"We eat at six o'clock on the dot, Alexander." She stared into his eyes
without flinching. "Your rule, remember?"
"Don't play games with me, Irene! Sit down, son, and eat your dinner." He shot his wife a dirty look as he heaped stew on his plate. "Where's the bread?"
"We have rolls," Irene answered as she passed them to him.
"I want bread." His voice was threatening.
Irene continued to eat her dinner.
Serena and Lita looked at each other in wonder.
"I'll get you some, Dad," Stephan offered.
"No, son. It is the wife's duty to take care of her husband."
"That's so outdated," Serena said rolling her eyes toward the ceiling.
"What did you say?" Alexander asked in a loud voice.
"I said your remark is outdated. Why should Mom be expected to wait on you?" She kept an even tone of voice.
Alexander stood up.
"Don't touch her, Alexander," Irene said in a low voice.
"What?" He leaned toward his wife.
"We are not afraid of you. You're not going to scare us anymore. Lay one finger on me or my daughters ever again and you can rest assured I will bring every charge imaginable against you." Her voice was calm and she spoke as though they were having a normal family conversation.
Stephan looked at his father. "Remember what you told me, Dad? Are you going to let any woman talk down to you?"
"No, I'm not," Alexander answered. "You need help, Irene."
Irene laughed. "Your cover-up isn't going to work anymore. You have enough problems with your son's behavior."
"My son doesn't have any problems. He's always been a good boy."
"That's not what the school says."
Alexander's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
Stephan looked once again at his father, and Irene saw the fear in his eyes.
"Your son is perfect? No. You've covered for him just as your family has covered for you."
"You're crazy! Stephan has never gotten into trouble in school. You're just saying that because your precious Lita is a trouble maker."
"No. You gave the school your work number so I wouldn't know the extent of his behavioral problems."
"You're a liar!" Stephan jumped to his feet with raised fists.
"Go ahead, Stephan" Irene looked him squarely in his eyes. "Prove how wonderful you are by striking your stepmother."
The boy shook with rage as his eyes darted from Irene to his father and back again. After a few seconds, he looked down at his uneaten dinner, then slammed his chair against the table and stomped out of the room.
"Look at him, Alexander. He is the product of your own making."
"It's your fault!"
"You can never take the blame for your actions. But let me warn you, as I said earlier, you will never touch me or my daughters again." She took a deep breath. "I'm going to see a counselor, one of my own choosing."
"Don't expect me to go with you!" His voice was sarcastic.
"I don't want you to go with me. I'm going on my own. Then I'm going to make some major changes."
"You won't get a cent from me," he warned.
"I don't now, so what's the difference?"
Irene sat on one of the beds in her daughters' bedroom. They sat on the floor looking up at her, just as they had when they were small, and she wanted to have a serious talk with them.
"What is going on, Mom?" Serena asked.
"Are we going to leave Alexander?" Lita hopefully asked.
Irene took a deep breath. "I can't kid myself any longer. You girls know the things Alexander has said and done. I'm going to be seeing a counselor."
"We know that, Mom," Serena said.
"I know, just let me finish." She smiled. "It won't be easy, and we will have to cut back, but I'm going to check out our options and see what help is available out there. I won't put you two through any more of this abuse! I'm sorry that you had to go through what you did." Tears filled her eyes. "I wanted so much more for you."
"You're a good mom," Lita said.
"Mom, you've given us more than we ever deserved," Serena replied.
Both girls sat next to their mother and put their arms around her.
Irene dabbed at her eyes. "I don't know what I did to ever deserve you two," she sniffed. "Lita, tell Heather she's welcome in our home whenever she wants to come over and your grounding is suspended."
Lita grinned. "Thanks, Mom."
"I want both of you to realize things won't be easy, but we'll make it. We'll still have to live with Alexander for a while."
Serena 's eyes clouded.
"Before you ever think it, Serena, no, this time I won't allow Alexander to change my mind. I don't care if he does a complete turnaround. I don't trust him anymore. Nothing will change my mind." Her voice was firm.
"Will we stay here or move?" Lita asked.
"I don't know. But it doesn't matter. What does matter is that the three of us will be together and won't have to worry about Alexander's mood swings any longer."
