Kass folded her arms casually across her chest and burrowed further into
the crook of her father's arm. Her mother reached over and patted her knee,
giving her a reassuring smile. The fire popped loudly, interrupting the
silence and bringing a smile to Kass's lips.
Smiles, as of late, were very rare around the Bridin household. The nightly fights between the Mr. and the Mrs. had all but sent happiness packing.
Kass's smile soon became weary and thin, eventually fading into its previous state: a straight taut line stretched across her face. She sighed and shivered, causing her mother to draw the blanket tighter around her. "I'm tired." She said frankly. She stood. "I'm goin' to bed." She crept up the stairs, silently praying that her parents wouldn't fight, and if they did, that'd they'd keep it low.
Emiliee Bridin stared straight ahead into the flames, the light casting dramatic shadows across her doll-like features.
Andrew gazed at her out of the corner of his hazel eyes and frowned. "She left because of you." He said as if stating a fact instead of opinion, sans emotion.
Emiliee shot him an icy glare. "If she left because of anyone, it'd be /you. Dearest./" She hissed.
"You're wrong, again, I'm afraid. But that's alright because you usually are."
She resisted the urge to reach out and clock him. "Me?" She asked, incredulous. "I'm always wrong? You're one to talk." She crossed her arms vehemently.
Andrew sniffed, thrusting his nose further in the air. "If you don't mind...I'd /also/ like to retire for the evening." He said, clenching his teeth.
Emiliee refused to look at him and stood instead, marching up the stairs and making as much noise as possible, knowing it irritated Andrew.
He tossed his shoes off and stretched out on the cramped couch, struggling to get comfortable.
-----
The next morning, things went on as usual. The occasional death glare aimed at one's spouse over breakfast, the traditional dropping of a smile when the working member of the family came home, and the regular ignoring of the third member of the party when dinner finally rolled around. And so things continued in this fashion for quite some time, only coming to a climax when Kass decided to confront her parents about the matter over dinner.
"Why do you guys fight so much?" Demanded the fifteen-year-old. "I want an answer. Now."
Andrew looked his daughter in the eye, and as much as it hurt him, told her the truth. "Kass...darling." The grandfather clock ticked away loudly behind them. "Your mother and I...are getting a divorce."
Kass blinked. "Ex-excuse me?"
Divorce wasn't a word used in most households, in fact, according to most people, only Europeans got divorced. It was "improper", and "the coward's way out." This, among other reasons, was why Kass had a hard time understanding it to its full effect.
"I'm moving out sometime at the end of this week." He continued, looking at his hands rather than her.
Kass, still in a state of shock, grew angry. "Why?"
"Honey, you know we've been fighting, and we've decided that it's best to see how we can do on our own for a while. We still love you, make no mistake about that..." Emiliee realized that she had stopped listening.
Kass lifted her chin and stared somewhere past both of them. Her eyes began to mist. "But...but my birthday's in less than a month." She whispered, nearly inaudible.
"We know. Which is one of the reasons we settled on the end of this week. We wanted to do it as soon as possible so you can have a truly happy birthday."
Once again, Kass wasn't listening. "What, were you just going to disappear from my life and hope I wouldn't notice?" She glared at her father.
Emiliee sighed, her own eyes beginning to water. "Honey." She cleared her throat. "You're going with him. I'll...I'll be the one disappearing from your life." She reached for Kass's hand, but she withdrew it immediately.
"What kind of parents /are/ you?" She asked, banging a fist on the table.
Emiliee winced.
"Kass, darling, we understand how you must feel—" Andrew began.
"Understand how I feel? How could you possibly understand how I feel? Your parents didn't get divorced." She pointed out, jabbing a finger accusingly.
"Yes, we know." He paused. "We just want you to know—"
"That we'll always be here for you."
Kass stood up and thrust her chair back. "I need to be alone right now." She ran up to her room, tears spilling over onto her dress.
Emiliee buried her head in her hands and Andrew stood. "I guess...I guess I should start getting my things ready."
-----
"Wouldn't it be easier if we just forgot the whole thing?" Kass asked her father, covered to her chin in blankets.
