Categories > Celebrities > Beatles > Tell Me Why
They were arguing again.
It wasn't unusual for me to hear the sharp tones of my Uncle John and Uncle George. I never knew what they were saying; I could never understand their words. No matter what it was, it needed to stop.
I set down a book that I had just gotten for my birthday down and left my room with a sudden sense of courage. Usually by now they had made up and would be watching TV or something, so I never bothered to do anything. But they were still fighting, and I was getting tired of it.
As I walked down the stairs and through the hallway, the words to their argument started to become more clear to me. They were saying something about me, something they needed to tell me... no, they didn't... wait, did they or did they not? I knew they would stop from my presences, which is what I had intended, but hearing the topic gave me the idea to listen to what they were saying. I hid myself behind the wall next to the doorway to the living room.
"She needs to know, George..."
"Why can't we wait? We've done well waiting, haven't we?"
"She's fuckin' fifteen, George! We should've fuckin' told her years ago!"
"Why do we even have to tell her? Every damn thing has been fine so far!"
"She'll hate us, and you know it! She'll probably already hate us already for not saying anything before!"
For the first time, there was a silence.
"No."
"C'mon, George, we have to act like men with this! Oh wait, that's right, you're a man-lady!"
"TAKE THAT BACK, YOU FUCKIN' BASTARD!"
The second I heard the sound of things being thrown and other crashes, I rushed into the room. "What the hell is going on?!" I shouted as I witnessed Uncle Joh with his hands over his eyes in pain and a fumed Uncle George, his face red with anger. They stopped and looked at me. The colour in their faces had begun to turn to normal and their expressions seemed... alarmed?
"Charlotte..." Uncle John said quietly. He exchanged glances with Uncle George, who looked horrified.
"You two are acting like a married couple!" I exclaimed.
"Charlotte, th-this isn't really-" Uncle George slowly stammered.
"Just tell me what's going on," I interrupted. "Please..."
Uncle John looked at Uncle George. "We need to tell her. Now."
"Tell me what?" I asked, and Uncle George sighed.
"Aright... Just... sit down somewhere... I'm going to get Uncle John some ice..." I obeyed as he left the room and went into the kitchen. I waited nervously for whatever was coming.
Finally, after what felt like forever, he came back with an ice pack and gave it to Uncle John, who thanked him and put it on his eye. They sat down on the couch across from me. Uncle John took one of Uncle George's hands and squeezed it gently, creating a weak smile on the younger man's mouth.
"Alright," Uncle John started, taking a deep breath. "Charlotte... we think now that you're fifteen... you should know more about your parents..."
"Really?" I exclaimed. I barely knew anything about them, only that they died in a car accident. I knew this ever since I had asked, realizing almost everyone I knew lived with their parents and not two of their uncles. They had refused to tell me anything else until I was old enough, and now was the time!
"Yes..." Uncle John said. "We're really sorry, sweetheart, but... they're not really dead."
"What do you mean, they're not really dead?!" I demanded, standing up from my seat.
"Charlotte, honey, sit back down so we can explain-"
"How could you lie to me like that?! You can't just pretend my parents don't exist, they're important to me! Even though I never remembered them, they-"
"Charlotte."
I stopped at the sound of Uncle George's first word since he had left the room for ice.
"Charlotte, sweetie, please sit down and listen, cos there's more we need to confess..." I sat down and waited again. "Charlotte, we're not really your uncles..."
"I kinda figured that out already," I replied rolling my eyes. "I've known you two aren't really related to me for quite some time..."
"But that's just it," Uncle John said, "we are really related to you."
"Really?" I asked, surprised. "How?"
"Well," Uncle John said, "I'm... actually your dad..."
I stared at him, dumbfounded. "Y-you're my... but why-"
"We kept it a secret cos of your mum."
"Mum?" I asked. "Who is she anyway? Where is she? Why isn't she here?"
"You're mum is here..." Uncle George said quietly to the floor.
"What do you mean?"
"Charlotte." He looked me straight in the eye and hesitated. "I... I am your mum..."
"WHAT?!" I stood up again. "YOU'RE CRAZY! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"
"Sweetie, sit down!" Uncle John said.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TWO!"
"We're not kidding! We'd never do anything like that to you, you know that!"
"WHY WOULDN'T YOU TELL ME SOMETHING LIKE THIS?!"
"Char-"
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" I ran out of the living room to my bedroom, crying. What did they think they were doing?! Why didn't they tell me sooner?! Why would they wait?! I slammed the door shut and hopped onto my bed. I could hear Uncle John and Uncle George argue again.
