I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. School has had me busy
until now. So here’s chapter 3
Usual disclaimers apply!!
Enjoy!!!
The Parent Trap - Chapter 3: Sibling Reunion
It was totally unexpected. The last thing these two girls
expected to happen. But when it did, they had pure joy written in
their eyes. What am I talking about you ask? Well let me start from
the beginning.
It started one rainy and windy afternoon at camp. In Rini and
Usagi’s cabin, Usagi was reading a book, and Rini was hanging a bunch
of pictures of family, super stars, and what ever else she brought a
long.
Rini had just finished putting another picture up on her peg
board, when a gust of wind blew threw the open window and sent most of
her pictures to the ground. Rini went to the window and tried to
close it, but couldn’t get it to budge.
Usagi say her distress and got up to help Rini close it. The
two pulled hard until they got the window closed with a big heave.
Rini looked at Usagi with a smile and said, “Thanks!”
“Your welcome!” Usagi said with an equal smile on her face.
The two just stared at each other for a few seconds before Rini turned
and saw most of her pictures on the floor. She and Usagi immediately
went and picked them all up.
Once they were all picked up, Rini went to her chest and
pulled out her stash of Oreos and asked Usagi, “Want one?”
Usagi was a little shocked at first but said, “Sure, you got
any peanut butter on you?”
Rini was surprised, “Are you kidding, you eat yours with
Peanut Butter too?!?! Most people find that disgusting, I don’t get
it.”
“Me neither,” Usagi said as they digged in. The two were just
sitting there enjoying each other’s company, surprisingly, and both were
thinking, (“Maybe she isn’t so bad after all.”) “So, Rini, when’s
your birthday,” Usagi asked.
“I turned 8 last month on June 30th,” Rini asked.
Usagi nearly choked, “Your birthday is on June 30th? So, is
mine, and I’m also 8. How weird is that?” Rini wondered the same
thing, but put it aside for later.
This bonding moment made Rini think of her Mother, and how
close they were to each other. This train of thought made Rini
curious about Usagi’s mom, “Usagi, what’s your mom like? Is she the
type that takes the time to spend with you or one of those workaholic
types?”
Usagi grew sad at this before saying, “I never knew her. She
and my Dad split up a long time ago. When I was a baby, maybe before.
The only thing I have of her is half a photograph.”
Rini nearly choked at this, (“Half a photograph?!?! Now this
is starting to turn weird!”)
Usagi decided to ask her question, “What about you? What’s
your Dad like?”
Now it was Rini’s turn to grow sad, “I never knew him. My Mom
and him split up when I was a baby too, maybe before then.” Rini was
getting really freaked, and by what she saw in Usagi’s face, so was
she. Rini looked outside and noticed it had stopped raining and
decided to use this to her advantage to get off this depressing topic,
“Oh, look the rain stopped. You want to get some ice cream?”
Usagi may have been just as freaked as Rini, but she didn’t
want the subject dropped, for she was putting puzzle pieces together
in her head, “Will you stop thinking about food at a time like this?”
Rini didn’t like this train of thought and was trying to play
dumb, “Time like what?”
“Aren’t you getting it? Think about it. I never knew my Mom,
but I know my Dad. You never knew your Dad, but you know your Mom.
I have a picture of my Mom, and chances are you probably have a
picture of your Dad, all though yours is probably a whole pic.......
what are doing, Rini?” While Usagi had been voicing her thoughts out
loud, Rini went to her trunk and pulled out a picture with one side
torn up.
Rini was holding the picture, facing it away from Usagi, when
she said, “Getting this, it’s a picture of my Dad, and it’s ripped
too.”
Usagi was starting to turn pale, “Right down the middle?”
“Right down the middle,” Rini answered.
Usagi wasted no time and went to her desk. She opened a
drawer and pulled out a tin case. She opened it and pulled out a
ripped picture of equal size to Rini’s as she said, “This has been
getting freakier, and freakier.”
Rini couldn’t agree more as she said, “Ok, on the count of
three we show them to each other. Ready? 1....2......3.” With that,
both pink haired 8 year olds showed their pictures............ and
they fit perfectly together at the ripped ends. Both were in total
shock at this, and Rini could only say, “That’s my Mom!”
