Page 53 of Burned

“I’ll be here for you if you need me.” He was out the door before she could respond.

Sadie didn’t bother to reply, turning her attention to her mother who was now getting to her feet “He was telling the truth wasn’t he?”

“This house belongs to me. It should have been mine. That son of a bitch. After all he put me through,he left you my house,” Jackie mumbled.

“I’m supposed to come into some money?” Sadie was still trying to wrap her head around the concept.

“Your father was an idiot. He made a lot of stupid decisions.” Jackie spat.

“Yeah, the dumbest was marrying you,” Lily shot back.

“What does my father have to do with this? Terrell said my Aunt is leaving me something? Why not my sisters?”

“Why indeed?” Jackie rubbed her chin as a sadistic grin spread across her face. “Guess she had a soft spot for idiots. Your sisters…they can fend for themselves but you’re so pathetic and helpless. You always had your sister taking up for you. Your aunt also left something for your brother too. The retard and the idiot. Too bad the money didn’t revert to me when he passed. Shame. I’ll miss those nice disability checks though.”

“How…how can you say that? Thorn loved you with all his heart. He was one of the kindest gentlest spirits….” Sadie couldn’t finish, stunned by her mother’s insensitivity. She’d always been a bit impatient with Thorn but she’d never been this vicious about it.

“I never asked to give birth to a mongaloid!”

“How could you be so cold? Why?” The word came out as a whisper. Sadie didn’t understand how someone could be this evil, so into taking pleasure from other people’s pain?

Lily placed her hand on Sadie’s shoulder. “I already told you the reason she is the way she is: she’s an evil bitch. A bitter old bitch. She’s miserable and wants everyone to be as miserable as she is. She knows she’ll die alone which is why she’s so mean. No one loves her. Not even Daddy loved her. He only stayed with her because of us.”

Jackie’s lips curled. “That’s rich, considering you’ll be just as lonely and bitter as me. Never could keep a boyfriend, could you? You like them older don’t you?”

“Fuck you! You know that’s not true. I never asked for what happened.”

“You were too fast for your britches. I should have sent you away to one of those reform schools.”

“I was thirteen years old! A baby and you let…you let them... You have no idea how I felt, how scared I was.” Lily’s eyes glistened with tears.

“What are you talking about, Lily?”

“Why don’t you ask your mother? You remember the men who used to come to the house all hours of the night drunk or high. Some of her so-called men friend were perverts.”

It didn’t take long for Sadie to figure out what her sister was trying to say. “Please tell me that none of them….”

Jackie laughed. “Of course nothing happened….nothing happened that she didn’t want.”

“Lily?”

A tear slid down the side of Lily’s face. “I was a child. You were my mother. You were supposed to protect me.”

Sadie wanted to be sick. She’d come here searching for answers but realized she’d never get any. Her heart hurt as she realized she’d never have her mother’s love, something she’d always craved. Sadie also knew she could no longer let the things her mother had said and did to her over the years continue to shape the person she was.

She wrapped her arm around Lily who continued to tremble at her side. “Let’s go, Lily. There’s nothing left for us here. I came here looking for answers that I’m never going to get and I’ll have to deal with it.” Sadie led her shaking sister to the door, knowing she’d never step foot in this house again.

As she guided Lily out the door, she halted and turned back to the snake she’d once called mother. “I will never be back. And as far as I’m concerned you can go to hell. I’d wish you good luck with your cancer treatment, but frankly, I no longer give a shit. Congratulations, you’ve just lost another daughter. Goodbye, Jackie.”

Just when she would have closed the door behind them, Jackie’s cackle followed her. “I guess that would mean something if you were actually my daughter.”

Chapter Eighteen

Sadie stiffened as she halted in her steps. She’d obviously misheard. Slowly she turned on her heel to take a look at the woman she vowed to no longer acknowledge as her mother. “What did you say?”

Jackie smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. “What’s it to you? I’m not your mother right? What I said shouldn’t matter.”

“Don’t play with me. What did you mean by that comment?”

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