Chapter Nine
WE LOVE YOU YOU LOVE ME NOT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daria was seated on her bed when Helen walked in. She rose and stood with hands clasped in front of her, eyes on a spot just in front of Helen's feet.
"Daria, sweetie, we're so sorry! Are you okay?"
"Yes, Ma'am, I'm okay." Daria said softly.
"We were just so worried about Quinn, and she was so afraid, that we just..."
"Yes, Ma'am, I understand. I got the message."
"Message? What message?"
"Be grateful for what you've given me. Be grateful I have a place to live. Don't talk back to you or Mister Morgendorffer or Quinn. Don't expect equal treatment. Quinn is loved, I'm merely tolerated. Don't offend you or be inconvenient, because I could disappear very easily."
"Daria! What are you talking about?"
Daria cringed. "Nothing, Ma'am. I meant no offense. Uhh.. Ma'am, could I ask a question?"
"Well, of course, dear."
"If I were to... forget... If I did something... wrong, would it be quick, or would you... give me time to think about it?"
"Daria dear, what do you mean?"
"Would you put the chains and the weights on me while I was still alive, and make me think about it all the way to the river, and then just throw me in, or would you... do it here, and dispose of the body later?"
Helen fled the room.
~~~~~~~~~
About an hour later, Helen approached Daria's room again. The door was closed, as she'd expected. She was about to knock when she heard the music coming from within.
In the middle of the night I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear to the river so deep...
Quietly, Helen turned and retreated back up the hall. Half an hour later, she came back. Music was still playing. This time Helen heard:
I hear a neighbor tellin' my father
He says a girl name of Patches was found
Floating face down in that dirty old river...
"Oh, for goodness' sake!" This wasn't getting any better. Helen tapped on Daria's door, then pushed it slowly open. Daria shut off the music, stood up, and brought her eyes back to the floor in front of Helen's feet. "Honey, you've got to stop this! We love you just as much as Quinn!"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Daria!" Helen stepped forward, arms open. Daria whimpered and flinched away.
"Sweetie, stop that! You have to believe me, we love you every bit as much as we love Quinn!"
"Yes, ma'am." Daria straightened up somewhat, but her head was still turned partly away, as if she were expecting a blow.
"Daria darling, look at me! What do I have to do to convince you?"
Daria slowly brought her gaze up, stopping at Helen's chin. "Well... it would need to be true. And it isn't."
Helen stared at Daria, mouth open but at a loss for words. Then, hoping a change of venue would help, she said, "Come into the den, sweetie. We need to talk this out." She waited till Daria walked out the door, then followed.
Once they were seated in the den, Helen began, "Daria honey, I understand how you feel, but you need to understand, too. We were just so afraid for Quinn and we wanted to get her to the hospital as soon as possible."
Daria's tone was quietly bitter. "Yes, ma'am, I understand. Quinn went into histrionics and you immediately dropped everything and..."
"You mean 'hysterics'."
"I said what I meant. So you abandoned scruffy little CinderDaria and rushed Princess Quinn..."
"Daria, she was bitten by a spider!"
"Did you see the spider?"
"Yes, it was a really big one."
"Was it a Black Widow?"
"No."
"Was it a Brown Recluse?"
"No, but..."
"Well then, so what? Those are the only two spiders in North America whose bite is dangerous to people. All the others are harmless."
"But how do you know that?" asked Jake.
"It's common knowledge, freely available. I read it in one of your River and Woods magazines."
Jake looked sheepish. Helen looked sideways at him.
Daria turned to Helen. "I also read it in one of your Better Houses and Shrubberies magazines. I even read it in the Highland Hooraw."
Helen looked sheepish in her turn. Quinn said, "Ghod, Daria, is that all you ever do is read?"
"Quinn!" snapped Helen.
"Well, ghod, Mom! All she ever talks about is what she knows and what she's read! I'm sick of hearing about it!" Quinn whined.
"Quinn! Go to your room! And quit saying God like that!"
Quinn fake sobbed/flounced/marionette walked off down the hall.
"And Daria, you could be a little sympathetic. You might see it a bit differently if you'd been bitten by the spider."
"I've been bitten by spiders several times."
"But you never said anything! Why didn't you come and tell me?"
"For the same reason I don't come and tell you every time I get bitten by a mosquito or stung by an ant. It's no big thing, and there's nothing you could have done about it, and I'm not trying to hog every scrap of your attention for myself like Quinn is. So anyway, was it before or after you paid the bill that you remembered you had another daughter? Or should I say, another young girl you claim is your daughter?"
"Daria! What are you talking about?!"
"Where are my real parents? What are their names? Did they abandon me too? How did you get me?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who ARE Daria's real parents? Don't miss Chapter Ten-- THE SEMI-INVISIBLE GIRL!
