PS01 - Tall, Dark & Lonely (4 page)

end fast enough and apparently it wouldn’t. She had a feeling that the U-haul trailer attached to the back of her car was the

reason.

She shot another annoyed look at her mother who was curled up in the passenger seat of the small beat up car with the latest

gossip rag that Madison paid for of course. Her mother was broke and never worked more than a day at any job she ever held.

Candy, that’s what her mother liked to be called. Her real name was Emma and she hated it. She hated everything about herself

unless a man liked it. That’s how she ran her life and the lives of her three children. If a man liked it then it was okay. If the

man didn’t then Candy took it upon herself to make the change happen and if it didn’t god help them all, because her mother

was not above throwing a tantrum, yelling, hitting or manipulating her three children.

Madison took a deep breath and counted to ten in her head. She was pissed and for good reason. After twenty-three years of

hell Madison thought that she was finally going to make a real break for it. Candy promised to sign over custody of the kids.

This time she was going to do it. Madison couldn’t wait. She had money in the bank, her college degree and plans. She was

moving out of their trailer, their dumpy broken down crowded trailer, and taking her brother and sister with her. Her mother

had agreed.

Hell, Candy practically threw a fit and demanded Madison take them years ago. It was her turn for a real life she said. Madison

owed it to her. After all it was all Madison’s fault this happened in the first place. Her mother would have been a model by

now if she hadn’t got pregnant at sixteen. Candy believed Madison owed her gratitude for not getting an abortion and she

reminded Madison of that at every opportunity.

The only clue to Madison’s father’s identity was that she was clearly half Native American. Her hair was jet black and her

skin was naturally tanned and she had brown eyes that reminded people of caramel. That gave her mother the only clue to her

paternity. Thankfully her mother was a racist and only “slummed” with a colored boy, what she called everyone that wasn’t

pure white, once. So, her father was Andrew Soloman, a boy from the local tribe. Unfortunately, he died after Madison was

born. He wanted to raise Madison and Candy had been overjoyed to get rid of her burden.

When Madison’s father died in a house fire Candy threw a fit and stormed out of her mother’s house. She took her infant

daughter and headed out on the road towards California, but only made it as far as the next state over. There she began a life of

worthless jobs, welfare, affairs with married men and drugs. They traveled all over the country until Jill came along and then

they settled in New Mexico where Madison took over the care of her siblings and ran the house, well, trailer.

Madison had counted the days down until she was eighteen and could escape her mother. She never planned on leaving her

siblings, but she desperately needed to get away from her mother and her manipulative ways.

Candy dreaded her daughter’s eighteenth birthday. It meant her freedom to run around would come to an abrupt end. She would

have to find a job or someone else to take care of the kids. So, when the morning of Madison’s eighteenth birthday came,

Candy did what every self-respecting woman would do when faced with real responsibility for the first time in fifteen years

would do.

She hightailed it out of there.

She left a note for Madison of course. She wished her a happy birthday and thanked her for taking care of the kids. She found

her true love and was heading to Vegas to be with him. Madison didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She finally rid herself of

her mother, but was now faced with supporting her two siblings sooner than expected.

So, for the past five years Madison raised her little brother and sister. No one missed their mother. In truth, Madison played

mother to them both since birth. Candy took on the role of the older sister who didn’t like her siblings very much and was never

there. Everyone has a role to play after all.

Madison took on menial jobs to put herself through college as well as put food on the table and clothes on their backs. She

avoided her real life. Her only friends were from the Reservation where she spent her free time when she had any. There was

no time for boyfriends. Well, no steady boyfriends. She was afraid of turning into her mother so she refused to allow herself to

get serious about anyone.

Candy fell in love with every man she met. She became obsessive and pathetic and Madison was not her mother. Any man she

started to care for was pushed away. It was safer that way.

Less than two weeks ago Madison started her new job as a history teacher at a public high school. Everything was going

perfect for the first time in her life and then Candy swoops in.

Joshua woke her up at three in the morning crying. A drunk woman was puking in their living room/kitchen/dining

room/Joshua’s bedroom. Madison went to the aforementioned room with a baseball bat and cursed. Candy was back.

Candy was back with a vengeance it seemed. Stewart the man she ran off with five years ago never married her. They lived in

hotels all over the country. Candy loved it. She had pictures and of course magnets from every state except for those in New

England, Hawaii, and Alaska of course. She hated New England, refused to return to it.

