A Fresh Start

Chapter 4

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Frank POV

I knew it. I had that gut feeling from the outset. It had been staring me in the face all along. Helen always fussed over her blonde hair, not contented until it was to her satisfaction. Pfft. It was just a ploy. She cut her fringe and put big rollers in to accentuate the fashionable bangs. Bows and special hair clips were another ruse to hide the feature. Stephanie's hair was naturally curly, beautiful brunette curls that I loved, and Helen hated. She complained bitterly about our second daughter's "unruly" hair. Valerie's blonde hair was more precious. It was all about Valerie.

For a long time, I had been concerned about Helen's treatment of Stephanie and the way she kept favouring and fussing over Valerie so much while not being so subtle about it either. "Saint Valerie," is what Stephanie muttered in frustration one time. It sort of stuck.

I know Grandma Edna and Grandpa Harry protected Stephanie. When she got into trouble with Helen, which was often, she would often run away to their place to hide from the negativity and that constant criticism. Stephanie had spirit and was more of a tomboy than a girlie-girl. She liked to climb and play with the boys but Helen often disallowed that. I know Edna and Harry adored Stephanie and her energy. Making a cubbyhouse in the loungeroom eating freshly baked cookies with a glass of milk, was part of the escape and the adventure.

According to Helen, when I questioned her about all this, "She's a disobedient little girl. She can't even keep herself clean for five minutes! Now, look at Valerie ..."

"For crying out loud, Helen. Stephanie is not even four years old. I think you're being over the top." I smiled approvingly as Edna chastised her daughter's ridiculous attitude.

"But, her behaviour ..."

"Her behaviour is fine, Helen! For goodness sake. She is a happy little girl, wonderful, energetic and free-spirited, just like an inquisitive child should be, Helen. She makes me smile. She has imagination. That is something you don't understand. I'm surprised at you, Helen," Edna retorted. "You are being unreasonable in your expectations of Stephanie."

"I agree," I said, endorsing Edna's observations of my Pumpkin. Watching her being scolded for getting a bit of dirt on her dress, a silly dress for her to wear at the church picnic, was heart breaking. She was playing happily with the neighbourhood boys, Eddie and Carl. Helen dragged her away, scolding her in front of everybody, rolling her eyes with that contrived despair.

"We agreed," she snapped, reminding me of a past conversation, "I will bring up the children while you work and bring in the money."

"Come here, Pumpkin," I sighed, as I wiped the big tears in those beautiful blue eyes. She sat in my lap, sobbing, because she was having fun, like all the other children. I ignored Helen's glares. Valerie preened smugly. It disappointed me that Helen enabled that superior attitude, already at this age, in Valerie. She showed the same contempt for her little sister as did her mother. They are only two years apart in age.

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When Harry died, I suggested Edna move in with us, under the guise of helping Helen look after the girls. Edna had intimated the need to keep an eye on Helen, many times before, and Harry had agreed. Harry warned me that Helen had a cruel streak and Stephanie was often her scapegoat. Like me, he was worried about the bruises. We both knew that Stephanie was agile and sprightly, certainly not the clumsy goose that Helen complained about so often. I made a note of the bruises and as I documented them, I was shocked. When Stephanie broke her army jumping off the roof, I had my doubts.

Helen was annoyed, knowing she was being watched. I wasn't there all the time. I was still in the army and had worked my way up through the ranks, after serving time in Vietnam. What a mess that was. Helen doesn't know that I am still actively involved.

Presently, I am a General, consigned to the Special Ops and Delta Force teams. Helen knows nothing about that, least of all my rank. It would go straight to her head. Flaunting it around the neighbourhood is not going to happen on my watch as she would use that to elevate and big note her status with that information. It was need to know – she did not need to know, they did not need to know. It was a matter of safety and secrecy, not for public knowledge or disclosure. Keeping my family safe and protected was important, absolutely critical. Her posturing and blabbing it about was not conducive.

As far as Helen was concerned, I was now working at the post office. When we married I was in the army. Those were happier days and she was the Helen with whom I fell in love. She knew I would be deployed again and went into the marriage with her eyes wide open, fully aware of what that entailed. We could afford to rent a little duplex on Roosevelt Street, around the corner from her parents' house. Many years later we bought it.

Now, I work stateside, no longer actively deployed overseas on missions, but involved with monitoring and coordinating the handlers, as well as the Ranger teams and Black Ops operatives. The purported Post Office Conventions, were when I was at my official duties running mission reconnaissance and intel, after monitoring army recruits in basic training, in Georgia. Recognising the potential of these recruits who would make excellent candidates for Ranger school, if they expressed an interest, meeting the specific criteria from an early stage, was essential. There were always stand outs, team players, who would have each other's backs. That was more than just a given. The standards were exceptionally high, as we looked for the best of the best. From personal experiences we knew what to look for. Now, selecting teams who would complement one another with their respective skills was more my domain. Helen still has no idea.

One morning, Edna caught me collecting hair from Helen's hairbrush. She wasn't surprised, just raising an inquisitive eyebrow before handing me her toothbrush as well, tapping her nose on the side, in that knowing way. She called down to Helen to add toothbrushes and toothpaste to her shopping list.

Edna feigned a headache, so Helen was on her own doing the essential shopping errands. Edna sweetened the deal by saying she would look after Stephanie. Valerie was already at school. This one particular time she organised a play date with Mary Lou so she could have a serious conversation with me.

