Chapter One - Pleasantview
Content warning: This story contains mature themes and may not be suitable for minors. For this chapter, adult references, swearing and references to abortion.
215 Sim Lane, Pleasantview
As she glanced from the microwave clock and back to the road, Mary-Sue realised she had made her decision. She couldn’t do this anymore and the pretence that her marriage could possibly be salvaged was not beneficial for anyone.
Catching her husband with the maid had been the catalyst for the re-evaluation of not only her marriage, but her life. In quick succession she had lost her whole identity, she was no longer the wife of the successful sportsman turned coach, mother of two and an up and coming politician. Instead she was the sole bread winner of a family falling apart at the seams.
Daniel had been fired because of some stupid incident involving two of his players moving a piano and as such had left Mary-Sue supporting the entire family. It wasn’t that responsibility that troubled her, not in the slightest. It was that now she was the dejected wife, standing at a window watching for her errant husband to return home, fearing the presence of a foreign perfume or lipstick mark.
Soon she saw her husband stroll through the gate and skip up the porch steps, stumbling as he missed one. She took a deep breath as she prepared herself to end the perfect facade.
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Mary-Sue returned from the bathroom after giving Daniel privacy to get dressed. He had protested it wasn’t necessary, “It’s not like you haven’t-”
She had escaped the bedroom before he had the chance to finish. Yes, she had seen it before, but then so had the maid. She sighed and busied herself as she meticulously straightened the side of the bed he hadn’t even slept on. The truth was he had been sleeping on the couch for so long now that they were little more than two adults coexisting in the same house; acknowledging this only strengthened her resolve. The situation was no good for neither them nor their daughters. She knew she was making the right decision, even if it wasn’t the easy one, but she still couldn’t help the slight tremble of her hands at the enormity of what she was doing.
Burying her hands in the Egyptian cotton sheets she had insisted upon, she focused on keeping her voice even. “We need to tell them Daniel, there is no point in putting it off.”
She heard Daniel groan and the slight thud of his forehead on the wooden dresser as he leaned against it for support. He fought back the tears that threatened to spill. He knew he’d made a mistake, hell, he knew he’d done nothing but make mistake after mistake, but the thought of losing his family made him feel as if someone had punched him right in the chest.
He had argued and pleaded with his wife for hours the previous night but to no avail, she had sadly told him that it was too late and that she had made her decision. It didn’t stop him from trying one more time, “Please Mary,” he begged. “Don’t do this. I’ll spend every day of the rest of my life making it up to you, just please, don’t tear our family apart.”
“I didn’t Daniel,” Mary replied quietly. There was no malice in her voice, only resignation.
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The silence at the breakfast table was broken only by the scraping of the chair as Daniel seated himself at the table. Mary-Sue had declared she would do the talking, Daniel, feeling utterly defeated, simply nodded his head.
“There is no gentle way to say this,” she started, looking at Lilith and then Angela, “but I’m sorry to tell you that your father and I are getting a divorce.”
Angela’s face fell. It was only last week her sister had told her she was delusional if she thought their parents were going to stay together; it appeared she had been. She took a shaky breath as she tried to hold on to her emotions and turned to her dad, his expression mirrored hers as he could only softly whisper that he was sorry.
Lilith rolled her eyes before exclaiming that it was about fucking time.
Daniel told her to watch her language while Mary-Sue could only turn to her in amazement. Just when she thought her stubborn daughter couldn’t surprise her anymore, Lilith still managed to shock her.
“Seriously. This family was a complete farce even before he,” she indicated Daniel, “started screwing the maid.”
“You’re not helping Lilith,” Angela snapped before turning to her mother. “What happens now?” she asked quietly. Mary-Sue didn’t even look at Daniel as she explained that they would need to sell the house but that both of them were dedicated to making the separation as painless as possible for both she and Lilith.
“This isn’t a fucking campaign speech,” Lilith retorted as she left the table.
Daniel looked at Mary-Sue before following Lilith into the kitchen. She completely ignored his presence and instead focused on furiously scrubbing her cereal bowl. Daniel sighed as he watched Mary-Sue and Angela at the table that once upon a time the girls had sat at in their high chairs, and done homework at and celebrated birthdays.
He turned to Lilith and tried to formulate the right thing to day; if there was such a thing. Lilith was feisty and opinionated and it was true, much to his regret now, that he had given more time and attention to Angela who was every parents dream.
“Lilith, I don’t know what I can say to make this better, or do, but please know-”
Lilith turned on her heels to face her father. “Nothing,” she spat, “There is absolutely nothing you can do or say.”
