Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 142664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 713(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 713(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
I was too little back then, and even now, I don’t have the answers; that’s between the two of them. What he did wrecked my innocent life and the lives of my brothers, who were still learning about life, and that innocence is something I will never get back.
It was their responsibility to love and raise us as healthily as possible, and now that I know what I do, they both dropped the ball. But, that being said, I believe in checks and balances. Once Dad realized his mistake and tried to rectify it, that bitch escalated shit; that’s why she’s about to lose her whole damn husband. Let’s see how she likes that shit.
A house built on another woman’s tears will not stand, not on my watch. So, what did I do? I secretly recorded Mom and Dad’s interactions, the way they teamed up as parents while sitting on the same couch together. The way they just seamlessly jumped back into parent mode when it came to one of their kids. Why they waited until we were adults to get their shit together is anyone’s guess, but I guess for them, it’s a case of better late than never.
“So, you’re doing this, you’re sure.”
“Yes, Bri, I’m sure. I think I like him.”
“See, when you say shit like this, it makes me worry.”
“Mom, did you marry Dad for love?”
“Why yes, I did.”
“See, and look where she is now.”
“That’s low, sis.” Cam chastised me.
“No, Cam, that’s life, that’s reality. People screw each other over every day. I can get screwed over and walk away with five million dollars for my troubles. I’m taking the cash, baby.”
“Stop playing tough, or we’ll get back on a plane home right now.”
“Trey, I don’t think she’s playing. Anyone who would walk into their Dad’s house and beat everybody doesn’t really play about life.”
“Jilly, your ADHD acting up or something? Mom doesn’t know about that.”
“What is she talking about? What happened?” I’m going to kill Jilly. Bri filled Mom in on the theatrics from weeks ago. She’d only learned about Denny and Lacey in the last week and was already having a hard time dealing with her baby being cheated on, now this.
“Oh, she must’ve been having one of her spells.” What now?
“Mom, you know about my spells?”
“She does; she has them, too,” Dad answered, and all their kids’ mouths fell open.
Now you’ve got to understand Mom is even shorter than I am. She’s also one of those women who wrings her ankle in flats, which means she lives in heels; even her house slippers are about three inches high. Her nails are always done, and she’s never left the house without at least foundation and lip gloss on, and that’s to go to the neighbor’s house.
The idea of her taking a baseball bat to anyone is comically laughable, but now, at least, I know where I got it. Dad spent the next half hour regaling us with stories of her antics when they were younger before us kids came along.
“But I didn’t raise my daughter to be that way.”
“She had no choice; Helen and Mitzie made her life hell.”
“When was this?” Dad had the nerve to ask. The boys tore into him for that one.
Apparently, according to him, he never knew that things were that bad. Helen told him over the years that I hated her and was always acting up and taking it out on Mitzie. First, I was hearing of it. His seeming ignorance of the truth only pissed me off even more because I found it hard to believe that for all those years, he didn’t know what was going on right under his nose.
I guess it made sense because the boys were always there until Trey went off to college when I was thirteen, and by then, I had a routine when I went to Dad’s. Things weren’t as easy once all of the boys were gone, but Bri was back home from college by then, and Helen knew he was just a phone call away if she tried shit.
But her mission to drive a wedge between Dad and his kids while having him play white knight to her own kid never stopped. I should probably be thanking Jilly for her little slip-up because it took the heat off of me and put it squarely on Dad, who was fighting for his life.
Mom was getting mad at old shit that we kids had kept from her because she was so vulnerable back then, but it was new to her, and she was fit to be tied. “You let that bitch mistreat my kid?” Oh boy. Looks like I’m gonna have to find a way to help Mom release some of her anger. I’m here for this shit because it keeps them out of my business.