"I am suspicious of Valerie. I am even more suspicious of Helen. I can't believe she has encouraged Valerie to be so nasty to Stephanie. Like Harry told you, Helen has a cruel streak, but we thought she had outgrown that. While you were away, in the wind, saving the world, we saw it re-emerge when Stephanie was a toddler. It is worrisome, Frank."

"I have been having my doubts, too. After the church picnic, I was surprised she wouldn't let Stephanie continue playing with Carl and Eddie. The three of them were playing so nicely. They were having a wonderful time, but Helen just interfered. Why? She was happy. She was well-behaved. What was wrong with that? I have to tell you, Edna, I was confused."

"It's a sad admission, Frank, but I too, do not trust my own daughter. Before she met you, she was rather, er, let's say she became promiscuous and always had the hots for that Anthony Morelli, but he wasn't the only one. When Angela Fontinelli fell pregnant her parents insisted that they get married, immediately. Helen was furious and distraught. Helen and Angie used to be friends, but when she saw how Anthony treated her, later in the marriage, well, she considered herself lucky."

"Yes. That poor woman endured a lot of torment from his drunkenness."

"What are you hoping to find, Frank?" She pointed to my evidence bags with Helen's DNA samples.

I paused for a moment. "Valerie. I know she's not mine. Let's call it, confirmation." I held up the other evidence bag with Valerie's hair, and now her toothbrush as well.

"What makes you think that, Frank? Is it that obvious?"

"Yup. I know. It took me a while to see it while she played camouflage tactics."

"And?"

"Valerie has a cowlick, a very distinctive cowlick. I know from whom she inherited that."

She lifted one eyebrow, encouraging me to reveal my suspicions. "Michael."

"Hm. Yes. I know she deliberately sought after a military man and for a while she was genuinely in love with you, Frank. But she also had the hots for your army buddy, Michael Toblitsky. While you were deployed for a brief two months reconnaissance, he came to visit. Helen and Michael got freaky, while you were deployed. I calculated, and Valerie was the result. She thinks I don't know." Edna scowled. She was not easily fooled.

"I remember coming home to find Helen sick. I was concerned until I realised it was morning sickness since she started to show. I was so excited. Seven months later Valerie was born. She insisted Valerie was premature."

"Actually, Valerie was two weeks over. You were right in your observations, Frank. As Valerie's hair grew, she had that distinctive cowlick which Helen constantly tried to hide, in a variety of ways. I recognised it immediately."

"Hmph. My "buddy", Michael has a distinctive cowlick, exactly the same. Thankfully, he didn't live in the Burg, but there was no denying from where Valerie inherited that distinguishing characteristic. Helen gave up trying to hide it when everyone expressed how cute it was on our angelic daughter's face."

Edna rolled her eyes at that.

"I adored our little girl but, even then, something niggled me about her. There was not much Hungarian in her. Nor Italian. She was a good little girl, until Stephanie came along. She was the demanding, jealous toddler and always got her way."

"Oh yes. Helen disliked Stephanie. While she thought the baby was a boy, she was excited. Stephanie was supposed to be a boy, Stephen Michael Plum. Helen disliked her from in utero once she discovered she was having a daughter again. She even tried to fall. Everyone fussed over her and of course, she lapped up the extra attention, but I was on to her. Stephanie was a very active baby before and since she was born. Helen didn't want active."

"Oh, she was a blessing, Stephanie Michelle Plum. I am so proud of her now."

"Stephanie was a healthy baby girl. With those most beautiful blue eyes, I knew she was mine."

"Helen, and Valerie, hated how everyone fussed and adored your new baby, especially with those captivating blue eyes."

I pondered that for a bit.

"Did you know that Valerie often pinched baby Stephanie? I saw the bruises, and even bite marks, so I pinched Valerie back when I caught her doing it again."

I was shocked.

"The time she bit her baby sister, I bit her back, instantly stopping that vicious behaviour, with a stern warning and a threat to toss her favourite pink Beanie Baby in the furnace and burn all her favourite books. Valerie feigned compliance until her Beanie Baby disappeared. She recognised the smirk on her Grandma's face. What did Helen do? She bought her a new Beanie Baby to console her! She indulged Valerie at the expense of her second daughter. Even on Stephanie's birthday, Valerie received a "special" gift, often more expensive than Stephanie's. However, it was not reciprocated when it was Valerie's birthday. Funny that. Such a cruel mother she was, and still is."

However, despite Stephanie being constantly maligned and criticised, she grew up to be resilient, regardless of Helen's interference. I can't believe how Helen could turn on her own daughter like that. She tried to quash that energy and light, but my Pumpkin just bounced back, again and again.

I smiled when my phone pinged with an incoming message. Given the timing, I knew it had to be from my Pumpkin, confirming her safe arrival. I chuckled at the three photos. The first was a selfie, her gorgeous face beaming with the palm trees and the Atlantic Ocean behind her. She looked radiant. The second was a panoramic shot of the beach view from her hotel room. The last photo was a plate full of tropical fruit topped with a Danish, "my breakfast" alongside a fancy omelette, in a double frame. I laughed. She always did have a hearty appetite. That's my girl.

"Thank you, Daddy. It's wonderful here." That was her accompanying text. That's all I needed to know.

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