmells good. I stopped over at the grocery store for some bread.” He set a few paper bags down on the counter. He began pulling items out, including the bread, and a large bottle of scotch. He set the scotch down on the table, opened a cabinet door and pulled a glass out. He poured himself a good amount, and sat down at the table with it.
    Carrie looked over at the brown liquid and then up at Dad. “Can I have some?”
    â€œMaybe someday,” he said, laughing. I said a silent prayer that that day would never come for either one of the twins. I wondered if he was gonna start in on me about last night, but he just sipped at his scotch and poured himself another once the first was done. I walked over to the bread, pulled it out of the paper sleeve and began cutting it into slices. I buttered the slices and then placed them on a metal tray, turned the oven on and set the tray into it. I went downstairs to read while the bread was baking. When I came back up, Dad was already somehow on his third scotch and looking over at the twins.
    â€œThey sure do love those Barbies.”
    â€œNo joke,” I said, “they’re freaking in love with them.” He laughed loudly, too loudly, and Mary joined in. She loved to laugh, even if she didn’t know what anybody was laughing about.
    â€œYour Barbies don’t have any hair,” Dad said and I closed my eyes.
    â€œThat’s Mary’s fault!” Carrie yelled.
    â€œNo, it’s Carrie’s fault!” Mary yelled back.
    â€œIt’s both of their faults,” I said. “Well, Carrie gave her own Barbie a haircut today, this morning actually, before Mom took them to daycare, and then decided to give Mary’s Barbie a haircut too. But only because Mary kept making fun of Carrie’s Barbie.”
    â€œNuh-uh!” Mary said. She began whispering in her Barbie’s ear.
    â€œGirls,” Dad said, slurring, “you have to be good to each other.”
    â€œI am good!” Carrie said.
    â€œNo, no. You really really have to be good to each other. When I was a kid, my sister wasn’t very nice to me and now well, now I hardly see her. Though that’s not because I hate her, it’s because she’s so far away.”
    I could practically feel Mom rolling her eyes, but the twins just looked at him like he was making sense. They were