A Perfect Harmony

FIVE

"Stop hittin' me!" I heard my four year old brother, Dale shout out.

"I ain't hittin' ya! I was just trying to get ya to move out of my way!" My younger sister, the baby of us all—Diana, the twin of Dale exclaimed next.

Oh boy. Here we go again.

Quickly rushing up as my Mama smirked and shook her head knowingly, I raced into the hallway to see them having a tussle just like it sounded too.

"Hey! Hey! Y'all knock it off now! Mama was trying to rest!" I called out to them.

Stopping their movements, they glanced up to me and let out a sweet smile. "Ivy!" As they dispersed from each other and raced over to give me a big hug.

Instantly, from sitting around in the living room listening to the radio we did own—probably all day since they came home from school, my other two younger siblings ran out. They were four years older than the twins—which only meant when they annoyed me with something usually trivial, it ain't as cute. 

But yet, I loved them all just the same.

"Did ya get some money?!" My brother Jordan yelled, grinning too and rushing behind to pat me on the back.

"Did ya get a job yet Ivy?!" My sister, Joy now wondered—hugging me after everyone else.

"I sure did! Well, the job part. I'll tell ya all about it though during dinner! Now get ready please, and wash up while I start making it. And make sure all ya homework is finished too Joy and Jordan, and don't con me this time saying you suddenly don't know how to read! Go on. All of you." I ordered kindly as they all agreed and did as told, dividing and conquering.

Though from the remaining small scent of smoke and booze again now buried through my clothes that hadn't been there for a while, so did I.

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"I don't want broccoli!" Dale whined with his hand on his head sighing, pushing the plate away.

We'd all been at the dinner table after I had changed my attire for something more comfortable. I fixed Mama a plate too in case she wanted to take a few bites, but she hardly ever wanted to do anything after everything we've been through. She'd been stuck in such a great depression that nothing brought her joy anymore.

No music, no radio, no games—which I'd put there everyday before leaving in case she changed her mind, and definitely no urge to get all dolled up. All she wanted to do was stare at her pictures and dwell on the past...or make sure her head didn't get into the clouds as she liked to put it, unlike mine anytime I started humming around the house.

"Stop all that complaining now Dale and eat up! Some people in other parts of the world don't even have this at all." I reminded him, pushing the plate up to him again like I did every night he did this.

"Great. Then can we move there?" Now Diana wanted to add on. Kids.

Clearly she completely missed my point. 

"If ya keep it up, I'm gonna make ya eat them off your freshly pressed head next." I warned.

If there was one thing I knew about my little sister Diana, was that she loved always looking stylish and good. So I did my best to make sure she did. But I could take it all away too in an instant.

Gasping, she glared at me. "Ya wouldn't dare!" Sure I would.

Quickly, I began to charge for her hair as she leaned further down into her seat as the rest of the table laughed. "Hey, no, no! Watch it missy!" She fired back at me. I giggled and moved to my chair again properly.

"So about the job?" Joy now spoke up. I smiled and nodded.

"Well, it pays well and I get to see a lot of ritzy things all around me." I vaguely explained. Their eyes widened happily.

They didn't need to know about the whole speakeasy part though. I may have been my father's daughter, but bringing my eight and four year old siblings to work too ain't exactly in the cards right now.

"Do ya get to see a lot of skirts?!" Jordan then asked excitedly.

I snickered and glared at him. Oh no. Levi didn't grow up with me, but I'd be a fool to let my brother view women like that.

"Uh excuse me, the only skirt  ya should be even thinking about, is the one ya better not get a stain on with your chicken sauce on this table." He rolled his eyes playfully and went back to eating. "But it's really good. Ya guys will love it there if I ever stay long. And I can show ya around as well when you're older."

"Do ya think Daddy would've loved it too?" Dale now wondered, as the others stared at me carefully.

I grinned happily, nodding. "I know for a fact he would."

Feeling proud of me, they held out their hands for high fives as I giggled again—giving each of them one too as they continued on with their meals. 

Slowly turning to me though with his plate in hand, Jordan then offered me some food to take off from his. I gratefully shook my head as he smiled once more, still giving me a piece of bread which I did accept—starting to nibble on that.

There was hardly any enough food sometimes to go around four children, a crippled mother who needed all the nutrients she could get to make her stronger, and me if I hadn't been grocery shopping for ourselves yet. 

But between job hunting, lack of money, and the way the bus schedule worked from traveling forty minutes from here to downtown each way before dinnertime, I simply didn't have any time for now. It didn't matter though. 

They always had a home cooked meal almost like how Mama used to make us all, and I was fine.

I could just sit here and imagine the day when I became a well known singer and got all the food I could possibly ever want no matter the cost, after performing hundreds of shows.

Until that someday came however, this would just have to be my real reality.

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I hope you enjoy this chapter! Stay tune for more!

See ya next time! ;)