CHAPTER FOUR: REPLACED IN DADDY'S HEART

Three months later, in the middle of dinner, Claire announced that she was pregnant with my Daddy's child. I could not believe that in only six months, Daddy had remarried and was expecting a child with Claire.

"You can't be pregnant," I exploded, slamming down my silverware. "You can't be!" I turned to Daddy. "Tell me it's not true, Daddy! She can't be pregnant!"

"Stop acting so childish," he admonished, shaking his head at me with disdain. "Your mother is excited about the baby, and I expect you to be as well. Do not act like such a spoiled, rotten brat, Spring."

"She's not my mother," I snapped back, glaring at him. "My mother is dead. My mother lies in a wood box, six feet underground. My mother is rotting in the dirt!"

"WE GET THE POINT, SPRING!" Daddy hollered at me, slamming his fist onto the dinner table, rattling the plate. "Now congratulate your moth- Claire like a good daughter would!"

Seeing he was not going to relent, I turned to face Claire. In my falsest sweet voice, I said, "I congratulate you and Daddy on your baby, Claire. I'm sure it will be wonderful."

"I'm sure it will be, too," she snapped, her hard, unflinching blue eyes trained on me. "And I expect you'll share a room with the baby."

"Why?" I cried. "We have enough rooms to make a nursery! Why does it have to move into my room?!"

"The baby is hardly an 'it', Spring," Claire flared, glaring hatefully at me. "She has a name! Her name will be Cherish, and you are going to share a room with your sister, whether you like it or not!"

"Cherish? Who came up with that stupid name? Claire, I'm guessing." I smiled sweetly at Claire.

"You ungrateful brat!" Claire slapped me across the face, leaving an angry red mark on my face. "You should be happy your father doesn't throw you out on the streets where you belong, you little tramp!"

"Where I belong?!" I exploded, jumping to my feet. "You wormed your way into his bed! YOU'RE the tramp, NOT I!"

"ENOUGH, SPRING! YOU WILL NOT SPEAK TO YOUR STEPMOTHER IN SUCH AN INSOLENT, DISRESPECTING TONE! YOU WILL GO TO YOUR ROOM WITHOUT SUPPER! AND YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER TOMORROW, AS WELL!" Daddy hollered at me, as I started to push my chair away from the dining room table. "BUT NOT WITHOUT APOLOGISING TO YOUR STEPMOTHER!"

"Never! I'll never apologise to her! I'll never apologise to my daddy's whore!" I leapt to my feet and screamed back at him with such hate I surprised even myself.

"NOW, SPRING! BEFORE I JUMP OVER THIS TABLE AND BEAT THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF YOU," he snarled.

"NO! NEVER!" I snarled right back, shoving aside my plate. "I COULDN'T EAT ANOTHER BITE! IT TASTED LIKE HORSE MANURE!" I smiled at Claire sweetly as I slammed down my fork and knife.

"GO TO YOUR ROOM, SPRING! GO TO YOUR ROOM, NOW! GO ON, GET!" Daddy yelled, pointing toward the stairs with his butter knife. "BEFORE I TAKE YOU THERE MYSELF!"

I turned and fled for my room, not letting Claire or Daddy see my bitter tears. When did it get this bad?! I wondered to myself, as I flung myself onto my bed. When did Daddy turn into such a monster?

"When Mommy hired Claire," my inner voice whispered. "When Mommy hired Claire and she replaced Mommy in hers and Daddy's bed. When Mommy hired Claire and they made your mommy die."

"Why?" I sobbed to myself, "why did Daddy do it? Why did he betray Mommy?"

"Because he's selfish," my inner voice whispered back. "Because he just had to have Claire, and in doing so, he pushed Mommy away. And made her kill herself."

"What am I going to do? What will I do without Mommy? I'm so alone," I wept, "I'm so alone without Mommy! Who will tell me bedtime stories? Who will hold me in her lap? Who will sing her Spanish childhood songs to me?" I sobbed and sobbed, clutching my pillow in my arms.

There was no answer.