CHAPTER 14

Modella Hymentact was a bit hesitant to revisit her 'half sister' that is until she had heard that her sister's husband had won the election she felt she ought to talk to Bloberta. Through friends she had found out Clay was living at the Alonefords. She called herself in much to Bloberta's surprise. Bloberta was both pleasantly surprised and a bit put off.

"Modella what...what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to congratulate you on your marriage and your husband's election. I haven't been able to get out of the house at all to tell you."

"Well thanks but it's unnecessary...To be fairly honest I really didn't want to see any of you again." Bloberta clenched her teeth looking to the side.

"I understand your problems with Mother...and Father, but I think its important we-" Before Modella could finish her sentence Clay made his way up the hall and bumped into her as he looked at the ground.

"o-Oh! Hello Clay!" Bloberta stammered.

"Ugh..Whose this?" Clay asked with only an ounce of care.

"This is Modella. She's...my sister." Clay glanced up at Modella with irritation.

"I thought you said you didn't have a family anymore? Whats she doing here." Clay hardly worded the question with any inflection, more so sounding like a declarative statement.

"She wanted to congratulate us on-"

"Save it." Clay walked past Modella into his hovel and pulled out his whiskey bottle. Bloberta was annoyed with Clay but she also wanted to get out of the conversation with Modella, so Clay's irritation proved useful in the scenario.

"Perhaps another time we can talk...Over the phone preferably my husband is really stressed out with work."

"Oh um of course. I'm sorry I showed up uninvited its just I'm still use to seeing you everyday and was curious how you were..." Modella genuinely had cared for Bloberta and it somewhat intimidated her. Bloberta didn't want to talk much these days, especially with her previous family. She was solely focused on the new family she was starting and would rather leave her past feelings behind. Clay oddly helped with that sentiment with his animosity towards his father, his apathy to their pleas. She was beginning to realize how useless her father had been in the past to her feelings, yes she couldn't deny her love and admiration for him but a newfound resentment towards him had come to her.

A more caring father would have taken her out of the house to live alone with her. A more caring man would have at least put her up for adoption knowing the family she was being raised in would have cared so little for her feelings. Though the feelings of resentment helped her cope she didn't like the negative aura it brought about. Clay seemed perfectly fine in his negativity. Bloberta thought back to the moment she discovered and met him...

-

Awkwardly entering the church Bloberta had looked to a few couples around her, she needed an escape from her family who paid her little mind. As if God shined the sun itself through the window, a man illuminated like a star in the sky. An attractive blue suited man sat in the pews exactly across from her. He smiled as brightly as his skin shined. He was beautiful and didn't seem to be associated with anyone, he had left the church alone after the marriage.

Bloberta rushed after him and quickly caught herself before she got too close and Clay began to examine the newlyweds and his surroundings. Seemingly confused at what transpired. Bloberta with a determined yet cautious stride asked: "So...Friend of the bride or the groom?"

"Huh? Oh...um neither. I mean I'm sure they're nice- I was just- I thought it was a regular service and got trapped in there before it got all weird and joyous." Clay was still in a way new to town, he'd lived on the outskirts of Moralton, more close to Sinville. This was his first couple weeks living in town officially after securing a lease with the Alonefords. Of course he always visited town for his job at the corner store but he hardly knew anyone besides his employer Mr. Figurelli. Clay was a bit in awe that someone had approached him. He wasn't exactly someone people tended to converse with being a non regular citizen in town. People mostly looked down on him for working for Figurelli. Upon further inspection Clay was starting to sweat talking to this woman. She was...pretty. Why would a pretty girl ever strike a conversation up with him? He thought.

"Yes, it was joyous!" Bloberta fawned at the prospect of perhaps marrying this man in the same church more-so than being actually happy for the new "Mrs. Fakey" Clay attempted to make a joke but it was met with deaf ears.

"Yeah...that was the big tip off." Clay remembered the sermons he heard as a child and no one around him seemed to be happy after hearing them. So naturally this wasn't a sermon he concluded.

"Are you going to the reception?" Bloberta asked with a hint of desire in her voice.

"Oh no, no, no. I couldn't. I don't know anyone." Clay's nervousness had subsided with his matter of fact statement. He was pretty much proud he hardly knew anyone in town. A part of him hoped to keep that detail as much as possible.

"I'm Bloberta. Bloberta Hymentact."

"I'm Clay..." He paused recalling his last name with disdain for it, but something overcame him. An actual desire to get to know this woman for some reason..."Puppington." He smiled as he said the name he'd come to hate. He was internally shocked her managed to introduce himself to the woman in red. It was unlike him.

"Clay Puppington. Nice to know you. Now are you going to the reception?" Bloberta lustfully stared at Clay with clear intent slightly afraid he wouldn't take the bait. Clay at first in a look of disbelief turned to an happy yet curious expression. Bloberta's gaze turned from a lust filled woman to a genuine look of both surprise and happiness. This was finally going her way she had thought...

-

Clay and Bloberta sat at a table with two apple juices. Wasn't exactly what she imagined a grown man to order for a woman. As far a juices go apple juice had actually been her least favorite to further sour the mood. This Clay Puppington sure came off as a strange one.

Bloberta tried to break the silence with a question as Clay smiled awaiting her words: "Tell me about your family." Clay's response was nothing a normal person or even an abnormal person could expect.

"Don't have one." Came from Clay's mouth barely even processing it in his head. After the fact he thought about the words that came from him. He looked away in embarassment and Bloberta looked away in fear that she may have offended doubled down on his statement saying: "Only child. My parents are dead."

Bloberta not thinking asked: "All of them?"

"Well there were only two."

"uh I see..." Bloberta despondently looked to her apple juice and ground unsure how to open up a new conversation after that depressing bombshell.

"Yeah its not like it wasn't a blood bath or anything." Clay deflected the truth and severity of his answer. It wasn't something he liked to think about. The matter was over with. Bloberta was dumbfounded how a man whose both parents were dead wasn't drinking with her at this point.

"You don't drink? Drinks?"

"Well no isn't drinking a sin?"

"Jesus drank."

"Well true..."

"A lot..."

"I think it helps us be better people."

"My father drinks!"

"...Well if Jesus drinks..."

"TWO HIGHBALLS."

The first drink was harsh and hard to swallow. It burned the back of Clay's throat, the sensation hurt. Bloberta noticing Clay's discomfort tried to comfort him with a couple pieces of advice in the drinking of alcohol.

"Clay, you need to drink it down before it burns. You are holding in your mouth too long."

"And whats the point of this again?"

"Trust me once you get it down you feel better, Clay." Clay took her advice and chugged down apple juice to soften the pain but after a few shots the struggle had lessened, almost as simple as drinking water.

-

Bloberta had been long at thought recalling the events the day she met Clay. She wasn't about to take full responsibility for Clay's problems but she was ready to take a part of the blame. Bloberta felt the need to apologize for whatever part she had to play in the present time she knew Clay was unhappy and she knew she was partly to blame. Clay was busying himself making a comfortable makeshift bed on the couch