Andrew lifted a box and placed it outside the door. He gave her a look.
She avoided his eyes, knowing there was no turning back now. "Careful with that." She called out as her father packed away more of her things.
Her mother appeared at the door. "Need any help?" She asked softly.
"No thank you." Andrew said icily, moving more boxes around.
"Thank you though." Kass said.
Her mother bit her lip and nodded. "Alright." She began to walk away.
"Mother?" Emiliee popped back in the doorway, happy to know that she was needed. "Can you come here please?"
Emiliee smiled slightly and lifted her skirts, stepping over the scattered items on the floor. She reached the bed and sat on the edge.
Kass sat up and held her arms open.
Emiliee gladly received the hug, not wanting it to end. Neither did Kass, thought she may not have shown it. "I'm going to see you everyday right?" She whispered, inhaling her mother's perfumed smell.
Emiliee shook her head. "No dear. Less than that."
"Every week?"
She smiled into her daughter's hair. "Maybe."
The two women hugged each other tightly.
"Kass, we need to get going." His breath caught in his throat.
Emiliee opened her eyes, releasing her unwieldy tears onto Kass's blouse, and reluctantly let go.
Kass quickly wiped her eyes and nodded at her father. She looked between the two expectantly.
"We've already said our good-bye's." Andrew said quietly, knowing what she was waiting for.
Her face fell slightly. "Oh." She said softly. She swung her legs off to the side and hopped off the bed. She followed her father out the door after picking up on of the smaller boxes. Kass cast a glance over her shoulder. "Come downstairs and see us off mother. Please?" She pleaded, her green eyes begging.
Emiliee nodded and scooped up a few loose things that Andrew had missed.
-----
"Well, the carriage is all packed." Andrew rocked back and forth on his heels, unsure of what to do as he stood there waiting for his wife and daughter to finishing hugging. He stopped swaying and put a hand on Kass's shoulder. "We need to be there in an hour, Kass."
She hesitantly let go of her mother and nodded, wiping her eyes fiercely. She rushed into the carriage, knowing that if she stayed any longer she wouldn't leave at all.
Andrew turned and put his hands on either side of the coach's doors, looking over his shoulder only once before he climbed inside.
-----
"Wake up Kass."
Kass's eyes fluttered open. "Father?" She croaked, looking up into her father's clean-shaven face. "What?" She demanded sleepily.
His smile wavered. "Don't you know what today is?"
She sat up quickly, nearly hitting heads with Andrew. "I completely forgot!" She gasped. She threw back the covers and gave her father a look.
"Alright then," He smiled wider. "Get dressed and I'll have everything set up for you downstairs." He left to ready the sitting room and kitchen.
Kass pulled on a skirt and blouse, brushing her hair as she descended the stairs. She tossed the brush aside and slowly approached the parlor. Upon sight, it took her breath away.
Andrew had spent most of the night setting it up: the kitchen table had been dragged in, and atop it sat a huge angel food cake surrounded by strawberries and whipped cream. The table was covered with a light red tablecloth. Two places were set out using their best china and crystal, and everything shone. He had made a banner reading happy birthday in German, and had strung it across the entryway.
"Happy Birthday Kass." He said quietly, a pleased smile on his face. He rounded the table and enveloped her in a hug.
-----
Kass shoveled in yet another piece of cake into her mouth and smiled happily up at her father. "Thank you father." She said after swallowing.
"Anytime Kass...well, not /any/time—" He corrected himself in mock thought.
"Daddy!" She grinned and threw a linen napkin at him. She held up her fork. "Did you want some?" She questioned, gesturing to her near empty plate.
He shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Besides, I need to go and get something."
Kass's head jerked up. "What?" She asked, wanting to know her father's big secret. "Is mother coming?" She asked excitedly.
Andrew's face fell ever so slightly. "No...no dear, she couldn't make it...I need to go get your surprise, alright?" They exchanged a smile and he stood, disappearing out the door.
