I wake up in the morning to find everything has changed.

When Tan and I arrived home from the farm it was late on Friday night. Mom and Sis apparently had just gone to bed when we showed up. They hit their panic buttons before they knew who we were so we all had to explain everything when the security company responded in force. Other than that their six weeks were relatively uneventful.

 © 2010 by Lilith Langtree & Rénae Dáºmas. This work may not be replicated or presented in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the work’s Owner (copyright holder), with the exception of the private and non-commercial viewing by the reader who is also the end purchaser. ALL Rights Reserved, including but not limited to ownership of Characters, final content decision, and more. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this story are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental. Any and all images which may be shown within this work are taken through license under Corel with the exception of the title image which is Photo Credit to Irina Sheik. No affiliations, involvement or gender assignations through the use of these or any images of the subject or subjects contained within those posted images is to be implied, intended or inferred.
An Aldoennetti & Langtree Original.

Saturday morning I was up early, still being on east coast time, so I went down to ‘my’ kitchen to learn nearly all the food was gone and all my kitchen utensils, bowls, and other odds and ends which made it “my” kitchen where now in different locations than where I had left them. I’m glad I was up early, it took me two hours to straighten out my kitchen before I went back up and dressed so I could rush off to the market to obtain the makings of breakfast, both freezers, the refrigerator and the pantry were nearly bare. I’ll need to revise my thinking about all this as I’m spending my money almost as fast as I’m earning it. At this rate I’ll be an ‘in-between’ for the next ten years and I think I want to make the change long before that.

Somehow we need to find Mom and Sis somewhere to live and jobs so they may support themselves. That could be a bit difficult for Mom as she hasn’t had a job in... ummm... well, since Sis was born?? I’m not saying that keeping a house and rearing children isn’t a full time job but it really isn’t one that pays very much... and the hours are a bit long.

About the time everyone else is rising, I’ve returned and have breakfast just about ready to get under way. Some nice omelets with all the ‘little’ add ins which make ten eggs seem like twelve, plus pancakes, coffee, ham and sausage, toast with blackberry jam plus hash browns for Tan and anyone else who might want them or cottage cheese with a pear half for each of us girls. I moved the coffee pot into the dining room and left the accordion doors open into the rest of the house while the coffee was brewing. I was hoping the smell would somehow percolate to the rest of the house and draw everyone down. Either we have unexpected visitors or I suppose it worked since I soon heard mumbles of conversation in the dining room and the light clacking of cups on saucers. Tan actually dared to come into the kitchen long enough to ask if there was any sugar before he beat a hasty retreat back into the dining room. I suppose there’s safety in numbers.

We basically reintroduce ourselves and Mom and Sis are glad to have someone to talk to other than themselves. After breakfast I remind Sis that she has a job to go to, which confuses her for a few seconds before she remembers and rushes back upstairs in a panic. Forty minutes later she is ready and so are we. Mom got ready as well since she couldn’t stand the thought of being ‘home alone’, so the four of us make an appearance at the studio.

The remainder of Saturday was interesting to say the least. We had a make up photo shoot scheduled with one of Tan’s girls and an old client. It was supposed to happen Thursday but we didn’t make it back in time. Tan promised to have everything out and in their hands early Monday morning even if he had to work on it all night... which he probably would.

Mom, Sis and I spent that shoot going over all the little things which need to be done and we used Sue as our guinea model. She could hardly be called a pig since she looks anorexic. A little too thin as far as I was concerned. Mom kept trying to push carrot and celery sticks at her. After a couple of weeks, Mom was the one who took over the position I had originally filled and Sis moved over to running the computer and learning Tan’s editing program. The client would review the images on the computer and when they tentatively selected a shot, Sis would apply her magic and make it into a wondrous thing of beauty. Tan provided her with the raw materials and she made them into something which had the clients salivating. The models seemed to come right off the page with the clothing and model obviously the center piece of the photo. Eventually, I took over the book keeping and some of the photography as we began to grow.

The idea of the travel promos also began to receive more consideration even though Tan still hasn’t quite figured how a documentary could fit into the game. Apparently he had been talking to Tony about all this because a couple of months after Sis and I were dragooned into taking a cinematography course or two, the four of us plus two models wound up going back to the farm to produce a twenty three minute publicity piece. I seriously doubt it will ever be shown in a public venue but we are being paid to produce it and it will be shown to budding agents. It was an interesting challenge trying to glamorize learning foreign languages. Pam took that to interesting new heights. Apparently she has an affinity for Russian. It’s kind of exotic. When she is speaking Russian I have this vision of her actually being from there with her Slavic cheekbones and all.

