Sun in Liz's Eyes
So Mike was looking @ his "contract," Dee was hugging him from behind, Merrie was holding a doll and gazing up @ him like, "What's up with Attic Guy," and I sed, "They're gonna publish yr book? Wow! That is awesome!" The awesomeness of course being I shdn't hafta share a house w/Mike 2 much longer. And Dee was all, "Michael, I'm so proud of you." Mike sat down with Mom and let her read the contract, since Mom having managed a bookstore makes her all experty (sarcasm!). And Liz appeared looking annoyed, while Mom was all, "A $25,000 advance, and rite of 1st refusal. That means they want 2 B the 1st ones 2 C yr NEXT manuscript!!"
Liz was standing there with her hands in her pockets, her hair all down and flowy (I guess Mom was 2 distracted 2 notice and yell @ her 4 "loose hair/loose morals"), and Dad was holding Merrie, 4 I think the 1st time ever. And Dad was, like, "Isn't this gr8 news, Elizabeth? Sumthing bad has 2 B followed by sumthing good, rite?" He put down Merrie and sed, "After the storm blows over, the sky B-comes clear and brite!" Then Liz started 2 cry and turned 2 run off 2 another room. Dad was, like, "What's the matter?" And Liz was like, "...The sun's in my eyes."
Apes
Liz was standing there with her hands in her pockets, her hair all down and flowy (I guess Mom was 2 distracted 2 notice and yell @ her 4 "loose hair/loose morals"), and Dad was holding Merrie, 4 I think the 1st time ever. And Dad was, like, "Isn't this gr8 news, Elizabeth? Sumthing bad has 2 B followed by sumthing good, rite?" He put down Merrie and sed, "After the storm blows over, the sky B-comes clear and brite!" Then Liz started 2 cry and turned 2 run off 2 another room. Dad was, like, "What's the matter?" And Liz was like, "...The sun's in my eyes."
Apes
Labels: crowded house, Dad, Dee, Merrie, Mike, Mike's literary pretensions, Mom
posted by April Patterson @ 6:38 AM
10 Comments:
At 12:08 PM,
Anonymous said…
april, duzn’t ne1 @ur house talk normal? wut wuz all that shizz ur dad wuz givin’ ur sis? mebbe in ur fam sumthin’ bad haz 2b followed by sumthin’ good, but in my fam sumthin’ bad is usually followed by sumthin’ worse & then sumthin’ even worse. on the othah hand, wen thingz go good, there’z usually a couple in a row. like the xxamz this week. i’ve been studyin’ 4 them since the xmas break & it haz paid off pretty well so far. i think i am gonna have decent grades 4 a change & i kinda am thinkin’ 1 of the reasons is i am not involved in sum kinda weird thing w/sum crayzee gf 4 the 1st tyme since we started grade 9. & then aftah that i gotta a good gig doin’ sound 4 a vd dance. thass a few good thingz in a row, like i sed.
neway, soundz like thingz r good 4 ur bro, which i hope meanz he & hiz fam get outa ur house, so u can have ur room back & get back n2 a better mood. soundz like ur sis needsta get sum therapy. mebbe she can go talk 2 that personal counselor for the assault victims, sylvia, she mentioned b4 during howeird’s trial. that way sylvia can actually do sum good 4 ur sis aside frum standin’ outside a courtroom & tellin’ her 2 not break ne rulez.
At 12:13 PM,
Anonymous said…
April,
Once again, you are stupid and mean and not giving Mom enough credit, she knows the difference between "slutty loose hair" and "the loose hair of despair and depression," just wait and see.
Liz
At 1:50 PM,
howard said…
April,
Congratulations to your brother, by the way. It sounds like he has found a publisher who really believes in his work, no matter how poor the material may be. Since your brother finished the novel back on Christmas Eve and they have offered him a contract, I presume they liked what they read to respond so quickly to the completed manuscript. The excerpts we have seen in your brother’s monthly letters have not exactly been the type of book I would like to read, but I have certainly read best-selling books before which were more poorly written.
Sergeant Royalson yesterday wrote a lovely story about his visit with my aunt Winifred and uncle Melville Kelpfroth, which was somewhat accurate. My uncle Melville did write a note stating that he wished Michael all the best and he is not bitter that Michael ran to save his novel from the flames, rather than to run downstairs to help them. I doubt the Sergeant will deliver the note, considering his erratic behaviour when he was interviewing my aunt and uncle and continued to insist their new apartment was an ICU.