Kass dropped her smile immediately, and began poking at the remainders of her cake, no longer hungry. She pushed the plate away and sat back in her chair, slouching as much as her dress would let her. Angry tears threatened to spill over, but stubbornly she held them back. /I will/ not /cry on my birthday./ She insisted.
Andrew walked through the door a few moments later, holding something behind his back.
She made a mad swipe at her eyes to rid her eyes of any sign of tears and sat up again, eagerly awaiting her father's surprise. He pulled a small box from behind his back and placed it on the table in front of her.
Peering curiously at it, she poked it with a finger. "It's a puppy isn't it?"
Her father chuckled softly. "How'd you know? Darn, and I thought I hid it good this year."
Kass smiled and picked up the tiny box, prying it open with a fingernail. Her eyes opened wide as they saw the contents of the box: a necklace, with the finest of silver chains holding a small charm on it: the letter K. Her eyes misted as she wondered whether he had picked it out or her mother had. "It's beautiful, father." She gasped, extracting it from its box and affixing it around her neck. She caught a glimpse of herself in the glass of the now empty china cabinet. The jewelry looked out of place against her skin, but it was handsome none-the-less. She looked away from the glass and turned back to her father, jumping up and running to hug him. She buried her face in his neck, inhaling the smell of his cologne. She pushed the thought aside and pulled away from him.
He held her at arm's length. "You're growing up fast, my daughter. You'll be old and out of the house before you know it!"
-----
The weeks passed, and after having her sixteenth birthday in the house, it had begun to feel like home, and Kass had accepted it as such. Her mother had gotten a job as a legal secretary and aside from that, Andrew sent her money whenever she needed it. Kass had adjusted quite nicely to her new home, and hadn't even let her schoolwork slip.
The only thing that was different was the absence of Emiliee. At first she had written nearly every week, and visited whenever she could, but soon her job overtook her and she no longer visited, and she hardly ever wrote. She had regretted not seeing her daughter on her birthday, but she rationalized her actions by telling herself that Kass was better off without her in her life. Little did she know how much both Andrew and Kass needed her.
-----
Kass opened the door and put her books and lunch pail on the hall tree. "I'm home!" She sang out, not expecting a response.
"Hey..." Came a quiet voice.
She froze. "Father?" Creeping into the sitting room, she found her father sprawled out on the couch, unshaven, and a bottle of bourbon in his hand. "Father?" She asked, tears springing to her eyes.
He shifted the bottle in his hand. "Don't worry love, I haven't touched a drop."
Relaxing slightly, she came further into the room. "Why aren't you at work?" She questioned, fighting the urge to cross her arms.
He shrugged. "I didn't wanna go." He answered childishly.
"You can't just quit! You are our sole income!" She retorted, horrified and shocked.
He turned to her finally, his hazel eyes glassy. "I miss your mother."
"Well that's /your/ fault." She snapped. "You're the one that wanted the divorce," She continued, spitting the word at him. "You're the one who forced me out of my home and dragged me here. It's your fault."
"I know!" He roared, glassy eyes suddenly flashing.
"So why'd you quit?" She fired back.
Tired of arguing, he flopped back onto the couch and shrugged again.
Calming herself down, she tried again. "Does mother know?"
He shook his head, eyeing the bottle in his hand.
"I will not stand by and let you drink yourself to an early grave." She insisted, snatching the flask from his grip and hurling it into the trash.
He followed it with his eyes and sat staring after it.
/How quickly things change./ She thought, horrified at this recent turn of events. She hadn't seen it coming, no one had--especially Andrew. Kass knelt by the couch and looked her father in the eye. "You /must/ go back to work. Yes, you shall work, and I shall continue to go to school. Is that clear?"
Her father nodded ever so slightly.
She exhaled and grabbed his arm. She got him to his feet and glared at him sternly. "You're not drunk, correct?"
He shook his head in the negative.
"Good. Then I shouldn't need to walk you to your room and wash your face." She pushed him towards the door. "Go take a nap or something. You'll feel better in the morning. If you're hungry I can fix something up." She called after him as he shuffled to his room. Kass collapsed on the couch, refusing to give in to her tears. She lay down and looked at the ceiling as she willed her tears away, silently praying all would be better by morning.
