20

She was running her fingers through a rack of dresses thinking of the events of the morning when her phone started ringing.

“Don’t answer it,” Janka warned as she noted the name on the display.

She declined the call and then groaned when it immediately started ringing again.

“Dang it.” Angrily she pushed the rack of clothes aside and answered the phone. “Mom, what do you want?”

“You bulldozed the house?”

“No. I sold the house. The guy who bought it from me bulldozed it. He’s building a play park.”

“Your sister is devastated.”

“Okay, Mom, I need you to hear me, and I mean really hear me, right now. She needs psychiatric help. She is so fixated on having everything which is mine, she has become unhinged. She is mentally ill.”

“She loves you. She wants to be like you.”

“No, she hates me, and she wants to destroy me and everything I love. Everyone knows it. What I don’t understand is how you know yet turned your back on me. I didn’t do anything wrong, Mom. I didn’t do a damn thing wrong and yet you treat me like I should take it straight up the wazoo.”

“You’re her big sister.”

“And this makes it okay for her to have fucked my husband, taken my engagement ring, went to the same place I went to on my honeymoon and then demand I give her my house too?” Her mother was quiet, “Dad would be so angry with you, Mom. If there’s a heaven, he’s looking down at you right now shaking your head for failing both your daughters.”

“I’m trying my best!” her mother screamed.

“No. You’re trying to appease a crazy person who manipulates you with her bullshit. She needs to be remanded to a facility to have her head examined and instead you pat her on the shoulder and give into her every demand and whim. It’s what you did at Christmas when she wanted my toys. It was what you did on my birthday when she wanted to blow out my candles. It was what you did at my prom when she kissed my date.” She growled and mocked her mother’s voice, “you’re the big sister Liesl. You need to teach her how to share.”

“What do you want me to do? I can’t disown my child.”

“Yet you have no qualms about harassing me on her behalf.”

“I’m not harassing you.”

“What do you call it mom when you are literally calling every fucking day to ask me to give up my home? You’ve already made me give up everything else for her. If she wanted my heart, would you tell me to sacrifice my life for hers?”

“That’s not funny, Liesl.”

“I’m not trying to be funny. You treat me as if my feelings and my emotions don’t matter.”

“Because you can do better!” her mother snapped angrily. “You can do better than a guy who can’t keep his dick in his pants and screwed your sister. He was always too dry and too dull for you. You’re a force of nature and he’s quicksand. He dragged you into the mire. Your sister will get bored with him when she realizes it’s not bothering you anymore and she’ll move onto something new.”

“Yes. Whoever my next husband is,” she scoffed.

“Then find one who has self-control and isn’t as boring as dirt. Liesl, the best I can do for you right now is to support your sister getting Merlin McGrath away from you.”

“You’re saying I’m too good for him but he’s not too good for Sandy?”

“Yes, it’s exactly what I’m saying. I love you. You are the sunshine in my world, and I miss you like crazy. Your sister is going to have a baby and she keeps talking as if it’s temporary. God, I begged her to get an abortion, but Merlin went off on me for suggesting it. She’s going to be a horrible mother. I love her, Liesl but she’s selfish and a child will suffer with her. I’m trying to keep her from doing something stupid and ending up with a child with deformities or brain injuries.” Her mother groaned loudly, “I know in his way Merlin loved you, but he wasn’t the kind of guy you should be with. I’m surprised your sister is the only person he’s been sleeping around with.”

The words made Liesl’s spine straighten. “What do you mean?”

“I mean he was always harping at you to dress a certain way and behave a certain way, but his eyes were always drawn to the girls with the short skirts and plunging necklines.”

“He used to tell me how inappropriate it was and comment his disgust.”

“I bet his penis felt differently,” her mother snorted.

Janka heard the comment and shrugged as if her mom made sense.

“Look, I’m not saying he cheated before but I am saying I’m not surprised he did cheat. You’re too good for him.”

“Mom, you’re backing her.”

“No. I’m backing you.”

“You wanted me to give her my house.”

“Yes. I did. You should have made him pay you triple the amount it was worth. They defiled it anyway. You could have at least profited off their crap. Now you’ve bulldozed it, and you don’t have a nest egg to fall back on. You could have made him pay you a million dollars and it would have funded your art for decades to come.”

“Well, I sold it for a half million and I have money in the bank.”

“At least there’s that. And what was your sister saying about you dating Merlin’s colleague?”

“Not a colleague. His name is Isaias Machado. He’s a developer, kind of like Merlin’s family but with morals and ethics, from what I understand. He was dining at Mara’s, and I introduced myself. We hit it off. He even came to my art show last night. His mom bought another one of my pieces.”

“I wanted to come,” her mother whispered. “I didn’t think you’d want me there.”

“Mom, I always want you. I love you. You’re my mom but you took Sandy’s side and I know what you’ve said, and I know you think you’re doing this for me, but it feels very much like you’ve abandoned me.”

“I’m stuck between you both. When Sandy married Roddy, I felt bad for him because I know what she’s like. When you married Merlin, I felt bad for you. I feel strongly Sandy and Merlin are better suited because they’re both egocentric selfish people. I really wish they weren’t bringing a child into the world but it’s my grandchild and I must do what I can to protect it.” She sighed loudly, “even if it is born with Merlin’s beady little eyes and Sandy’s split personality.”

“Mom!” Liesl snickered as her mother uncharacteristically was snippy.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to say it out loud.” She groaned, “the house was really bought out by another man, and he bulldozed it?”

“Yes. To the ground. He’s going to build a playpark for the neighborhood.”

“And this is the guy you introduced yourself to, Isaias?”

“Yes. He makes me laugh, Mom. Tonight, he’s taking me on a date. He said he wants to take me dancing.”

“Dancing,” her mother cooed. “I’m glad. You deserve to dance. I hope it’s not the weird waltzing thing Merlin made you do for your wedding dance. It was boring.”

She frowned, “why did you not tell me about your feelings on him?”

“Liesl, you are your father’s daughter. You make up your own mind. I never worry for you because I know, no matter what gets thrown at you, you rise above. You always do. You’re smart and strong. Yet, when someone tells you no, you go full tilt. I knew if you loved him, nothing I said would make it stop, either way you were either going to leap headfirst or resent me. I was in a lose-lose situation.”

“Simply because I’m strong doesn’t mean I don’t need my mom or love and support. You know, if you, Elsie, Janka, Meredith, Fred, had all shared your opinions, I feel like I would have listened.”