Mean while, Usagi said, “That’s my Dad!” Both were looking at
the complete picture of the couple, Serena and Darien, and it looked
like it was taken on a boat cause there was a life saver in the
background saying ‘Queen Elizabeth 2 - 1991.’
Just then a bell rang in the distance and Usagi said, “That’s
the lunch bell.”
Rini, however, had lost her appetite, “I’m not so hungry any
more.” Rini was as jittery as a jitter bug before she finally
concluded, “So, if your Dad is my Dad, and my Mom is your Mom, and we
were both born on June 30th 1992, then you and I are sisters.”
Usagi just laughed, a little good naturedly, “Rini, you
Flamingo Head, we’re twins!!” That was the last straw before the two
embraced in a bear hug with tears of joy staining their faces.
It wasn’t till bed time that the two girls decided to talk
more about their parents. They spent the rest of the day getting to
really know each other, and hugging each other every now and then.
The fellow campers caught this and thought the world had come to an
end.
When they got settled in bed, Usagi asked, “What’s Mom like?”
“She’s very happy women who practically likes to spoil me now
and then. We live on a vineyard in Napa, California. Also living at
the house is our Grandma, and Grandpa Tsukino, and Aunt Mina. We have
Uncle Sammy to, but he just moved to UCLA for College. What’s Dad
like?”
Usagi answered, “He’s pretty much the same as you describe
Mom, spoils me rotten once in a while, but not often. He’s a doctor
at Tokyo General Hospital. The only other family member is Uncle
Andrew, but he’s not really our Uncle.”
Rini was puzzled, “Then why do you call him Uncle Andrew?”
“Well, he’s been around ever since I was a baby, and he
treated me like a part of his family. He’s really nice, so I just
call him Uncle Andrew. One thing that’s puzzled me is why they always
call me Chibi-Usa, instead of Usagi.”
Rini answered, “It might have something to do with our Mom’s
middle name, which is Usagi, it’s also my Middle name.”
Usagi was surprised, “My middle name is Serenity, and a nick
name for Serenity is Serena. Boy, talk about our parents’ lack of
imagination. They game us names that are different ways of
pronouncing Serena.” Usagi and Rini had a fit of giggles at this.
Rini calmed down enough to say, “You know, after all this
time, it seems like neither of our parents got close to anyone else.
Has Dad ever gotten close?”
“Nope, Dad says I’m only girl in his life,” Usagi replied with
a smile.
The girls decided to hit the sack then for a good nights
sleep. They’d only laid there, in their beds, for only a few seconds
before Rini sat up, with a wicked grin on her face, “I have got, the
WILDEST idea. You want to meet Mom, right?”
Usagi sat up at this point and was curious as to where this
was heading, “Yes.”
“And I am dieing to know Dad,” Rini stated, “So what I suggest
is, we switch places. You go back to Napa as me, and I go to Tokyo as
you.”
This percked up Usagi a bit, but she wanted the details
straightened out, “Rini, we are two different people. I’m not sure it
will work.”
“No problem. You teach me to be you, and I’ll teach you to be
me,” Rini said before she started to get a pouting look, “Come on
Usagi, I want to meet my Dad.”
Usagi just got an idea and said, “You know, sooner or later,
they will have to switch us back.”
“And They’ll have to meet face to face after all this time.
Are we brilliant or what?”
Usagi said, “Ok, lets hit the sack and figure out the details
at breakfast tomorrow.” With that said, the twins went to sleep,
dreaming of being a full family with their parents.
The next few weeks were Rini and Usagi’s busiest days of camp.
The two were inseparable, and getting to know how to act like the
other. Also, they had to familiarize each other with the lay outs of
each other’s homes, talk about their relatives, and finally the most
difficult thing......... Usagi needed to know how to do Rini’s hair
style, correctly. It took several tries and instructions from Rini,
but after a few days, Usagi finally had it right down to the last
detail.
Finally camp was over, and everyone was boarding the buses.
On this day, Usagi had her hair up in its buns, and Rini let hers down.
Since Rini wasn’t taking the bus, Usagi gave her some last minute
instructions about the trip home, “Ok, you got your passport and plane
ticket.” Rini nodded as Usagi continued, “Good, remember, Uncle
Andrew will pick you up at the airport when you get to Tokyo.”
Just then there was a honking as one of the camp supervisors
said, using a loud speaker, “Usagi Chiba, you Taxi is here.”