That was it. I couldn't stand them or believe them anymore. I was leaving.
It wasn't unusual for me to hear the sharp tones of my Uncle John and Uncle George. I never knew what they were saying; I could never understand their words. No matter what it was, it needed to stop.
I set down a book that I had just gotten for my birthday down and left my room with a sudden sense of courage. Usually by now they had made up and would be watching TV or something, so I never bothered to do anything. But they were still fighting, and I was getting tired of it.
As I walked down the stairs and through the hallway, the words to their argument started to become more clear to me. They were saying something about me, something they needed to tell me... no, they didn't... wait, did they or did they not? I knew they would stop from my presences, which is what I had intended, but hearing the topic gave me the idea to listen to what they were saying. I hid myself behind the wall next to the doorway to the living room.
"She needs to know, George..."
"Why can't we wait? We've done well waiting, haven't we?"
"She's fuckin' fifteen, George! We should've fuckin' told her years ago!"
"Why do we even have to tell her? Every damn thing has been fine so far!"
"She'll hate us, and you know it! She'll probably already hate us already for not saying anything before!"
For the first time, there was a silence.
"No."
"C'mon, George, we have to act like men with this! Oh wait, that's right, you're a man-lady!"
"TAKE THAT BACK, YOU FUCKIN' BASTARD!"
The second I heard the sound of things being thrown and other crashes, I rushed into the room. "What the hell is going on?!" I shouted as I witnessed Uncle Joh with his hands over his eyes in pain and a fumed Uncle George, his face red with anger. They stopped and looked at me. The colour in their faces had begun to turn to normal and their expressions seemed... alarmed?
"Charlotte..." Uncle John said quietly. He exchanged glances with Uncle George, who looked horrified.
"You two are acting like a married couple!" I exclaimed.
"Charlotte, th-this isn't really-" Uncle George slowly stammered.
"Just tell me what's going on," I interrupted. "Please..."
Uncle John looked at Uncle George. "We need to tell her. Now."
"Tell me what?" I asked, and Uncle George sighed.
"Aright... Just... sit down somewhere... I'm going to get Uncle John some ice..." I obeyed as he left the room and went into the kitchen. I waited nervously for whatever was coming.
Finally, after what felt like forever, he came back with an ice pack and gave it to Uncle John, who thanked him and put it on his eye. They sat down on the couch across from me. Uncle John took one of Uncle George's hands and squeezed it gently, creating a weak smile on the younger man's mouth.
"Alright," Uncle John started, taking a deep breath. "Charlotte... we think now that you're fifteen... you should know more about your parents..."
"Really?" I exclaimed. I barely knew anything about them, only that they died in a car accident. I knew this ever since I had asked, realizing almost everyone I knew lived with their parents and not two of their uncles. They had refused to tell me anything else until I was old enough, and now was the time!
"Yes..." Uncle John said. "We're really sorry, sweetheart, but... they're not really dead."
"What do you mean, they're not really dead?!" I demanded, standing up from my seat.
"Charlotte, honey, sit back down so we can explain-"
"How could you lie to me like that?! You can't just pretend my parents don't exist, they're important to me! Even though I never remembered them, they-"
"Charlotte."
I stopped at the sound of Uncle George's first word since he had left the room for ice.
"Charlotte, sweetie, please sit down and listen, cos there's more we need to confess..." I sat down and waited again. "Charlotte, we're not really your uncles..."
"I kinda figured that out already," I replied rolling my eyes. "I've known you two aren't really related to me for quite some time..."
"But that's just it," Uncle John said, "we are really related to you."
"Really?" I asked, surprised. "How?"
"Well," Uncle John said, "I'm... actually your dad..."
I stared at him, dumbfounded. "Y-you're my... but why-"
"We kept it a secret cos of your mum."
"Mum?" I asked. "Who is she anyway? Where is she? Why isn't she here?"
"You're mum is here..." Uncle George said quietly to the floor.
"What do you mean?"
"Charlotte." He looked me straight in the eye and hesitated. "I... I am your mum..."
"WHAT?!" I stood up again. "YOU'RE CRAZY! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"
"Sweetie, sit down!" Uncle John said.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TWO!"
"We're not kidding! We'd never do anything like that to you, you know that!"
"WHY WOULDN'T YOU TELL ME SOMETHING LIKE THIS?!"
"Char-"
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" I ran out of the living room to my bedroom, crying. What did they think they were doing?! Why didn't they tell me sooner?! Why would they wait?! I slammed the door shut and hopped onto my bed. I could hear Uncle John and Uncle George argue again.
That was it. I couldn't stand them or believe them anymore. I was leaving.
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