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Flowers in the Attic: "Holidays" Part 1
Entry posted by Maggie Mae
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Holidays: Part 1
This chapter opens with two paragraphs of "symbolic" text about the amaryllis. Much like winter, Christmas and Thanksgiving are coming. They've been in the attic for 100 days. I feel claustrophobic just thinking about that. They don't even have a tv yet, much less the internet (not invented for civilian use as of the writing of this novel, nor when it takes place.) They also do not have video games. I mean, I could probably survive 100 days in an attic with relatively little fuss if you gave me electricity, wi-fi, food, water, a shower, and a place to work out. Hell, I'd probably use at least 30 of those days on a single game of Civilization. Add in The Sims v whatever, maybe WoW and reddit/FJ? I'm set. Also, please don't make me share space with my creepy neckbeard brother and some obnoxious twins who hate everything.
Bella Swan and her handsome brother Edward Cathy and her "handsome" brother Christopher explain Thanksgiving to the twins in a very 80s way, that's to say, offensive. Cathy sets a table because their terrible mother made a promise (much like the Pilgrims did to the Native Americans, probably) to not murder come to dinner with Thanksgiving food. She's late. Lots of excuses are given. The food is cold. Cathy and Chris love it anyway. The twins complain. These twins complain about everything. I'm almost rooting for the arsenic at this point. Give them some character other than "picky eaters" and "complainers." Has VC Andrews met a 4 year old? They are terrible but not all the time. Sometimes they fall asleep. Sometimes they fart on you and laugh about it and then you laugh because it's hilarious when they laugh. Sometimes they do cartwheels and hurt themselves or fill the vacuum with shampoo.
Cathy congratulates herself on setting a table like a good proper housewife and describes the china, which I find quite boring. I suppose if she was real and lived, Cathy would be old enough to be my grandmother, so fair enough that her biggest thrill right now is a china pattern. She is complimented by her mother about the table setting, so she feels bad for mother and all the terrible awful problems she had sneaking away from her nice meal to feed her four children whom she locked in an attic. Poor mother, she has it so hard, she's just not smart enough to realize that she could, in fact, take her children and move to california or new york or back to Pennsylvania.
Quote
Good-golly day! We sure did complicate her life, all right!
It's not your fault, Cathy.
The twins don't know what gravy is, and Chris says something about Eskimos loving cold food, which is absurdly weird and offensive. Also that Eskimos are Indians which is also not true. And Indians are a part of Thanksgiving Day traditions, which I guess is true but also Native Americans aren't super cool with that. But whatever, this book is old. Neckbeard continues to lecture his family about "Indians" and how they "trekked over from Asia, and some liked ice and snow so much they stayed on, while others had better sense, and moved on down." Now, we often joke about people staying in the arctic, but the thing is, they had it really good. The winters are harsh, but the summers are mild and full of berry picking and bear hunting and whale hunting and caribou hunting. Food is plentiful in the far north, or it was. We've got so much fish in our streams that we can fish while bears fish. It's not the hellscape that people make it out to be. I can see why native americans made it their home. We don't have very many natural disasters to worry about, other than volcanos and earthquakes. But whatever, Chris is a judgemental asshole rapist, what can you expect? Also he is shoving food into his mouth and being very gross about it. Closing his eyes and whatnot.
The twins won't because the food is cold and lumpy. Also they are 4.
Cathy goes to clear the table and she's super excited when her brother decides to help. He even kisses her on the cheeks.
QuoteAnd boy, if good food could do that for a man, I was all for learning gourmet cooking.
He's your 15 year old brother, not a man. And thanksgiving dinner is not gourmet. Any idiot can set their house on fire deep frying a turkey.
After Turkey Day, the twins get sick with a cold. Cathy is over dramatic about it. Maybe I'm harsh. She's, what, 12? 12 year olds are dramatic. She's mad because she can't get a minute with her mom without the grandmother hanging about. The thermometer read 103.6 and the "mother" want to take them to a doctor/hospital. Grandmother disagrees, saying that children run high fevers. True, but you should do something. IV fluids, alcohol bath, aspirin, something. Christopher believes it's a flu virus, not a cold. Not that there is a huge difference in the treatment of the two afflictions.
They survive but are not as rambunctious. It's 19 days of being sick, as well. Right in the middle of holiday season, so I'm certain the mother was out at functions, doing the party circuit. Cathy wants her to sneak them out. Instead Mother brings them vitamins. Cathy points out that they need to get out of that house.
Chris yells at her for yelling at the mother. Because he's a giant turd.
Apparently he's been given a polaroid camera and a watch for his birthday. Two things he probably doesn't need as he's trapped in an attic where time doesn't matter.
That's it for this entry!
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