Daniel recoiled in the face of his daughter’s raw anger, “I’m sorry Lilith. I never wanted this to happen.”
Lilith raised her hands, and voice, in frustration, “What did you think was going to happen Daniel? You cheated on her with the bloody hired help and then lost your job and have done nothing but sulk on your own stupidity ever since! You’re an utter moron if you thought this would end in any other way.”
Angela was feeling decidedly not hungry and had picked up her bowl to take to the kitchen but was held still by the sudden yelling from the kitchen. She looked over to her mother, whose face appeared impassive as she listened to Lilith’s assault on Daniel.
Uncomfortable by both the silence at the table and fury behind her, Angela asked her mother gently about living arrangements. Mary-Sue turned her attention to her daughter, saddened by the obvious restraint of Angela’s emotions. Lilith’s tirade, while completely inappropriate and disrespectful, was probably healthier, she conceded.
“I’m going to stay with your grandparents,” she told her. “You and Lilith will,” she paused, “can, of course join me. It’ll be crowded but is only temporary until everything is settled and I buy us a new house.”
She hated that daughters were going to have to choose a parent to live with, and while she desperately hoped they stayed with her, was adamant she would let the choice be theirs they were nearly eighteen now, and deserved to be treated as such.
“I’m not sure what your father is doing, but I’m sure if you wished to stay with him, he would find suitable accommodation. We both love you, and neither of us wants you to feel pressured to make a decision about where you live,” she added.
Her attention was drawn away from Angela by Lilith’s loud snort, “Lilith?” she asked, concerned about how her most volatile daughter was in fact handling the news of the divorce.
“I don’t care where I live,” Lilith snapped, “I fucking hate you all anyway.”
Angela made her way past her father and sister as she deposited her bowl in the bench, only turning her attention, as did her parents, to Lilith’s angry ascent of the stairs and following slamming of her bedroom door.
Angela sighed, she wished she could go around slamming doors and yelling and swearing. She tried to imagine herself repeating Lilith’s actions but resigned herself to the fact that it was unlikely to make her feel any better.
Mary-Sue gave Daniel a pointed look before sighing exasperatedly. “I’ll take care of it shall I?” she asked pointedly before heading upstairs to talk to Lilith.
Daniel turned his attention to Angela, who was staring blankly at the wallpaper, “are you alright Angel.”
“Yeah dad, sorry, just thinking I guess,” she responded.
She attempted to smile, to reassure him, bit inwardly grimaced when she heard Lilith begin shouting anew from upstairs. She had to get out of the house. “Is it okay if I go visit Dustin?” she asked her father.
Daniel’s brow furrowed, “I really don’t like that boy. You could do so much better.”
Angela didn’t want this discussion again and ignored the urge to scathingly ask if he would prefer she dated someone like him, “Please daddy, I just, need some thinking space.”
Daniel sighed; he couldn’t refuse his baby girl, “Sure, just don’t be too late okay.”
She kissed him on the cheek and went upstairs to get ready.
55 Woodland Drive, Pleasantview
While admittedly her mind was still reeling from the events of the morning, Angela’s attention was well and truly diverted by the sound of the door and voices filling the small trailer. She recognised Brandi but couldn’t name the other one, “who is that with your mum,” she asked.
Dustin began sliding his hands down Angela’s back, “your thinking about my mother right now?” he muttered.
Frustrated by her boyfriends seemingly one track mind she removed his hands from her rear and straightened up. Trying not to groan outwardly in frustration, he wasn’t a complete ass after all, he turned to his pinball machine hoping that might distract him from his discomfort, as well as hiding the now rather obvious evidence of it.
Momentarily distracted by a crack in the ceiling, Angela was brought back to the present by the loud thumping of Dustin pounding the pinball machine levers. While unlikely, still hoping to have a semblance of conversation from him as he played, she asked again who was with his mother.
“Uh, Dina, I think,” he responded.
“Dina Goth?”
“Guess so.”
Angela found it refreshing that Dustin didn’t keep up to date with town gossip, unlike her mother who did religiously, but would have expected even him to have heard of the unexpected marriage of Pleasantview’s wealthiest man to the blonde Caliente sister. Dina’s subsequent pregnancy was still fodder for the gossip mill.
“I didn’t know she and your mother were friends,” she commented.
Dustin waited for the pinball to return, “Yeah, she’s been around heaps lately actually. Ever since mum had that bad stomach bug or whatever.”
Angela looked at her boyfriend, who was now once again absorbed in his game, in amazement. How could he be so obtuse? The paper thin walls of the trailer meant the constant vomiting of Brandi Broke, recently widowed, had been hard to ignore and when it had suddenly ceased, Angela had thought it had been pretty obvious that she had chosen to terminate her pregnancy. Angela didn’t judge her boyfriend’s mother, she knew Brandi well enough to know the decision wouldn’t have been made lightly. It was also blatantly obvious she couldn’t have afforded another child.
