Chapter 1, Summer 1998

"Mom!" Melissa Cooper opened the front door of 5501 Grant Avenue and nearly - very nearly - added, "Dad!" Even three years after his death, she sometimes still forgot.

"Your Meemaw's here," came a voice from the living room.

"And me! And me!"

"CeeCee!" Missy exclaimed as her little niece came running towards her. At the door, a figure lingered. She put down her bag and marvelled at how large the house was.

"Made of wood; no wonder they blow away in a storm." That was Marlene, Vicky's stepmother's words. Her father had married her in Las Vegas on Vicky's birthday last year.

"Surprise!" he'd exclaimed, "What do you think?"

"Aunt Missy! Aunt Missy!" A four year old girl zoomed out of the living room and threw herself at Vicky's friend. "Are you having pizza with us?" CeeCee looked up into Missy's face, eyes alive with excitement.

Vicky smiled at the scene, her mind breaking from her own idiocy.

Even if her father had organised the interview at Eagle Star, Vicky had earned it. Her work had been good - better than good. It had shown in the two quarterly figures that had been published while she was geological engineer.

So she really didn't believe it when her father, Tom Smith, chief engineer at Eagle Star's East Texas oilfield, in his response to her rejection that she move to Lubbock with him and his new wife and play happy families, had had her evicted from company rentals and had refused to sign over his part of his deeds to Vicky, as he had said had would…after doing what he had done to Sandra, Vicky's mum.

…cheat on her for over a year, divorce her, leave her in poverty and marry Marlene Gibbons, a holiday rep, who he had met in the UK as she led American tourists around Aberdeen, while he was on shore leave from Eagle Star's oil interests in the North Sea…

…it seemed ironic now that, had her father merely waited six months, he could have seen Vicky's mother into her grave. Instead, terminal cancer had killed Sandra Smith quicker through a long and protracted divorce.

"And ice-cream, and - " the little girl stopped, and looked past her Aunt Missy, giving Vicky a stern stare, 'Who's this…?"

Missy Cooper turned, and picked up her niece in her arms, then strode over to Vicky.

Vicky smiled. CeeCee didn't. She narrowed her eyes and noted Vicky's big bag, hastily packed in the middle of an argument with her father earlier that evening. Then she looked at Missy.

"Is she on holiday?"

'Good question," came a voice from behind them. Vicky smiled nervously as an elderly lady walked up to her granddaughter and great granddaughter. Missy smiled.

"Meemaw, CeeCee," Missy began. "This is Victoria Smith, who I know from work. She's gonna be stayin' with us for a little while." Missy looked at her Meemaw and her niece.

"Or, Vicky," Vicky nodded nervously, then took a few steps towards the women, holding out a hand.

"It's very good of your daughter to put me up," looking at Connie Tucker, and noticing the woman fold her arms rather than take her hand. She dropped her arm quickly.

"Well, she 'aint said anything yet, has she, Missy?"

"Mom'll be fine," Missy declared. "You can have Sheldon's room; he lives in Pasadena now. Works at Caltech. Physicist."

"Oh wow," Vicky replied. Missy scowled

"And I thought we were friends. Here," Missy strode past her. 'I'll show you where."

"...and is Victoria Smith staying for pizza?" they heard CeeCee say. "And will I be able to eat it before Mom gets here…? And - "

'Yeah…?" Vicky paused as Missy strode to Sheldon Cooper's old childhood room, all neat and tidy with fresh linen, "...in case he turns up unannounced…"

"Why's that lady talk so strange, Meemaw? Is she from. New York…? Canada…?"

Connie Tucker sighed, before scooping the girl into her arms.

"It's worse than that, little lady. Missy's friend comes from England."