My aunt and uncle do not have any problem with your brother, since he also ran to save his novel even over getting his wife and children to safety. They figure if he was willing to sacrifice his family for his novel, then they shouldn’t expect him to consider them. However, your sister-in-law is a different story. My aunt and uncle have clear memories of their conversation with the firefighters who told them when they asked your sister-in-law during the fire if anyone was living downstairs she said she didn’t know and then directed their attention to rescuing her photo albums. Uncle Melville is pretty sure if your sister-in-law had properly informed the firefighters they were there, then their injuries would not have been as severe. I don’t know if that is true or not, but I do know it will take awhile before they will be in the mood to forgive her.
As for your sister, her behaviour may seem erratic to your father, but it seems perfectly normal to me. I remember when I used to work with her at Lakeshore Landscaping and there was an occasion when the owner, Nicholas Browne, had landed a particularly big landscaping contract for the solarium at the Milborough Hospital. Everyone was a huggy, celebratory kind of mood. Since Lakeshore Landscaping only employed gay men, except for your sister for summer help, you can imagine the hugging was a little vigorous. When your sister found out about the good news, she started to cry and turned to run off into another room. When Lawrence Poirier asked her what the matter was, she said, “The sun’s in my eyes.” I think it was an off-hand reference to the solarium, but everyone else was convinced it was because then, as it is now, your sister didn’t have anyone in her life to hug. Either that or she didn’t have any tissues with her.
Howard Bunt
At 3:43 PM,
April Patterson said…
omg, liz, y wd u say i m stupid an' mean? i think u look nice w/yr hair down, whatev yr reason 4 having it that way.
apes
At 4:26 PM,
Anonymous said…
Why am I so alone, it's not fair *sniff*, I'm pretty, I'm *snork* alluring, I'm good with kids, *honk* I'll be a great mommy, I'm a Patterson *skkknnnnxxx*, why oh why won't some man marry me? I'm going to go get back in bed and stare at the wall now, even Kraft Dinner and Oreos taste like sawdust--waaaaaaaah!
Liz
At 7:43 PM,
April Patterson said…
liz, mike told me he was "v. impressed" w/yr "subtle pun" on sun/son. he sed u must b on the mend! i sed he doesn't know what he's talking abt.
apes
At 7:45 PM,
Anonymous said…
April, I'm so glad your sister knows what it's like to be a celebrity and get divorced. Reading her February 2007 letter just made me think, "Wow, this Liz person really gets me!"
Jen Aniston
At 8:11 PM,
Anonymous said…
april, ic frum jennifer aniston ur letters 4 february r out. thanx 4 not mentioning me. thass a sincere thanx. by the way, i think zandra larson iz also rilly happy u showed sum restraint about duncan this tyme & actually talked positively 'bout ur own bf 4 a change.
At 9:39 PM,
April Patterson said…
no prob, jeremy.
apes
At 2:31 AM,
Anonymous said…
April,
Little sis. After mom had carefully examined my contract for my book, I had gotten from Reiner and Browne Publishers, Deanna decided that we should have a little alone time together, just her and me and the contract. After she got one of you to agree to watch the children, she took my hand and led me to our bedroom. Then she gave me a “come hither” look and as I approached her amorously, she took the contract out of my hand. Then she read:
Dear Michael Patterson,
I opened your package, and from the first page of your manuscript, I could not put it down. I rarely say things like this, but you have crafted a superbly compelling, intensely emotional story. With few adjustments, we can include your book in our fall line up.
Please review the enclosed contract and return it to us with your comments at your earliest convenience.
Then for some reason it either wasn’t signed, or Deanna decided she didn’t want to keep on reading, or Deanna couldn’t pronounce the letter writer’s name. I don’t know which one. It doesn’t matter because reading the letter made me a little sleepy.
Then Deanna pinched herself a good pinch and said, “Know what?” And she gave me a big hug, where my chin could rest on her head. She said, “This is really happening!!!” It was a good feeling. My chin felt especially large and proud at that moment, and I put my hand protectively across her shoulder.
I hope you realize now, little sis, that going into my burning house was definitely worth it, just for that moment. I know mom had been rewriting my monthly letters for some time, saying I already had a contract, that my novel was due in October but the deadline was extended to December, that I had been submitting my chapters to my publisher as they were completed; but now the truth can be known. That contract and the encouraging letter enclosed, has actually caused my wife to have a newfound respect for me. Yes, little sis, your brother writes well enough to get a publisher to give me an advance.
Love,
Michael Patterson
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