Rini gave Usagi one last hug, “I got to go, give Mom a hug for
me.”
“And you give Dad a kiss for me,” Usagi said as the taxi
honked again.
Rini ran to the taxi as the supervisor said again, “Now, Usagi
Chiba.” Rini ran to the back door of the cab, and gave Marva a hug
before she climbed in and the taxi drove off.
As the cab drove off, Usagi crossed her fingers, on both
hands, saying, “Good luck Rini,” before climbing onto her own bus to
head back to Napa.
Some hours later, Usagi was on a plane, back to Napa, a home
she’s never been to, to a Mom she never met. As time ticked by, she
was getting more and more scared and nervous as many thoughts went
through her head, (“What if she doesn’t like me? What if I mess up?
Oh, please, oh, please like me Mommy.”)
Napa Airfield
Mina Aino Tsukino was at the gate where her niece’s flight was
coming in, and waiting for the plane to disembark its passengers. It
was a clear and sunny day and Mina had enjoyed the day to no end. She
was glad Rini was coming back from 1 1/2 months of camp and was looking
forward to spending time with her once they got home. Mina came out
of her daydream just as a familiar head of pink hair emerged from the
plane. She smiled at Rini as she turned and waved hi to Mina as Rini
picked up her baggage.
Usagi had a long flight and hoped to relax and rest once she
got to her, or should I say Rini’s room. Usagi had just gotten off
the plane and got her bags when she turned toward the gate and
recognized her Aunt Mina from Rini’s pictures. As soon as Rini got
her bags and spotted Aunt Mina, Usagi went to a mad dash run toward
her and stopped a foot from Mina, before Usagi dropped her bags and
embraced her Aunt in a hug shouting for joy, “Aunt Mina!!!”
Mina returned the hug whole heatedly. She really missed Rini
and wanted to just hug her forever. As soon as the two separated,
Mina sized up Rini and said, “Rini, something is different about you.
Have you been growing on me girlfriend?”
At first Usagi was scared that Aunt Mina was figuring
everything out, but when Mina asked her question about growing up, she
inwardly sighed with relief and said, in annoyance,
“Aunt Minaaaaaaaa.”
Mina just laughed and said, “Now I definitely know your Rini.
You act so much like your mother.” The two left the gate and went to
the truck.
The drive back to the Vineyard was quite informative. Usagi
told her Aunt Mina how camp was, but some of it had to be made up to
hide the fact she was Usagi, and not Rini. After an Hour’s drive, they
arrived at the Vineyard and Mina parked the Pick-up in the drive way.
As soon as Rini got out of the car she looked to the front
door just in time to see two people, who were definitely her Grandma,
and Grandpa, come out to welcome their granddaughter back. Usagi’s
Grandma was the first to reach her and give Usagi a bear hug, “OH,
there’s my little Granddaughter. How was camp? Made any friends?
Have a lot fun? Did....”
After Ken finished hugging his Granddaughter, while Ellen was
still asking her questions, someone interrupted Usagi’s Grandma, “Mom,
let my daughter breath, for pete sakes, she just got home.”
Usagi turned back to the front door to see the one person
she’s waited her whole life to see........... her mother. Usagi went
into a mad run and jumped into her Mom’s waiting arms, shouting,
“MOMMY!!!”
Serena hugged her daughter very tightly. She felt she’s been
separated from Rini far to long, and just wanted to hug her to no end.
She then heard Rini say, “I can’t believe its you!” Serena pulled
back a little and looked right into Rini’s eyes saying, “Well I can’t
believe it’s you! You were gone too long little one, and I plan to
make up for all the time you missed being spoiled.”
The two giggled a bit before the entire family walked into the
house to unpack Usagi’s stuff. While she was unpacking, Usagi thought,
(“I wonder what Rini and Dad are doing right now.”)
It’s been far too long since my last cliff hanger!!!!!! Well send your
comments folks, For those of you who think I relate too closely to
the original story, I’m sorry. There are parts of the story I can’t
picture taking place in any other way. I’ll do my best, and I think
I’ll be a able to be a little bit more creative from here on out.
Send your comments to gbess@iname.com. Visit my web site at
www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Courtyard/2058. Stay tuned for “ch. 4 - The
trap is set, but....... Houston, we have a problem.”
(
geocities.com/tokyo/courtyard) (
geocities.com/tokyo)