Smiles, as of late, were very rare around the Bridin household. The nightly fights between the Mr. and the Mrs. had all but sent happiness packing.
Kass's smile soon became weary and thin, eventually fading into its previous state: a straight taut line stretched across her face. She sighed and shivered, causing her mother to draw the blanket tighter around her. "I'm tired." She said frankly. She stood. "I'm goin' to bed." She crept up the stairs, silently praying that her parents wouldn't fight, and if they did, that'd they'd keep it low.
Emiliee Bridin stared straight ahead into the flames, the light casting dramatic shadows across her doll-like features.
Andrew gazed at her out of the corner of his hazel eyes and frowned. "She left because of you." He said as if stating a fact instead of opinion, sans emotion.
Emiliee shot him an icy glare. "If she left because of anyone, it'd be /you. Dearest./" She hissed.
"You're wrong, again, I'm afraid. But that's alright because you usually are."
She resisted the urge to reach out and clock him. "Me?" She asked, incredulous. "I'm always wrong? You're one to talk." She crossed her arms vehemently.
Andrew sniffed, thrusting his nose further in the air. "If you don't mind...I'd /also/ like to retire for the evening." He said, clenching his teeth.
Emiliee refused to look at him and stood instead, marching up the stairs and making as much noise as possible, knowing it irritated Andrew.
He tossed his shoes off and stretched out on the cramped couch, struggling to get comfortable.
-----
The next morning, things went on as usual. The occasional death glare aimed at one's spouse over breakfast, the traditional dropping of a smile when the working member of the family came home, and the regular ignoring of the third member of the party when dinner finally rolled around. And so things continued in this fashion for quite some time, only coming to a climax when Kass decided to confront her parents about the matter over dinner.
"Why do you guys fight so much?" Demanded the fifteen-year-old. "I want an answer. Now."
Andrew looked his daughter in the eye, and as much as it hurt him, told her the truth. "Kass...darling." The grandfather clock ticked away loudly behind them. "Your mother and I...are getting a divorce."
Kass blinked. "Ex-excuse me?"
Divorce wasn't a word used in most households, in fact, according to most people, only Europeans got divorced. It was "improper", and "the coward's way out." This, among other reasons, was why Kass had a hard time understanding it to its full effect.
"I'm moving out sometime at the end of this week." He continued, looking at his hands rather than her.
Kass, still in a state of shock, grew angry. "Why?"
"Honey, you know we've been fighting, and we've decided that it's best to see how we can do on our own for a while. We still love you, make no mistake about that..." Emiliee realized that she had stopped listening.
Kass lifted her chin and stared somewhere past both of them. Her eyes began to mist. "But...but my birthday's in less than a month." She whispered, nearly inaudible.
"We know. Which is one of the reasons we settled on the end of this week. We wanted to do it as soon as possible so you can have a truly happy birthday."
Once again, Kass wasn't listening. "What, were you just going to disappear from my life and hope I wouldn't notice?" She glared at her father.
Emiliee sighed, her own eyes beginning to water. "Honey." She cleared her throat. "You're going with him. I'll...I'll be the one disappearing from your life." She reached for Kass's hand, but she withdrew it immediately.
"What kind of parents /are/ you?" She asked, banging a fist on the table.
Emiliee winced.
"Kass, darling, we understand how you must feel—" Andrew began.
"Understand how I feel? How could you possibly understand how I feel? Your parents didn't get divorced." She pointed out, jabbing a finger accusingly.
"Yes, we know." He paused. "We just want you to know—"
"That we'll always be here for you."
Kass stood up and thrust her chair back. "I need to be alone right now." She ran up to her room, tears spilling over onto her dress.
Emiliee buried her head in her hands and Andrew stood. "I guess...I guess I should start getting my things ready."
-----
"Wouldn't it be easier if we just forgot the whole thing?" Kass asked her father, covered to her chin in blankets.
Andrew lifted a box and placed it outside the door. He gave her a look.