"Don't play games with me, Irene! Sit down, son, and eat your dinner." He shot his wife a dirty look as he heaped stew on his plate. "Where's the bread?"
"We have rolls," Irene answered as she passed them to him.
"I want bread." His voice was threatening.
Irene continued to eat her dinner.
Serena and Lita looked at each other in wonder.
"I'll get you some, Dad," Stephan offered.
"No, son. It is the wife's duty to take care of her husband."
"That's so outdated," Serena said rolling her eyes toward the ceiling.
"What did you say?" Alexander asked in a loud voice.
"I said your remark is outdated. Why should Mom be expected to wait on you?" She kept an even tone of voice.
Alexander stood up.
"Don't touch her, Alexander," Irene said in a low voice.
"What?" He leaned toward his wife.
"We are not afraid of you. You're not going to scare us anymore. Lay one finger on me or my daughters ever again and you can rest assured I will bring every charge imaginable against you." Her voice was calm and she spoke as though they were having a normal family conversation.
Stephan looked at his father. "Remember what you told me, Dad? Are you going to let any woman talk down to you?"
"No, I'm not," Alexander answered. "You need help, Irene."
Irene laughed. "Your cover-up isn't going to work anymore. You have enough problems with your son's behavior."
"My son doesn't have any problems. He's always been a good boy."
"That's not what the school says."
Alexander's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
Stephan looked once again at his father, and Irene saw the fear in his eyes.
"Your son is perfect? No. You've covered for him just as your family has covered for you."
"You're crazy! Stephan has never gotten into trouble in school. You're just saying that because your precious Lita is a trouble maker."
"No. You gave the school your work number so I wouldn't know the extent of his behavioral problems."
"You're a liar!" Stephan jumped to his feet with raised fists.
"Go ahead, Stephan" Irene looked him squarely in his eyes. "Prove how wonderful you are by striking your stepmother."
The boy shook with rage as his eyes darted from Irene to his father and back again. After a few seconds, he looked down at his uneaten dinner, then slammed his chair against the table and stomped out of the room.
"Look at him, Alexander. He is the product of your own making."
"It's your fault!"
"You can never take the blame for your actions. But let me warn you, as I said earlier, you will never touch me or my daughters again." She took a deep breath. "I'm going to see a counselor, one of my own choosing."
"Don't expect me to go with you!" His voice was sarcastic.
"I don't want you to go with me. I'm going on my own. Then I'm going to make some major changes."
"You won't get a cent from me," he warned.
"I don't now, so what's the difference?"
Irene sat on one of the beds in her daughters' bedroom. They sat on the floor looking up at her, just as they had when they were small, and she wanted to have a serious talk with them.
"What is going on, Mom?" Serena asked.
"Are we going to leave Alexander?" Lita hopefully asked.
Irene took a deep breath. "I can't kid myself any longer. You girls know the things Alexander has said and done. I'm going to be seeing a counselor."
"We know that, Mom," Serena said.
"I know, just let me finish." She smiled. "It won't be easy, and we will have to cut back, but I'm going to check out our options and see what help is available out there. I won't put you two through any more of this abuse! I'm sorry that you had to go through what you did." Tears filled her eyes. "I wanted so much more for you."
"You're a good mom," Lita said.
"Mom, you've given us more than we ever deserved," Serena replied.
Both girls sat next to their mother and put their arms around her.
Irene dabbed at her eyes. "I don't know what I did to ever deserve you two," she sniffed. "Lita, tell Heather she's welcome in our home whenever she wants to come over and your grounding is suspended."
Lita grinned. "Thanks, Mom."
"I want both of you to realize things won't be easy, but we'll make it. We'll still have to live with Alexander for a while."
Serena 's eyes clouded.
"Before you ever think it, Serena, no, this time I won't allow Alexander to change my mind. I don't care if he does a complete turnaround. I don't trust him anymore. Nothing will change my mind." Her voice was firm.
"Will we stay here or move?" Lita asked.
"I don't know. But it doesn't matter. What does matter is that the three of us will be together and won't have to worry about Alexander's mood swings any longer."