Chapter 2: Learning Emerald's Problems

Sparkyville Park, 9:15 AM

Some minutes later, Eugene and Jasmine arrived at Sparkyville Park where they saw their mother waiting for them.

"Mum!" cried Eugene and Jasmine.

"Hey, kids!" said Anya.

Anya hugged her remaining kids, while Eugene and Jasmine cautiously hugged back.

"How's things at home?" asked Eugene.

"A huge mess." said Anya.

"So it had to pertain to Emerald, did it?" asked Jasmine.

"Yes." said Anya. "Emerald wiped out many of our savings. You see, Emerald wasn't mean for the sake of being mean, she was mean because….. she had a serious mental health problem."

"What mental health problem was it?" asked Eugene.

"You see…." said Anya. "It began when she was nearly 5….."

Flashback 18 years ago

Dr. Sykup, Figtree, Wollongong, NSW, 10:30 AM

Emerald had lived in Wollongong before moving to Sydney as a kid, and she had huge problems as a child.

Emerald and Eugene were at the psychiatrist's office in the waiting room. Jasmine hadn't been born yet, Emerald was nearly 5, Eugene was nearly 3, Jasmine hadn't been born yet. Eugene was reading a Thomas the Tank Engine book, as locomotives fascinated him.

"So what did they say?" asked Eugene.

"So many stupid questions." said Emerald. "I forget the last ones. However, this has given me an idea."
"What dat?" asked Eugene.

"I can frame other people for my own crimes." said Emerald. "Make them look like the guilty ones. No one will suspect a thing!"

In the office itself, Anya and Riley were speaking to Dr. Sykup. Anya was pregnant with Jasmine.

"In my years of working psychiatry like this, I hate to say it, but I have never seen something like your daughter!" Dr. Sykup said. She's rather bipolar, and also very narcissistic, prone to violence, sinister, and suffers all kinds of delusions of being grand. Being delusional is normal for a child, but everything else isn't. So my recommendation is to put her on the right medication or else it'll get worse as she grows up."

"What medication should we get, Doc?" asked Anya.

"Concerta. It'll make her steadier."

"What exactly is the problem here?" sighed Riley. "Emerald's fine! Everyone has problems here and there!"

"You don't understand, Mr. Green." said Dr. Sykup. Your daughter's a ticking time bomb that always explodes."
"Thanks, but no thank you." said Riley. "We can handle her problems on our own."

Riley was about to leave when….

"We'll remain in touch, Doc." said Anya.

"No we won't!" countered Riley. "Come on, Anya! We're outta here!"

As the Green parents left, Dr. Sykup shook his head.

"Mercy on that family."

Back to present

"So!" Eugene fumed. "All it would've taken were the correct meds, and Emerald would've been nicer?!"

"We don't know." said Anya. "Your father didn't even want to take the chance. He kept telling himself Emerald was fine. He even resorted in making other people do Emerald's chores for her. He thought Emerald's bad behaviour was normal for a girl like her. Not to mention, he didn't even want to give Emerald any counselling for her bad behaviour."

"I….. I can't believe it!" grumbled Eugene. "I knew he messed up, babying Emerald as an adult! But how deep it ran, I had no idea!"

"Your dad said Emerald was only going through a phase." said Anya.
"A PHASE?!" raged Jasmine. "THAT GIRL HARMED US DAY IN, DAY OUT! DID DAD EVEN REALISE WHAT EMERALD WAS DOING WASN'T NORMAL?! HE REALLY THOUGHT IT WAS NORMAL TO BE ANGRY ALL DAY EVERY DAY?!"

"I'm afraid so." said a remorseful Anya. "Before reaching middle school, Emerald got overweight, and even though Tommy and Scarlet made her lose it, she somehow put the weight back on. We all tried to get Emerald to do things on her own. She didn't clean herself right, she was lazy to the point she'd make Homer Simpson look like a workaholic. She ate more fast food and doughnuts and cakes as she aged and moved into her apartment. And just minutes before Emerald drowned herself, she…

"WHAT?!" cried Eugene. "DROWNED HERSELF?!"

"You mean…" Jasmine stammered. "Emerald killed herself?!"

Eugene and Jasmine were shocked. They had no idea Emerald had committed suicide.

"Eugene, I tried to tell you when I phoned you, but you hung up on me." said Anya.

"Sorry, Mum." said Eugene. "I despised Emerald so much, I didn't care how she died. Given how overweight she was, I was quick to assume she died from diabetes complications."
"Speaking of which," continued Anya. "minutes before she committed suicide, Dr. Melendez diagnosed Emerald with Type 1 diabetes, and by the looks of things, Emerald didn't want to go through with living the rest of her life with diabetes, and the rest wrote itself, and all because your dad didn't want to help her."

Eugene and Jasmine saw their big sister in a whole new light. For all the bad things Emerald had done to them, not all of them were her fault. She had mental issues which could've been corrected, but Riley refused. Eugene and Jasmine felt remorse. Their hatred for Emerald had died along with her, and it was now on their father.

"Mummy." said Jasmine. "I forgive you, knowing you suffered too. I love you, Mum, but I hate him! I really hate him! Hate him! HATE HIM! DESPISE HIM! He could've saved us from all of this grief, but no! Daddy knows best! Well STUFF YOU, RILEY GREEN! HE'S AS DEAD TO ME AS EMERALD TRULY IS!"

Jasmine broke down crying, and Anya hugged her. Eugene hugged to, and he was also crying.

"Mum." Eugene began. "Don't tell Dad we're here. He needs to pay the price for messing up our lives. We want to confront him when we do see him again."

Jasmine stopped crying and looked at her brother. Both Green siblings nodded.

"Eugene and I have finally made up our minds." Jasmine said. "We're going to the funeral."

"Kids." said Anya. "Yesterday, I called up our lawyer Fred and asked him to draw up some papers."
"You mean…?" asked Eugene.

"Yes." said Anya. "I'll explain it all after the funeral."

Next Chapter: Spearmint Sammy and Marty make up