WE LOVE YOU YOU LOVE ME NOT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daria was seated on her bed when Helen walked in. She rose and stood with hands clasped in front of her, eyes on a spot just in front of Helen's feet.
"Daria, sweetie, we're so sorry! Are you okay?"
"Yes, Ma'am, I'm okay." Daria said softly.
"We were just so worried about Quinn, and she was so afraid, that we just..."
"Yes, Ma'am, I understand. I got the message."
"Message? What message?"
"Be grateful for what you've given me. Be grateful I have a place to live. Don't talk back to you or Mister Morgendorffer or Quinn. Don't expect equal treatment. Quinn is loved, I'm merely tolerated. Don't offend you or be inconvenient, because I could disappear very easily."
"Daria! What are you talking about?"
Daria cringed. "Nothing, Ma'am. I meant no offense. Uhh.. Ma'am, could I ask a question?"
"Well, of course, dear."
"If I were to... forget... If I did something... wrong, would it be quick, or would you... give me time to think about it?"
"Daria dear, what do you mean?"
"Would you put the chains and the weights on me while I was still alive, and make me think about it all the way to the river, and then just throw me in, or would you... do it here, and dispose of the body later?"
Helen fled the room.
~~~~~~~~~
About an hour later, Helen approached Daria's room again. The door was closed, as she'd expected. She was about to knock when she heard the music coming from within.
In the middle of the night I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear to the river so deep...
Quietly, Helen turned and retreated back up the hall. Half an hour later, she came back. Music was still playing. This time Helen heard:
I hear a neighbor tellin' my father
He says a girl name of Patches was found
Floating face down in that dirty old river...
"Oh, for goodness' sake!" This wasn't getting any better. Helen tapped on Daria's door, then pushed it slowly open. Daria shut off the music, stood up, and brought her eyes back to the floor in front of Helen's feet. "Honey, you've got to stop this! We love you just as much as Quinn!"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Daria!" Helen stepped forward, arms open. Daria whimpered and flinched away.
"Sweetie, stop that! You have to believe me, we love you every bit as much as we love Quinn!"
"Yes, ma'am." Daria straightened up somewhat, but her head was still turned partly away, as if she were expecting a blow.
"Daria darling, look at me! What do I have to do to convince you?"
Daria slowly brought her gaze up, stopping at Helen's chin. "Well... it would need to be true. And it isn't."
Helen stared at Daria, mouth open but at a loss for words. Then, hoping a change of venue would help, she said, "Come into the den, sweetie. We need to talk this out." She waited till Daria walked out the door, then followed.
Once they were seated in the den, Helen began, "Daria honey, I understand how you feel, but you need to understand, too. We were just so afraid for Quinn and we wanted to get her to the hospital as soon as possible."
Daria's tone was quietly bitter. "Yes, ma'am, I understand. Quinn went into histrionics and you immediately dropped everything and..."
"You mean 'hysterics'."
"I said what I meant. So you abandoned scruffy little CinderDaria and rushed Princess Quinn..."
"Daria, she was bitten by a spider!"
"Did you see the spider?"
"Yes, it was a really big one."
"Was it a Black Widow?"
"No."
"Was it a Brown Recluse?"
"No, but..."
"Well then, so what? Those are the only two spiders in North America whose bite is dangerous to people. All the others are harmless."
"But how do you know that?" asked Jake.
"It's common knowledge, freely available. I read it in one of your River and Woods magazines."
Jake looked sheepish. Helen looked sideways at him.
Daria turned to Helen. "I also read it in one of your Better Houses and Shrubberies magazines. I even read it in the Highland Hooraw."
Helen looked sheepish in her turn. Quinn said, "Ghod, Daria, is that all you ever do is read?"
"Quinn!" snapped Helen.
"Well, ghod, Mom! All she ever talks about is what she knows and what she's read! I'm sick of hearing about it!" Quinn whined.
"Quinn! Go to your room! And quit saying God like that!"
Quinn fake sobbed/flounced/marionette walked off down the hall.
"And Daria, you could be a little sympathetic. You might see it a bit differently if you'd been bitten by the spider."
"I've been bitten by spiders several times."
"But you never said anything! Why didn't you come and tell me?"
"For the same reason I don't come and tell you every time I get bitten by a mosquito or stung by an ant. It's no big thing, and there's nothing you could have done about it, and I'm not trying to hog every scrap of your attention for myself like Quinn is. So anyway, was it before or after you paid the bill that you remembered you had another daughter? Or should I say, another young girl you claim is your daughter?"
"Daria! What are you talking about?!"
"Where are my real parents? What are their names? Did they abandon me too? How did you get me?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who ARE Daria's real parents? Don't miss Chapter Ten-- THE SEMI-INVISIBLE GIRL!