Tan and I, on the other hand, had our hands full trying to make something out of all the XHD footage we shot. Sis came in really handy at that once she learned that editing program’s quirks. The week it took her to figure it out, I think I learn a good dozen new swear words which I never would have suspected Sis would ever have known. Tan I were sweating the setup expenses. The four cameras and edit suite were terribly exorbitant in price and his people couldn’t get us much of a discount since the cost was pretty much fixed for the Sony equipment. Sony did do us some favors though and provided some additional stuff to help us along at half price, but the cameras and editing computer system still hit over four hundred and fifty very big ones. They amounted to what I could make in six to eight very good months. Tan shrugs it off as “possibly a good investment.”

Tricia, was our star performer during the ‘I spy’ interval. She made a great display of field craft while I fell back into my old game, shooting good guys as well as bad. We edited out the shooting the good guys parts.

“Really Miss Van Derholt, I had hoped that during your absence you would have learned to only shoot the bad guys. It’s a wonder we have any agents remaining.”

I’m really not that bad. I killed all the bad guys and only wounded the good guys. I usually figured it out just as I pulled the trigger and I would try to aim away at the last instant... thus only wounding the targets which were supposed to be our guys. “Oh well, maybe someday.”

“I’m certain our agents will appreciate your efforts, Miss Van Derholt.”

“I am improving. What do you want for only doing this for six months?”

“Most of our agents don’t shoot the good guys after six months.”

“Most of the agents who don’t shoot the good guys after six months also get killed by one or more of the bad guys. I manage to kill all the bad guys successfully.”

“A fortunate series of events to which my wallet happily attests.”

“You’re not planing any more little shoot outs are you?”

“No. Unfortunately word has gotten around. We do, however, have a group of unenlightened FBI coming in next week if you will still be here then.”

“Unfortunately, no.” I say a bit sarcastically, “Tan and I leave this Friday. Next week is pretty much filled with work on the home front. Sorry.”

“Me also. It’s a pleasure seeing you here, Miss Van DerHolt. Please return often.”

“Is that your wallet saying that or you?”

He pauses a moment before answering, “Would it wound you if I said it was both?”

“Possibly.”

“In that case I shall say it for myself as we shall miss your pleasant demeanor gracing the range.”

I look at him with surprise as he is usually a gruff old son-of-a-gun, no pun intended.

“Thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome Miss Van DerHolt. Good luck in your new adventures.”

He points at the cameras, one of which is on a wide shot of the range while the other two are being operated by Tan and Sis to pull following shots or close ups. The last shots taken are of the computer print-out showing my hits. Sis will need to do some fancy editing to remove my hits on the good guys. She simply asks for a printout which has been doctored to remove that portion of the information. Simple huh? I wouldn’t have thought of that. I envisioned some masterful work with the editing program, not some low level quick and dirty fix like simply removing the information before printing. She asks if I have unloaded my pistol before she sends me back out to the good guy targets where I go through the motions without pulling the trigger.

“I’ll edit those in and no one will be the wiser.”

Have I ever mentioned that Sis can be quite devious when she wants to be? Don’t play cards with her. I learned that back when we were kids.
Don’t play Risk or other board games with her either. She can be like a shark in prey infested waters, once she begins to sense blood she can’t stop herself.

~O~

Once we return home, Sis lays claim to a corner of our little world at the studio much as Irina did for his makeup section. She set up the computers in a corner defined by one wall of Tan’s office and two sides of the building, then asked for some of those office dividers so she could create a little nook in which she could work without people looking over her shoulder. Two weeks later, after chasing us away innumerable times in the interim, she unveils her masterpiece. Actually, two. One is forty four minutes and seven seconds in length and the other is twenty two minutes fifty-nine seconds, seven frames. Don’t ask me. I haven’t a clue. I’ve never heard of ‘frames’. My day is divided into hours, minutes and seconds; of which there are far too many hours and not enough seconds or minutes. Now that I think about it, we should be able to do something about that, shouldn’t we?

Tashia is still working in her nook. She now has all of the editing computers in there including the ones she uses to enhance Tan’s still photos. A few days after she unveiled her masterpieces and made master DVDs for Tan to send to Tony at the farm, she calls over the top of her self imposed partitions.

