Disclaimer: I don't own anything worthwhile, especially the Sons.
She is like a clementine: if you peel away the mask of confidence and sarcasm, you will find something completely different inside …
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It was just after Christmas in Essex County, Massachusetts, and the town of Ipswich was gaining a new family. Well, 'new' being a rather deceptive word. In truth, the family lived in Ipswich one or two generations ago, but relocated itself to Aspen, Colorado in 1981.
Almost a year ago, the mother of this family—Corliss Simms—died in a tragic vehicular accident in which she drove off of a cliff. The family was left broken, and Wendell Clement, the father of this family, had a nervous breakdown. He remarried only 6 months after his wife's death. His four children, Liam (22), Brinly (18), Leilah (16), and Sophia (4), felt that their father betrayed them by having gotten married so soon. Brinly suspected something was awry, but couldn't place her finger on it.
Seeing as both parents of the Clement children grew up in Ipswich and attended the elitist school known as Spencer, Wendell and his new wife—Geraldine—thought that Massachusetts (especially Ipswich) would be a good change for the three youngest—Liam stayed behind in Colorado so he could finish his undergraduate degree.
Having been ripped from a social life in which the two teen girls were well-liked, they were apprehensive about going somewhere new—not to mention, they also very much disliked their father and step-mother for 'destroying their lives.' Wendell tried to placate his children by telling them how "lovely it would be to live near family," but, in truth, his children couldn't care less about family—seeing as it had held up so well in the last year.
The family moved into the home (more like homes, as it was rather large) in which Corliss Simms grew up. Brinly had mixed feelings about this. For one, it was her mother's home, and she could almost sense her presence. Two, it was her mother's home, and Geraldine was unwelcome in it.
And this is where our story begins: Brinly glaring at Geraldine as the woman unpacks boxes of Corliss' things, and Geraldine—hopefully—not noticing.
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Honestly! These things did not belong to Geraldine, they belonged to, my mother, Corliss Simms—and in effect, her children whom she willed them to—not Geraldine. But, Geraldine was touching them as if they were hers, adorning the dusty shelves with them and arranging them as Geraldine wished.
I despise the woman. I hated the woman to her inner core. But there was nothing I could do seeing as my father wouldn't hear of his children insulting his new wife. Well … so much for fathers.
Geraldine broke me out of my murderous thoughts with her silky smooth voice, "Brinny, dearest, I believe that box over there," she pointed to the other side of the living room, "is yours. Could you take it up to your room, please?"
The woman's voice was sweet and cold at the same time. It was like a kindergarten teacher talking to a child they really didn't like. I knew what she was up to. I was being gotten rid of under the guise of unpacking boxes that could easily wait until later. I suspected that my step-mother was going to steal a trinket that did not belong to her. But I consented, being careful to keep my expression blank—no use letting the woman know what I was thinking, right?
Once in the solace of my bedroom, I dumped the box on the floor. I didn't feel like unpacking. I'd already been doing that for two days—it was quite a large house with quite a lot of stuff. While the work helped me to vent my frustration, it didn't dissipate the feelings of loneliness.
My two younger siblings were keeping to themselves—and out of the way of our step-mother—and my older brother wasn't answering his cell phone. Didn't he know that I needed him?! Of course not, he was too busy living his life and catering to his girlfriend's every need, I thought bitterly.
I inhaled deeply through my nose, and exhaled. I needed to take a walk. A long one.