Chapter 20
"Tracy?" Monica said.
Tracy laughed. "Who sent you here? And why?"
"Look, I'm not going to pretend that I want to talk to you…because I don't."
"Ah well, the feeling is mutual."
"But—"
"But what, Monica?"
"Lila would want you to join the family."
"Don't you presume to tell me what MY mother would want."
"Tracy."
"What?" Tracy replied disgustedly.
"The sooner you join the family. The sooner this whole get-together will be over. The sooner you can go on doing whatever the hell you please."
Emily enters. Monica and Tracy don't notice.
"Yes, well, and that does not involve talking to you."
"Tracy!" Emily shouted. "Leave my mother alone."
"Em, Sweetie. What are you doing here?" Monica asked.
Brook stormed in.
"Emily! What part of Granny doesn't like you don't you understand?"
"Everybody loves me," Emily proclaimed.
Lois walked in.
"Brookie, come back to the table this instant!"
A toilet flushes. A lady walks out of a stall and looks at them strangely.
"Hey…Aren't you those wacky Quartermaines I'm always hearing about?" she asked.
The family continued to look at her strangely.
"Do you mind?" Tracy asked.
"Well, um, excuse me," she said while washing her hands. The lady leaves.
Brook Lynn responded, "Well, that was random." She paused.
No one said anything.
Brook Lynn continued. "So…Anyway…Ma, I already told you. Granny doesn't like Emily."
"What did I ever do to you Tracy?" Emily asked. "How can you dislike me?"
"It's a territorial thing, you know? You don't have any Quartermaine blood in you, so Granny doesn't accept you."
"And how exactly do you know all of this?" Lois asked.
"Looks like someone has been bonding with Tracy," Monica pointed out.
"So what if I have?" Brook stepped up.
"Brook Lynn," Tracy said sternly.
"So it's true?" Lois asked.
"I personally don't see anything wrong with a girl getting to know her grandmother," Emily chimed in.
"Hellooooo…," Tracy said. "You just demonstrated one of the reasons I DON'T like you. Believe it or not, they do go beyond the fact that you're not a real Quartermaine."
"So you have a problem with me coming to your defense?" Emily asked.
"No. I have a problem with you not minding your own business."
Emily shook her head and walked out of the restroom.
"Em, Sweetheart, come back," Monica followed her.
Tracy yelled, "I also have a problem with you bringing homicidal maniacs into my house!"
"It's my house," Monica yelled back.
Tracy placed a hand over her face. "Ugh."
"So!" Lois said. "My baby's getting to know her grandma…and she doesn't seem to mind. I think hell is freezing over." Lois leaves.
"Sorry," Brook whispered.
"For what?" Tracy asked.
"For you know…"
"We Quartermaines are very intelligent. It wasn't going to be a secret for long."
"Yeah, but that was the shortest kept secret ever," Brook laughed. "But um, if you want me to still pretend that I hate you, I will."
Tracy sighs. "I don't know. And I don't care. I don't need my granddaughter, or anyone else for that matter, feeling sorry for me."
Chapter 21 Brook Lynn spoke, "Who said I felt sorry for you?"
"How long have you been in town?"
"What?"
"How long have you been in town? It's been over a year, has it not?"
"I guess. I kinda lost track."
Tracy continued, "And you wait until now, the anniversary of my mother's death, to finally have a civil conversation with me?"
"Maybe I realized you're not as awful as everyone says you are. I mean, yeah, you are like so rude to Dillon and all—"
"I will not let my granddaughter berate me. I get that enough from my other family members—"
"Will you let me finish?"
"Hurry up."
Brook sighed. "I never got to know great-grandma Lila, so I might as well get to know her daughter. Plus, I sorta think you're cool and stuff."
Tracy looked like she was going to vomit. "Cool and stuff?"
Brook Lynn laughed. "Yeah."
"Care to elaborate?"
"You're ambitious, Granny. You know what you want, and you get it. I think that's cool."
Tracy tried not to smile.
"And…," added Brook. "You're not afraid to say what's on your mind. It's like you say what everyone is thinking but won't say out loud. That's cool too. At least to me. And…"
"I get it now," Tracy told her.
"I'm not done," Brook said sternly.
"Woo! Well, excuse me," Tracy said mockingly.
Brook went on, "You always speak the truth. Like with Jason. The family is always bowing down to the almighty son, grandson, whatever, but is killing people really that almighty? I mean, like seriously."
Tracy smiled. "We can agree on that."
"And Emily? Oh my gosh, Granny. She thinks she's this sweet, little angel, and maybe she is, but she shouldn't act like she can do no wrong because of that. I don't think that's fair, and I'm pretty sure you don't think so either."
Tracy responded, "I tend to agree…But may I speak now? Where is this sudden love for err-- 'Granny' as you so aptly call me, coming from? If I didn't know better, I'd say A. You're sympathizing with me because it's the anniversary of my mother's death or B. You're more Quartermaine than I thought, and this is some kind of scheme. I'm going to be with B. And if my son Dillon has any part in manipulating his own mother…AGAIN, then—"
"Granny, stop. Just stop. It's not some stupid scheme."
"So you feel sorry for me then?"
"I thought you didn't have a problem with bonding with your only grandchild. Or did it become a problem when the family found out? Because that's not fair…To you or me."
Tracy sighed. "I don't understand your motives right now, and I'm really not in the mood to figure them out."
Brook threw her hands in the air. "Why do I have to have motives, Granny? Why?"
"Well, gee, I don't know. Maybe because this doesn't make any sense!"
"Why not? We talked earlier. We bonded."
"Yes. And that was that."
"So what's wrong with us talking again? What's wrong with having a functional relationship between a girl and her grandmother?"
"Because the Quartermaines are not functional. Whatever b…bond…"
"Bonding."
Tracy looked her at her strangely. "Listen to me. Whatever bonding that went on between us was not going to last. It wouldn't be fair to let you believe that we could ever have a normal relationship. Look at Dillon and me. Is that what you want?"
"But it would be different."
"No," Tracy shook her head. "It wouldn't be. I've just made my decision."
"What?"
"I'm not going to let this continue."
"I think you're afraid. We may actually develop some sort of daughter-granddaughter relationship, and that scares you."
"You're being absurd."
"Am I?"
Skye entered. "Hi, I'm, um, sorry to interrupt, but I've been summoned to let you two know that the food is being served."
The three walked out of the restroom.
PREVIEWS FOR CHAPTERS 22, 23, 24:
Dillon clues Brook Lynn in.
The family proves itself to be incapable of having a civil conversation.
Lois has an idea to enforce better behavior.