“Sis... SIS... KAT!” I’m vaguely aware of my sister yelling at me before exiting her nook to find and drag me back so she may show me something and ask some questions.

“Sis, I’m cutting the forty four minute master to make room for commercials so they could release it for public consumption if they so wish. I’m also making a presentation copy which may be shown at University recruitment. I know this wasn’t part of the original package but it isn’t all that difficult to do and they might like it. Anyway, I’m cutting about half of the range stuff out to reduce the time of that segment so there will be room for the others. I want you to help me decide what should stay and what should go.”

“Okay, Sis. Go ahead and ru...”

“I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! Oh God, Kat. You’re beautiful. You finally did it. Wow, that’s great. You were always so unhappy as Mac and I really was so sad about what happened when I outed you that day I managed to get you into one of my skirts. You were pretty.”

She grabs me and hugs tight.

“Are you going to tell Mom?” she asks exuberantly.

I’m wondering what just happened and how Sis suddenly knew I was Mac.
Sis is still bubbling, “This is so great. I’ve got a sister. You’re wearing his engagement ring. When are you getting married? Wow. I’m living with my sister.”

“I... You... Uh... How did you know?” I still have that marvelous knack for sounding really intelligent when the situation demands it.

“I didn’t. I suspected, and Mom and I talked about it... a lot. Especially while you and Tan were gone that first time and then again when we were in our room during this last trip to make the documentary. I finally simply had to know so I tried this little trap and it worked.” She nearly strangles me again, “I’ve got a sister.”

She says that last little bit just as Mom walks into the nook area to see what all the noise is about.

“Girls. GIRLS. Please keep it to a dull roar. We are doing a photo shoot out there you know.” She points back at the portion of the studio beyond the dividers. “Kat, you have work to do out there — You and I need to have a conversation after this shoot is over, young lady. Tashia Elaine don’t you have work to do? I can find something if you don’t.”

Talk about a wet blanket.

“Yes, Mom.” Tashia turns back to her computers.

“Yes, Mom.” I begin to walk past Mom to exit the nook.

Mom smiles and grabs me in a hug. “Have you been a ‘good’ girl, Kat? I won’t have one of my daughters engaging in improprieties before she’s married.”

“Mom, she’s engaged. It’s not like she’s going with any old Tom, Dick or Harry. It’s Tanner, for God’s sake.”

“She will still be a refined young lady. I’ll not have her bringing shame upon the family.”

Shame? If me changing from a boy to a girl isn’t shame in her book, what is? Oh... I get it. I’m a girl, so no sex.

I blush a deep crimson, “Mom!? You brought me up better than that.”

“Good. I was beginning to be concerned. But you are still going to have that conversation with me.”

Cripes. “Yes Mom.”

“Kat. I mean it.”

I exhale and drop my shoulders, “Yes Mom.”

Once Mom tells us how it’s going to be there is no changing her mind.
WAIT A MINUTE! I’ve got a Mom and Sister again. Well... I mean, I always did but... Oh hell, you know what I mean.

I suddenly grab onto Mom for all I’m worth as tears begin to flow and somehow I choke out, “Mo... Mom...”

Sis has to get into the act so she comes up behind me and wraps her arms around me laying her head onto my back; “Welcome back to the family, Kat.”

Tan picks this moment to see what’s holding us up and walks around the corner of the dividers. “What’s the hold up he...” The moment he sees us, with me crying and Mom and Sis wrapped around me he takes the coward’s way out and beats a hasty retreat.

Somehow things get back to normal, then after I do a hasty clean up in the little girl’s room, I’m back out helping Tan with the shooting and showing Mom how to operate the display computer for the client. She made good on her statement as well. Almost as soon as the client was gone, Mom had me cornered and was well on the way to delivering me her birds and bees lecture along with what she expects in a daughter.

“You think I don’t know you both go into his bedroom and close and lock the door? I know. And I know what sort of things go on in there as well young lady.”

I’m at a loss, “But, Mom? When have I ever gone into his bedroom and we locked the door?”

“WHEN? You think I’m blind? You have seven times gone there, that which I know. You go in and don’t come out for three hours, sometimes more. Now what would you be doing in the bedroom for three hours with the door locked I ask you?”

