Chapter 1
It was a beautiful Friday morning in Wisteria Lane; the warm rays of the sun complimented the perfect lawns of the quaint homes. The windows let in light, the walls stood tall and beautiful with all the different kinds of brick and sliding panels; it was indeed sheer perfection, just like everything in Wisteria Lane. But of course, nothing can be as perfect, and each resident of the cozy neighborhood proved that point in the same way; secrets of the past. As you walked by each house, you could see that the women and men of them are hiding something they hoped to keep away by showing you their innocence, their lack of uniqueness or difference; their similiarness to what is portrayed as the perfect suburban family. Because that is exactly what the suburbs are like; people who want to seem perfect for various reasons, all of them yet to be revealed. As Bree Van De Kamp strode out of her glorious house, she smiled at her neighbor, Karen Mckluscky, who was out for her daily morning tea. Her bright red hair shone like plastic in the sun; she was always thought of as the Barbie of the suburbs. Bree was always taught to hide her emotions and thoughts, so it was only natural for her to think of how boring it must be to be an old woman who was nothing better to do than 'stalk' her neighbors. Karen shot back a soft smile before she got to reading what seemed to be an older edition of a book like she did each Friday. Bree then walked to her mailbox and pleasantly picked up all her mail to skim through it. And below the electric and water bills, there was an envelope which was clearly ripped open by someone else and slowly, worry started to show on Bree's face. She worriedly grabbed the letter inside and read it. Instantly, Bree had this look of realization and what seemed to be regret. She noticed Mrs. Mckluscky eying her so she plastered on a fake smile. But for the first time, Bree wasn't the Barbie doll everyone knew. She was appearing as a person with-well, a soul and emotions. And the look of realization? Well, it only showed people that you can always run away from your past, but you can't hide. And eventually, you have to face it. Bree looked at the ground and sighed; what has she done? Is she letting her secrets take over her? She was completely dumbfounded, and without any alarm, she quickly walked into her house and started cleaning. Cleaning, cooking, polishing; that is what Bree's life revolved around. It's what she did to clear her mind and think straight. But this time, it didn't work. She kept thinking of that letter and how she was just going in circles, trying to escape what happened before by tweaking a few details in the story and how it never worked because she just ended up back to square one where she found herself confused and screaming from frustration on the inside. So she washed her face and lied to herself saying it's going to be okay. As she stayed in denial, she sat at the very edge of the dining table as she waited for her husband, Rex Van De Kamp, to come home so they can start to unravel a plan for how to get out of such a mess. And as this mess went on in one house, the others were no better. Bree's neighbor, Lynette Scavo was just home from the doctor's clinic where she was for the 3rd time in 4 years for the same reason; she was pregnant. As usual, she was unhappy with the fact that her family kept growing and growing as she already had twins, Porter and Preston Scavo, and another boy, Parker Scavo. And each time, Tom tried to comfort her by telling her it was okay and that this would be the last child for sure. But Lynette knew that the day she will actually get to go back to work is the day that shall never come; the minute one of the kids started going to school, Lynette's mind started to fill with pleasant memories of her job and workplace where she longed to be, but her dreams would be crushed with another baby. But most of all, she was unhappy with the way Tom was getting to be the one who kept his job, the one who got the kids gifts from business trips, and the one who never had to disciplined them. With each child, the kids started seeing Tom as more of a friend than a dad, and Lynette was afraid that he would eventually stop parenting them altogether and with that thought, she sighed and looked into Tom's eyes longingly. He knew what that look meant. He knew that at some point, things will have to change. But he chose to deny that for the given moment and looked back at Lynette with the same exact look. To her, it showed her that he thought his job was more important and that he has done nothing wrong. She slammed her hands on the table as she got up, and then she tiredly went up the stairs and headed for the master bathroom to take long hot bath to take her mind off of things. Why has she let Tom control her like this? This isn't what she bargained for when she uttered the words 'I do'. And with each breath, Lynette's worry that either of them would regret these words grew more intense. She shut her eyes, and slowly but surely dosed off in the warm water. And as the day progressed, the outer layer of the lives of these residents still looked perfect, but the inside simply worsened by the minute. Across from the Scavo's house lived a fellow mother, Susan Mayer, with her only daughter, Julie Mayer, and her husband, Carl Mayer. For a long time, Susan suspected her husband was cheating on her. She thought of all the late nights he spent in the office and all the times he wasn't home in the mornings. And each minute, she thought of how he could be screwing his secretary on his desk without her knowing it. As she sadly chopped the tomatoes in her kitchen, she sighed before shedding a tear; it felt like her marriage was slowly falling apart and that there is absolutely nothing she could do about it. She then thought of confronting him, but it dawned over her that mistrust would ruin her marriage just as much as cheating would if Carl was really faithful. She then thought of ignoring her instincts, but for a moment, she felt the guilt and curiosity that would be eating her alive forever if she did. She was torn in half, so she did what she would always do; she turned to her comfort. You would never really imagine Susan to be one of those alcoholic moms. She would always reward herself with a glass of some expensive chardonnay when she accomplished anything, and she would comfort herself with a glass of bourbon when she was feeling down. Her system was flawless. She was always happy as long as she had her drink. She reached up for the doorknob of the wine cabinet and grabbed out a half-full bottle of bourbon and poured herself a glass. She sat down at the kitchen table and slowly sipped on her wine and sighed. This was the life she was leading. She had a life where she drank and drank but never admitted she had a problem; a life where she doubts her marriage and her husband's faith to her. She tried to remember the time when they were happy together. She thought and thought but she struggled to find a moment in which she was merely happy with Carl. That was when Susan realized she must leave her husband; not because she thought he was cheating, but because she knew for a fact that all her marriage was built on a lie. A lie which used to convince her they were happy, but she's not being fooled anymore. This was really it. She felt guilty for some reason, like it was her fault that things turned out so badly. But at the same time it was like a relief. It was like a huge burden was lifted off of her chest and she can finally breathe again. But the same couldn't be said for her rich neighbor, Gabrielle Solis. Gabi had been very lonely with her husband, Carlos Solis, working all the time to gain the money she shops and treats herself with and such, so she turned to other men to satisfy her needs. So as fate would have it, her future boss was her gardener, John Rowland, and he was the first man Gabi laid eyes on and she liked what she saw. She seductively approached John as she used a pick-up line and winked at John. She stared into his eyes for a moment then walked back into her home. She smiled for a second, but then it occurred to her that she is a cheater. Gabi Solis is now a cheater. But as she stared at the beautiful and near-perfect vase Carlos had given her the other day, she started thinking of how he always attempted to buy her love with gifts and how he thought she was that shallow. So Gabi stopped feeling guilt and sorrow, and started to think of passion and deviousness. And before she disappeared into the living room, an evil, cunning grin spread on her faceā¦..
