Playground Read Free Page A

this
    visit will bring.
    We head up the long driveway as gardeners spritz the exotic
    flowers that dot the lawn. The castle comes into view.
    “Are we at Disneyland?” Savannah asks.
    “It’s more like a haunted house,” I mumble.
    “Why would you tell your sister that?” Dad rasps at me harshly
    as he hurries us out of the car and into the front door.
    Savannah stares at the butlers in the funny black suits. One of
    them offers to take Dad’s briefcase.
    “Good afternoon. Should I put this in your room?” the butler
    asks my father.
    “Yes, thank you,” he responds.
    I don’t say anything, but still wonder why my father has a room
    here when this isn’t his house. We follow him upstairs, passing the
    glass cabinet filled with naked figurines. My sister doesn’t even no-
    tice. We go inside Room Two and Savannah’s eyes open wide. I
    grab her hand, leading her into the spacious bathroom.
    “Wow! There are two toilets!”
    “And a Jacuzzi!” I say.
    We run our fingers across the smooth marble edge. We peek
    inside the shower, which is stocked with shampoo, conditioner,
    and Jergens body lotion.
    “You kids can watch television. Jennifer knows what to do if
    you want anything to eat,” Dad shouts before he disappears down
    the long hallway.
    Savannah and I immediately run back into the bedroom and
    snoop around.
    “Look at this.” Savannah points to a picture of us on the
    dresser.
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    Playground
    I nod, inquisitively opening drawers and cabinets. I find my fa-
    ther’s T-shirts, shorts, and swimming goggles, holding them up for
    her to see.
    “What are these doing here?” Savannah shrugs.
    “Hey, want to see the pool?” I ask.
    As much as I want to forget what I saw near the pool, I can’t get
    it out of my head. Something inside wants me to show my sister,
    even though I know it will scare her too.
    We walk along the pathway to the forest and keep looking over
    our shoulders because it feels like we are being watched. Nearby, a
    monkey screeches. We jump and huddle close together.
    “What’s that?” my sister asks, slightly shaken.
    “It’s just the monkey cages,” I explain, pretending I’ve seen
    them before. “Do you want to go down there?”
    We turn off the main pathway and weave our way through a
    forest of trees and branches. Savannah clings on to me for dear
    life. I play it off like I know where I’m going. We walk cautiously
    down the steps as dozens of small monkeys screech at the top of
    their lungs and jump on the fence in front of us. Scared to death,
    Savannah and I grab each other, holler, and make a run for it. Sa-
    vannah trips over a bucket of fruit and begins to cry. My heart
    breaks when she cries.
    “Don’t cry. Maybe they’re just hungry,” I say, trying to com-
    fort her.
    I dash back to the bucket to find peanuts and grapes inside.
    “They haven’t eaten yet. That’s why they’re screaming. Let’s
    feed them!” I holler.
    I wipe the tears off her soft, rosy cheeks. She nods and we grab
    a few grapes, approaching the cage once again. The monkeys make
    noise as they gather around, accepting our offerings willfully and
    playfully. Happy smiles sweep over our faces as they devour the
    pail of food. We throw kisses to them and continue roaming.
    Turning another corner, we discover a group of blonde tan
    girls in bikinis playing volleyball. My sister laughs because one of
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    J E N N I F E R S A G I N O R
    the girls isn’t wearing a top and her boobs bounce, practically hit-
    ting her in the face.
    “Look at all the booby ladies!” she says.
    We giggle, noticing my father, Hef, and a few other men sur-
    rounded by more topless women by the pool.
    “Ew! Gross!”
    Savannah and I nudge each other.
    “Why are they naked?” Savannah asks.
    “I don’t know. Let’s spy on them.”
    We sneak through the bushes, whispering into pretend walkie-
    talkies, ending up near the fishpond, where Savannah opens the
    wooden food basket, drawing all the fish over to