She avoided his eyes, knowing there was no turning back now. "Careful with that." She called out as her father packed away more of her things.
Her mother appeared at the door. "Need any help?" She asked softly.
"No thank you." Andrew said icily, moving more boxes around.
"Thank you though." Kass said.
Her mother bit her lip and nodded. "Alright." She began to walk away.
"Mother?" Emiliee popped back in the doorway, happy to know that she was needed. "Can you come here please?"
Emiliee smiled slightly and lifted her skirts, stepping over the scattered items on the floor. She reached the bed and sat on the edge.
Kass sat up and held her arms open.
Emiliee gladly received the hug, not wanting it to end. Neither did Kass, thought she may not have shown it. "I'm going to see you everyday right?" She whispered, inhaling her mother's perfumed smell.
Emiliee shook her head. "No dear. Less than that."
"Every week?"
She smiled into her daughter's hair. "Maybe."
The two women hugged each other tightly.
"Kass, we need to get going." His breath caught in his throat.
Emiliee opened her eyes, releasing her unwieldy tears onto Kass's blouse, and reluctantly let go.
Kass quickly wiped her eyes and nodded at her father. She looked between the two expectantly.
"We've already said our good-bye's." Andrew said quietly, knowing what she was waiting for.
Her face fell slightly. "Oh." She said softly. She swung her legs off to the side and hopped off the bed. She followed her father out the door after picking up on of the smaller boxes. Kass cast a glance over her shoulder. "Come downstairs and see us off mother. Please?" She pleaded, her green eyes begging.
Emiliee nodded and scooped up a few loose things that Andrew had missed.
-----
"Well, the carriage is all packed." Andrew rocked back and forth on his heels, unsure of what to do as he stood there waiting for his wife and daughter to finishing hugging. He stopped swaying and put a hand on Kass's shoulder. "We need to be there in an hour, Kass."
She hesitantly let go of her mother and nodded, wiping her eyes fiercely. She rushed into the carriage, knowing that if she stayed any longer she wouldn't leave at all.
Andrew turned and put his hands on either side of the coach's doors, looking over his shoulder only once before he climbed inside.
-----
"Wake up Kass."
Kass's eyes fluttered open. "Father?" She croaked, looking up into her father's clean-shaven face. "What?" She demanded sleepily.
His smile wavered. "Don't you know what today is?"
She sat up quickly, nearly hitting heads with Andrew. "I completely forgot!" She gasped. She threw back the covers and gave her father a look.
"Alright then," He smiled wider. "Get dressed and I'll have everything set up for you downstairs." He left to ready the sitting room and kitchen.
Kass pulled on a skirt and blouse, brushing her hair as she descended the stairs. She tossed the brush aside and slowly approached the parlor. Upon sight, it took her breath away.
Andrew had spent most of the night setting it up: the kitchen table had been dragged in, and atop it sat a huge angel food cake surrounded by strawberries and whipped cream. The table was covered with a light red tablecloth. Two places were set out using their best china and crystal, and everything shone. He had made a banner reading happy birthday in German, and had strung it across the entryway.
"Happy Birthday Kass." He said quietly, a pleased smile on his face. He rounded the table and enveloped her in a hug.
-----
Kass shoveled in yet another piece of cake into her mouth and smiled happily up at her father. "Thank you father." She said after swallowing.
"Anytime Kass...well, not /any/time—" He corrected himself in mock thought.
"Daddy!" She grinned and threw a linen napkin at him. She held up her fork. "Did you want some?" She questioned, gesturing to her near empty plate.
He shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Besides, I need to go and get something."
Kass's head jerked up. "What?" She asked, wanting to know her father's big secret. "Is mother coming?" She asked excitedly.
Andrew's face fell ever so slightly. "No...no dear, she couldn't make it...I need to go get your surprise, alright?" They exchanged a smile and he stood, disappearing out the door.
Kass dropped her smile immediately, and began poking at the remainders of her cake, no longer hungry. She pushed the plate away and sat back in her chair, slouching as much as her dress would let her. Angry tears threatened to spill over, but stubbornly she held them back. /I will/ not /cry on my birthday./ She insisted.