I’m confused. I don’t remember any times when Tan and I went into his bedroom and locked the... Oh. Oh this is just great. How do I explain this so Mom will know we weren’t doing anything? Well, I mean, we were but not what she’s thinking. We were downstairs shooting. I didn’t realise she noticed.

“Uh... Mom. It isn’t what you think.”

“I should hope not. What would the neighbors think?”

“The neigh... Mom?”

“I mean, a daughter of mine going into a bedroom with a man before she’s married and locking the door.”

“Mom. Let me explain. It isn’t what you think. We weren’t in the bedroom.”

“You go in, lock the door and don’t come out for three hours or more. So where are you if not in the bedroom?”

“In the second basement. It’s a secret.”

“Basement? What do you mean, basement? You are making dirty movies?”

She says that so loud I’m afraid the tenants in the part of the building upstairs from the studio will hear us.

“Mom! NO! Quiet, please Mom. The walls have ears.”

“So do bedrooms.” She can’t seem to get off that kick.

“Mom. We can’t talk about it here. I promise I’ll take you in and show you as soon as we get home.”

“What? This is more of your secrets and spy stuff?”

At least she is a lot more quiet now.

“Yes, Mom. It is. It’s stuff you can’t talk about except down in that secret basement because... Because it’s too easy to put bugs in this studio or in the house and people could hear things we don’t want them to know.” I tell her almost at a whisper near her ear.

“I’ll have you know I keep a clean house. There are no bugs.”

“Not that kind Mom. The kind I’m talking about are electronic and are put there by spies. When Tan and I go into the bedroom we go through a secret door and down to the basement where we may talk or practice shooting.”

“So you swear to me you have been a good girl?”

“Yes, Mom. I have.”

“You swear by Grandmother Leisel?”

“Yes, Momma. I swear.”

“Hummpft. We see then later. Go. Go do your work, and you show me this... secret when we go home.”

Sometimes Momma scares me more than Dad ever could.

~O~

We have one more photo shoot during the afternoon and following it I pull Tan aside to try to explain it all to him. It’s almost as complicated as the ‘spy stuff’. He isn’t happy with taking Mom and Sis downstairs but at least he can see the negative side of what Mom is thinking. With his reluctant agreement when we return home we make the excursion to the second basement.

Mom is mildly mollified but still fiercely protective of her daughter’s virtue and now she has a new complaint.

“Look at the dirt down here.” She swipes her finger across the edge of the floor located between the furthest run for the targets and that of the shooting area. “Look at this filth. It will take a week to clean all this. And the smell is of old dirty rags. You clean maybe once a year?”

It didn’t take a week. Now that she knows about it, she was down every day. She had it clean enough to eat off in only three days and smelling of air freshener. She had three vases of flowers, a couple of chairs that she dragged down there when we weren’t looking and even hung a couple of pictures on the block walls. Don’t ever ask Momma to redecorate for you, you’d wind up with a house you couldn’t recognise as your own.

Momma has also taken over my kitchen. When it was my kitchen and I wasn’t her daughter then she kept quiet but now that I’m her daughter she has taken over the entire house. I am, “to learn the proper way to keep a house for my husband to be.”

As if I don’t have enough on my plate.

I’m beginning to seriously consider moving back into my old apartment if the manager will rent it to me. Tan has broached the subject of eloping and never returning. This topic seems to be coming up more and more frequently whenever we are down at the range. So much so that I’ve found him looking for properties in Virginia.

“She would track us down, Tan. Leave her be, it gives her something to do.”

“She isn’t going on our honeymoon with us too, is she?”

“I hope not. I love my Mom but sometimes enough is enough.”

“Are you two lovebirds down here? Ah, there you are. I have supper ready. Are you going to eat or play with your toys down here all night?”

Tan mutters quietly in my ear, “We should never have shown her this room.”

“Mom, I don’t need to be chaperoned every second I’m with Tan.”

“You would rather it was your Father looking out for your virtue? Be happy I let you go so many places alone with him. Come. Both of you. It’s time for supper.”

“We need to clean the guns.”

“So, they will become dirtier in an hour or two? Supper will become cold and dry, the guns may wait. Come. And wash your hands before you come to the table.” She takes each of us by the arm and leads us back upstairs. I’m beginning to have some empathy for what Tashia went through as she grew up. No wonder she couldn’t keep boy friends very long. If it wasn’t Mom then it was Dad; and we all knew how understanding Dad could be.

to be continued