This is a shift day. There are two updates today.
"It's the Story of a Girl"
7. But Then News Arrived
Of all the emotions she had thought she would feel upon learning of Doris Sylvester's death, grief had somehow never entered her mind. For so long she had looked at her mother as being the cause of so much lack and misery in her life. She'd had to go so far as to create this entire double life, hiding her daughter's existence from the world on the chance that the woman might learn of her and do the same to her.
Now that she was gone, as the man on the phone had confirmed, it was the first time she ever asked herself if it was too harsh of a solution. It couldn't have been all bad, could it? There were moments in her childhood when she wasn't so miserable, she could remember those. But did she remember them so vividly because of how good they were, or because of the way they stood out in comparison to everything else? She had seen her mother once, the year before, and she only remembered that when she was gone she felt like she had done right by keeping Brittany from her.
If anything, the one who had suffered in not knowing was Doris. She had missed out on knowing she ever had a granddaughter, and how wonderful of a girl she was. She would never get the chance to know, to turn things around, and maybe that was where the grief had found the way to snake its way into her heart.
She would have loved the thought of three generations of Sylvester women together. Her mother had accomplished some great things in her life, that was not even debatable. She had her accomplishments, yes. But at what cost? Even after all these years, that was how she would see it. She would say 'my mother did this thing, but…' or 'my mother made sure that that thing happened, but…' It was always there, the clause that parted the value she could ever put into what Doris had done. She could not see the act without the cost. She herself had been guilty of it, with some of the things she did, she knew. What her daughter must think of her sometimes…
She didn't want that to be their legacy, her and Brittany. She didn't want her daughter to grow up, have a child of her own, and to feel that she needed to keep that child from her. Their relationship was by no means anything like the relationship she had with her own mother, she didn't think. She never had to doubt the fact that her daughter loved her, no matter how much she had put her through, with this secret. She had never shied from it, even though it must have caused her some pain along the way. It had been painful for both of them.
But it could all be ended now, couldn't it? Doris Sylvester was the cause. And Doris Sylvester was dead.
The realization hit her, and she honestly did not know what to do with it. The answer should have been simple. They had perpetuated this secret because of her mother, and now her presence was no longer hanging over their heads. There was no more reason for her to hide the fact that Brittany Susan Pierce had been born Brittany Jean Sylvester. It should have been that simple, but it wasn't.
All these years, they had lived this lie, and it had settled and shaped itself around their lives so much that they couldn't ignore it. How were they supposed to suddenly tell the world, the one they lived in at least, that all of it had been a lie? It would have been one thing if they had only sidestepped the truth all this time, but they hadn't. They had both lied right to people's faces. Actually, she had lied and she had made Brittany do the same, there was a difference, although whether people would be willing to accept that difference was left to be seen.
If they wanted to hate her for it, to call her whatever name they wanted to, they could go ahead. She could dish it out far better than they could, and she wouldn't let herself get insulted by people who had no idea what her life was. They could come at her, and she would deal with it. But then there was Brittany.
They were already taking shots at her, about her grades, and her reputation, which she tried to ignore, exacting her revenge wherever she could. But then what would happen when they found out she was the daughter of none other than Sue Sylvester. She wasn't so deluded as to think that this wouldn't be welcomed with its fair share of ridicule. Add to this the fact that it had been kept quiet all this time, and they could make her life a living hell. And Sue couldn't protect her from all of that.
Beyond what her friends might think, she had never considered the other kinds of ramifications. What if this got high enough up the food chain, and they somehow tried to keep her from seeing her daughter? She was still a minor, they could do it, could send her to live with Joe permanently and prevent her from seeing her, either make her transfer schools or get Sue fired… There was no chance she would ever let that happen.
So then what were they supposed to do? Brittany didn't want to lie anymore. She didn't want to do it either. And now that her mother was dead, they didn't have to… but it didn't mean they should just leap out of the parental closet, with all the bells and whistles. For now, she would have to keep a lid on this, until she could figure out what would be best, for both of them.
TO BE CONTINUED (WEDNESDAY)