“Dustin, how could you not know? Your mum was pregnant,” she said softly.
Dustin looked at Angela in confusion, before turning back to the game, but the ball had already been lost. He thought back to the first day he had seen Dina. His mother had told him she had to visit the doctor and asked him to look after Beau while she was gone. He’d bitched and moaned so much his mother had actually started crying which was when Dina had stepped in, handed him a fifty and told him firmly that it was only for a few hours and that she would look after Beau after that. He’d been so taken aback by her self-assurance that he’d only been able to mutter ‘whatever’ before returning to his room.
Dustin felt his stomach drop. It all made so much sense now, how could he have been so dense. Dina had brought Brandi home and put her straight to bed before taking over care of Beau who had done nothing but sleep the whole time anyway.
I was wrong, Dustin thought, I am a complete ass.
His thoughts were interupted by the gentle calling of his name, “I’m sorry, I thought you knew. Are you okay?” Angela asked.
He looked dejectedly at the game and sighed, “Yeah...I lost,” he told her. More than he’d realised apparently.
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“Now, if we can just do something with your hair,” Dina told Brandi, “we’ll be set.”
“Yes, well we can’t all afford to have ours blow dried three times a week,” Brandi told her.
“No, that’d be ridiculous. I only have mine done twice a week,” she responded dryly. Brandi rolled her eyes and both women laughed.
Brandi looked down at the clothes she was wearing and frowned slightly. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the outfit, she just didn’t see the point. Dina had brought over some clothes for her to wear to the two interviews she had tomorrow. Now that Beau had started school, she was eager to begin working as soon as possible, but considering her lack of recent job history or experience, she jumped at the agency cleaning position that had become available.
Dina, on the other hand, had pushed her to apply for another cleaning position at an Optometrist office, saying that not only was it fifty more simelonians a day, but that it was exactly the same job only with the possibility of movement within the company. In theory, she knew Dina was right, but Brandi knew she didn’t have the confidence and sense of entitlement that seemed to ensure Dina got whatever she wanted. As such she wondered whether it was even worthwhile getting dressed up for an interview for a job she felt unlikely to get.
“I know exactly what you’re thinking and I’m not hearing a word of it,” Dina told her forcefully, “You deserve that job as much, if not more, than anyone else. You will go in there tomorrow, looking professional and exuding nothing but confidence, understand?”
Brandi smiled at her friend’s seemingly unending confidence in her and thought how lucky she was to have her. Brandi couldn’t imagine what the last part of her life would have been like without Dina’s constant support, both practical and emotional. Brandi wondered how she could ever repay her.
“And if you’re wondering how to repay me,” Dina smiled, “you’ll try on the dress as well.” With that Dina departed the room with her usual florish despite her heavily pregnant form.
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Dina was surprised when Dustin approached her as she was pretty sure he had only ever grunted in her direction before, “Hello Dustin.”
“Did you pay for my mum to have an abortion,” he asked bluntly.
Dina didn’t even flinch, “No. I lent her the money until such time she is financially secure enough to repay me.”
“How could you do that,” Dustin demanded.
Dina looked at Dustin, she’d only met Skip a few times but he certainly did take after his father. She supposed she should be offended by Dustin’s inquisition but she could only look at him with compassion. All she could see was a confused boy struggling to make sense of a world without the guidance a male role model.
“I was supporting a friend,” Dina replied patiently.
Brandi, who had left her bedroom to show Dina how the dress looked, had heard the whole conversation. She paused to ruffle Beau’s hair and tell him to go brush and his teeth before looking expectedly at her Dustin.
“Mum, you look really-”
Brandi cut him off, “Dustin. Wait in your room; I’ll be in to talk to you in ten minutes.”
As Dustin slunk to his room, Dina commented that the dress did look really good.
“Never mind the dress Dina, I am so sorry! I can’t believe he did that,” Brandi apologised.
Dina smiled reassuringly, “Its fine, really. I’m sorry if I said the wrong thing, I didn’t know if you were,” she searched for the right words, “trying to keep it discreet.”
Brandi shook her head, “It’s not that, I encourage honesty. Perhaps I should have talked to him about it, but you never really know I’m afraid. I really am sorry.”
Dina gave her a hug, “I can’t imagine raising two boys on my own Brandi; I honestly don’t know how you do it.”
Brandi paused for a moment before replying sincerely, “with a little help from my friends.”