I was busy putting my Woodstock Puzzle together when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Responsibility looking down at me
"Ugh, not you again. Go away." And I got back to work on my puzzle.
"I don't think so," said Responsibility, shoving my puzzle away.
"Hey! I've been working on that for two weeks!"
"Whatever," she said, "We have better things to talk about. How long has it been since you've written on your blog?"
"My... oh! Uh-oh..."
"Exactly."
She's a very concise responsibility.
"I guess I should get to it..."
"You should."
"Want to go ride our bike?" ADD wakes up from the nap she was taking on the couch behind me.
"Oh no," says Responsibility, "She has work to do. You are not invited."
"Well, I was here first actually," says ADD rubbing her sleepy red eyes. She stayed up late last night reading some book, "Just ask her. She actually asked me to help her with the puzzle you so rudely destroyed. Right Maria?"
"I don't really care about your little play dates. But I'm the one who stays up with her at night worrying about all the work she didn't get done, not you. So I order you to leave."
"Whatever," mumbles ADD, stumbling off to the kitchen.
"As we were saying," says Responsibility, turning back to me.
"What would I write about?"
"Oh. Yeah..." And this is where Responsibility fails me, and Creativity jumps in. She'd been decorating my notebooks in the living room.
"Hey!" She slaps Responsibility on the shoulder. "She's right you know. You have to keep up your blog."
"Thank you." Says Responsibility.
"Traitor!" calls ADD from the kitchen. Creativity usually sides with ADD.
"You could write about Alex's Party," Creativity suggests.
"She missed it," ADD shouts from the kitchen, "No thanks to Miss Responsibility. She could have left that homework for the weekend you know. Did you ever ask Ximena how it went? Let's call her!"
"Be quiet!" Shouts Responsibility. "Hurry up and find something."
"Haiti
"Sofi already did!" says ADD. The size of her sandwich makes me worry about the mess in the kitchen she undoubtedly left. "You're a little late Party Pooper. Do we have pickles?" ADD has no sense of self-preservation.
"You are not allowed to speak." Responsibility is annoyed now. ADD is slowing down our process.
"Oh!" Creativity jumps up from her chair. "Remember Taylor Momsen's stupid comment on Haiti
"Maybe-" I begin, but Creativity interrupts me.
"Oh oh oh! That reminds me of Miley! That tattoo she has under left implant! She says it’s for a cause or whatever. So instead of donating money to a charity, she gets a tattoo, as if that makes a dent in the list of things that need to be fixed in the world. You can write about that!"
"No," says ADD swallowing the last bite of her sandwich, "She can't. That's old news, like the Taylor Monsoon thing. Everyone's written about it already. Can we go ride our bike now?"
"No!" shouts Responsibility. "Go!"
ADD rolls her eyes and takes her plate back to the kitchen.
"You two," Responsibility points to Creativity and I, "are wasting precious time."
"Chill," quips Creativity, "You can interview a friend."
"We don't have time!" Yells ADD from the kitchen. I can hear her rummaging through the freezer. I hope she doesn't spill anything. "Anyone want some ice cream?"
Responsibility is clenching her teeth. I begin to worry. She has a terrible temper.
"Uh," Even Creativity is a little nervous, "Your birthday?"
"Boring!" Sings ADD. She's back. She turns to Responsibility "Chocolate or vanilla? You know you want some my little workaholic."
"I hate you. And I am angry with you, Maria" says Responsibility.
"Me?" I'm positively shocked! "What did I do?"
"When you first went to that shrink and he recommended that medication, I told you to take it. I told you! She's a nuisance!" That last work comes out as a shriek.
"Well excuse me!" gasps ADD, "But Maria here is a very loyal friend of mine! And she would never betray me like that! Never! Right Maria?"
"I of course not!" I glare at Responsibility. She knows ADD is sensitive.
"She's a psychopath!" shouts Responsibility
"Well Maria like me more, psychopath or not. At least I don't ruin her social life," ADD sniffs.
Responsibility says more, but I can't repeat it here.
"I have the greatest idea!" Creativity is excited. Responsibility and ADD quiet down for a second.
"Well," she begins, "We can write about this!"
"This?" asks Responsibility, annoyed.
She has a short fuse.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"She means this conversation," says ADD, "Boy, you both are fast ones."
"Oh. I don't know," Responsibility is doubtful.
"I don't think that's such a bad idea." It sounds kind of cool, I think to myself.
"It's a wonderful idea!" squeals Creativity. She looks at ADD. "What do you think?"
"Huh?" She's painting her nails blue. "Oh, you mean that blogging thingy. Yeah, sure. Do we have acetone?"
"Okay, whatever" says Responsibility, "Just start. Now."
"Okay,” I say.
We all sort of just sit there, waiting for someone to say something. Someone, obviously being ADD. But she's busy trying to get her right pinkie painted.
"Now... being today, within this minute, this second," Responsibility pauses. ADD just spilled some nail polish on the carpet and is trying to hide it from her. Responsibility just shakes her head and looks at the rest of us.
"NOW!"
"Fine!" I walk over to my laptop.
They all sit around the table watching me.
"Well. You guys can go now. I can't focus with all of you here. Bye." Responsibility grumbles and walks away. Creativity grabs the nail polish from ADD and dances off to my bedroom.
I start typing. Then I notice that ADD is still here. She's watching me from the other side of the table.
"Don't you have something to do?" I ask.
She plops herself next to me and puts her feet on the table.
"Nope. Staying with you 24/7 is my job. You know that."
I know that. She stays the whole time.
It's not like she ever leaves, really
It's not like she ever leaves, really