Andrew walked through the door a few moments later, holding something behind his back.
She made a mad swipe at her eyes to rid her eyes of any sign of tears and sat up again, eagerly awaiting her father's surprise. He pulled a small box from behind his back and placed it on the table in front of her.
Peering curiously at it, she poked it with a finger. "It's a puppy isn't it?"
Her father chuckled softly. "How'd you know? Darn, and I thought I hid it good this year."
Kass smiled and picked up the tiny box, prying it open with a fingernail. Her eyes opened wide as they saw the contents of the box: a necklace, with the finest of silver chains holding a small charm on it: the letter K. Her eyes misted as she wondered whether he had picked it out or her mother had. "It's beautiful, father." She gasped, extracting it from its box and affixing it around her neck. She caught a glimpse of herself in the glass of the now empty china cabinet. The jewelry looked out of place against her skin, but it was handsome none-the-less. She looked away from the glass and turned back to her father, jumping up and running to hug him. She buried her face in his neck, inhaling the smell of his cologne. She pushed the thought aside and pulled away from him.
He held her at arm's length. "You're growing up fast, my daughter. You'll be old and out of the house before you know it!"
-----
The weeks passed, and after having her sixteenth birthday in the house, it had begun to feel like home, and Kass had accepted it as such. Her mother had gotten a job as a legal secretary and aside from that, Andrew sent her money whenever she needed it. Kass had adjusted quite nicely to her new home, and hadn't even let her schoolwork slip.
The only thing that was different was the absence of Emiliee. At first she had written nearly every week, and visited whenever she could, but soon her job overtook her and she no longer visited, and she hardly ever wrote. She had regretted not seeing her daughter on her birthday, but she rationalized her actions by telling herself that Kass was better off without her in her life. Little did she know how much both Andrew and Kass needed her.
-----
Kass opened the door and put her books and lunch pail on the hall tree. "I'm home!" She sang out, not expecting a response.
"Hey..." Came a quiet voice.
She froze. "Father?" Creeping into the sitting room, she found her father sprawled out on the couch, unshaven, and a bottle of bourbon in his hand. "Father?" She asked, tears springing to her eyes.
He shifted the bottle in his hand. "Don't worry love, I haven't touched a drop."
Relaxing slightly, she came further into the room. "Why aren't you at work?" She questioned, fighting the urge to cross her arms.
He shrugged. "I didn't wanna go." He answered childishly.
"You can't just quit! You are our sole income!" She retorted, horrified and shocked.
He turned to her finally, his hazel eyes glassy. "I miss your mother."
"Well that's /your/ fault." She snapped. "You're the one that wanted the divorce," She continued, spitting the word at him. "You're the one who forced me out of my home and dragged me here. It's your fault."
"I know!" He roared, glassy eyes suddenly flashing.
"So why'd you quit?" She fired back.
Tired of arguing, he flopped back onto the couch and shrugged again.
Calming herself down, she tried again. "Does mother know?"
He shook his head, eyeing the bottle in his hand.
"I will not stand by and let you drink yourself to an early grave." She insisted, snatching the flask from his grip and hurling it into the trash.
He followed it with his eyes and sat staring after it.
/How quickly things change./ She thought, horrified at this recent turn of events. She hadn't seen it coming, no one had--especially Andrew. Kass knelt by the couch and looked her father in the eye. "You /must/ go back to work. Yes, you shall work, and I shall continue to go to school. Is that clear?"
Her father nodded ever so slightly.
She exhaled and grabbed his arm. She got him to his feet and glared at him sternly. "You're not drunk, correct?"
He shook his head in the negative.
"Good. Then I shouldn't need to walk you to your room and wash your face." She pushed him towards the door. "Go take a nap or something. You'll feel better in the morning. If you're hungry I can fix something up." She called after him as he shuffled to his room. Kass collapsed on the couch, refusing to give in to her tears. She lay down and looked at the ceiling as she willed her tears away, silently praying all would be better by morning.