Fun
There is enough smoke to fill the entire city, Katie muses as she wanderes into the grungy pub. Eddie's choice of places to take his older sister were getting worse as he got older. She wonders if it is simply because of the awful influence he'd been given in the past by his older siblings.
Taking her arm firmly, Eddie steers Katie towards a recently vacated table - oddly enough, it isn't so suffocated in smoke.
"Hey, I can see!" Katie exclaims, as she sits down. Quickly, her face turns a little more serious. "Tell me, this isn't what you're doing with yourself, is it?"
Eddie lets out a hearty laugh. "Katie," he grins, "you're the most carefree person in the family - the most carefree person I know. You didn't come down here to ask me how I'm spending my life."
Katie leans over, giving him a purposeful look. "Ed, everyone wants to know how you're spending your life."
"What?" A perplexed look crosses his impish features.
"Ed," Katie lays her hand over the table. "Mom and dad are worried about you. Everytime I get a phone call from them, they want to know how you're going. You don't talk to them anymore."
He doesn't respond at once. Katie wouldn't accept the fact that her family is slowly falling apart - she's always been in denial. What can he say to her?
"No."
"Who do you talk to?" She questions.
"People who want to have fun!" He responds, assertively. "Mom and dad hold us down --"
"Wait," she cuts him off. "Fun? You call this kind of thing fun?" Suddenly, her hands are waving wilding about the table. "This isn't fun, Ed! This is ... this is just not you!"
"You know what?" He sighs, clearly trying to hold himself together. He doesn't want to blow up at Katie. "I really think I'm the best judge of what's me. I really do think this is me. When was the last time you came to visit me? Oh, no, wait, it was my birthday last year, when -- oh, no! Sorry, you were too busy with work. Tell me, Katerina," he says her full name with hostility, "what gives you the right to judge what is and is not me?"
"You're my brother ..." she begins, softly. He is her brother. He's her little brother. Damn, he's right. She didn't come to see him last year. He's her baby brother and she was supposed to take care of him. Where the hell was she?
"You know ..." he sighs. "Let's just ... let's go have some fun."
He stands up, looking down at his sister. She's become thinner. She looks up at him, a curious look.
"Out of here, then?"
"Yeah." He nods, as she rises. "Only took you here to freak you out a bit. I do know how to have fun, Katie."
Taking her arm firmly, Eddie steers Katie towards a recently vacated table - oddly enough, it isn't so suffocated in smoke.
"Hey, I can see!" Katie exclaims, as she sits down. Quickly, her face turns a little more serious. "Tell me, this isn't what you're doing with yourself, is it?"
Eddie lets out a hearty laugh. "Katie," he grins, "you're the most carefree person in the family - the most carefree person I know. You didn't come down here to ask me how I'm spending my life."
Katie leans over, giving him a purposeful look. "Ed, everyone wants to know how you're spending your life."
"What?" A perplexed look crosses his impish features.
"Ed," Katie lays her hand over the table. "Mom and dad are worried about you. Everytime I get a phone call from them, they want to know how you're going. You don't talk to them anymore."
He doesn't respond at once. Katie wouldn't accept the fact that her family is slowly falling apart - she's always been in denial. What can he say to her?
"No."
"Who do you talk to?" She questions.
"People who want to have fun!" He responds, assertively. "Mom and dad hold us down --"
"Wait," she cuts him off. "Fun? You call this kind of thing fun?" Suddenly, her hands are waving wilding about the table. "This isn't fun, Ed! This is ... this is just not you!"
"You know what?" He sighs, clearly trying to hold himself together. He doesn't want to blow up at Katie. "I really think I'm the best judge of what's me. I really do think this is me. When was the last time you came to visit me? Oh, no, wait, it was my birthday last year, when -- oh, no! Sorry, you were too busy with work. Tell me, Katerina," he says her full name with hostility, "what gives you the right to judge what is and is not me?"
"You're my brother ..." she begins, softly. He is her brother. He's her little brother. Damn, he's right. She didn't come to see him last year. He's her baby brother and she was supposed to take care of him. Where the hell was she?
"You know ..." he sighs. "Let's just ... let's go have some fun."
He stands up, looking down at his sister. She's become thinner. She looks up at him, a curious look.
"Out of here, then?"
"Yeah." He nods, as she rises. "Only took you here to freak you out a bit. I do know how to have fun, Katie."