Townhouse February 26th 7:45 pm Olivia's POV
"Hey Guys, I'm Home," I yell as I walk in the front door.
No response.
"…And I brought pizza." Before I could even finish saying the word pizza I heard four pairs of feet running down the stairs. 'Nothing like a little food to get things moving,' I think to myself.
We all set down at the table to eat the pizza. Dinner was relatively uneventful…thank God. However, I did tell Maureen that I needed to talk to her after dinner, and she didn't seem pleased. She probably knows why, and I hope we can resolve things tonight. Maureen is a good kid… I know that…she's just going through a hard time. Maybe I will set up appointments for all the kids to talk to Huang, I mean, it couldn't hurt.
Later that night Maureen's POV
Olivia's knocking on the door. I know she wants to talk to me about my so called attitude, but I am just so not in the mood right now.
"Maureen please open up." Olivia says.
"Alright, I'm coming." I quickly reply.
Olivia comes in and I sit on my bed, she chooses to sit exactly next to me…great, totally invading my personal space.
"Maureen, what's been going on lately, I mean I know things have been hard, but you've been especially rude to me and your siblings during a time when we really need to stick together… were all each other have." Olivia says. Great, the first time I managed to go a whole day without crying and she has to bring this up.
I stay silent.
"What happened sucks…that's pretty obvious, but you have to deal. Bottling things up inside wont work, because eventually all your feelings will come out. Trust me…I've learned from experience." She says.
There is a long silence which is beginning to become awkward. I'm really not sure what to say. Thankfully Olivia cuts in.
"I'm not sure how much your father told you about my past, but I am a product of rape. To be honest, I'm not sure why my mother didn't abort me; it probably would have saved her a lot of heart ache. You see, I was a constant reminder of what happened to her. I believe she loved me, but I also know I was one of the main reasons she became an alcoholic. Ever since I was a little girl I felt I had to endure her drinking habits, because… well I thought I was the reason she drank… so I kept all my feelings to myself, I never cried in front of her, I never told her that I wanted her to stop, I never did anything. Then when I was 16 I feel in love with a student of her's, she was an college English professor, and we were going to get married. When I told my mother, she dropped the bottle of vodka she was drinking and the bottle shattered. Then she picked up the broken end and came after me, so… I kicked her…hard…and then I kicked her again. She went flying across the room and slid down the wall."
"Then what did you do." I had to admit, this story was interesting, and it also helped to know Olivia wasn't always perfect either.
"Well… I ran…and ran, and ran, and I didn't come back home for a week. I guess there are two examples in this story. My mother, and my self, My mother didn't deal with the emotional side effects of being raped, and I never dealt with how I felt about her drinking, and then… on that terrible night, all our emotions collided, and it wasn't a pretty picture to say the least." I couldn't believe Olivia just bearded her heart to me, it was actually very touching.
"Wow Liv, my dad told us you had a rough childhood, but he never went into any detail. I'm really sorry." I say, hoping it's the right thing.
"Don't be, I didn't tell you this to make you feel sorry for me. I just want to make sure you are dealing with your feelings. I know it has to be a lot of pressure to be the oldest in a situation like this, but I know you can do it Maureen. I've known you since you were a kid, and believe me I remember how strong willed you were." Olivia says on a lighter note.
"Yea I was kind of bossy… I'm sorry for being a bitch Liv, I really didn't mean to take things out on you, or anyone else for that matter. I just felt like no one understood."
"Well, I'm sure Lizzie, Dickie, and Kathleen are going feeling similar emotions right now, so I'm sure you could talk to them. Also, if you want I could set up an appointment where you could talk to a professional about how you're feeling."
"Like a shrink?" I question, not liking the idea.
"Yeah, sort of, except I believe the politically correct turn is Therapist. I know someone who is extremely qualified, and a really nice guy. Also, he was friends with you dad." Olivia says.
"Who?" I ask searching my brain for a candidate.
"His name is George Huang. He works for the FBI, and helps us on certain cases. I really think you would like him." Olivia encourages, she is pretty good at this persuasion stuff.
"Fine, but only because I want to save my emotional break down for later years." I say jokingly.
"Alright, I'll make individual appointments for you, the twins, and Kathleen."
"Ok."
Olivia starts to leave, and I realize how much energy she just saved me, I mean it was really tiring being mad at the world!
"Wait! Liv… thanks!" I blurt out unaware of what else to say.
"Any time."