Everything was going fine until Stewart discovered Candy was not a natural blond. She bleached it. Madison knew of course

and thought it was obvious. Apparently Stewart hadn't realized her mother's golden locks came from a box. He didn’t realize a

lot of things like Candy was not her real name and she was not twenty-eight but thirty-nine, which again Madison thought was

obvious, so he started screwing around. Candy came home one night from a club to find Stewart “Breaking her heart by fucking

that whore Jennifer from the strip club on their bed of love.” Candy actually used those words to her and the two younger

children, repeatedly.

Madison refused to allow her mother’s presence to alter her plans. She demanded that her mother sign the custody papers. She

refused, saying she missed the kids. She loved them. Then she applied for welfare and was refused. Seems the state of New

Mexico was no longer willing to give her a free ride. So, Candy inquired about New Hampshire. They were very willing to

give her funds only because Candy’s mother was a resident and Candy had been claiming residence there for the past five

years. That surprised Madison.

Candy wouldn’t listen to reason. She wanted the kids to come with her. She needed them. She cried, threw tantrums and

threatened Madison with keeping the kids away from her. They were her only chance since Candy didn’t want to work.

She pointed out to Madison that she was too delicate for such labor. Madison broke down in the end when her Grandmother

accepted. She was anxious to see her three grandchildren. Candy never brought any child to see her and wouldn’t allow any

contact. She frequently tried to blackmail her mother with the kids. It never worked. It seemed now Grandma had the upper

hand and knew it.

Thank god for that. Two weeks ago the sweet well behaved sister she knew and loved started to disappear. Jill now saw their

mother as her best friend, her idol. She liked how Candy didn’t work and flirted with men. Madison discovered her sister

making out with a man in his twenties just before they left. Candy gave the man permission. She also turned a blind eye when

Jill got drunk with her new buddies. Madison flipped out and chased the man out of the house and threw the drugs out. He

punched her for her efforts, blackening her cheek.

This nightmare needed to end soon and her grandmother was about to do it. Grandma put her foot down. She had Candy where

she wanted her. Candy bragged that her mother was a desperate lonely old woman and would do anything and everything to see

them. They were going to live like royalty Candy told Jill. Joshua hated Candy and let her know it. He was Madison’s little

boy as far as everyone else was concerned. Candy didn’t care, Joshua was just a welfare check.

Grandma threatened to inform the authorities of Candy’s lies. She had no choice. Candy was to bring the two little ones to New

Hampshire immediately and sign over custody. Madison could come, too. In return they would be given rooms in their

Grandmother’s large ancestral home that had been turned into a boarding house when their mother was a girl. It was large,

clean and ruled with an iron fist.

Her mother was going to have a difficult time living like a queen, she suspected. A week ago Grandma sent a certified letter

laying out her expectations. They were to earn their keep with cleaning and cooking. Grandma laid off her employees with the

expectation that they were going to earn their keep. Madison had a feeling it wasn’t because she was cheap and expected slave

labor like Candy claimed. She suspected it was her Grandma’s last effort to straighten Candy out and fix the grandkids before it

was too late.

Even with her grandmother there Jill was in danger of turning into their mother. Much to Madison’s dismay Jill announced

proudly that she was not planning on remaining a virgin. She was planning on losing it as soon as possible. Candy was

encouraging it. It would just get in the way of a fun time, Candy said.

The woman was crazy.

For the last week Madison watched her sister like a hawk. The only times she was out of her sight was when she was asleep in

the hotel room Jill shared with Candy. It was fine with her since she didn’t want to sleep with either of them anyway. She spent

most of the night making sure Jill didn’t leave. Once she was sure her fifteen year old sister’s virtue was safe she went to

sleep.

So here she was driving into their new town instead of filing for custody. She didn’t feel like competing with their grandmother

on that. It would be better if they worked together. Something told her she was going to need all the help that she could get.

********

Candy stepped in front of him with her arms out. Joshua ran past her and into Madison’s arms. He wasn’t stupid. He knew she

was trying to use him to look like the perfect mother for Grandma. Of course he probably picked up on the not so subtle clues

she dropped about that. If Grandma thought she was a good mother she would leave her alone to take care of the kids. She did

not want to clean or cook. That was okay for Madison, but not for her. Candy was meant to make men happy.

Madison looked around. The sun was shining. Birds were chirping. The leaves were a beautiful multicolor and she was

freezing her ass off. She was shivering. How could it be this cold if the sun was out? It was freezing!

“This is where we live?” Jill said in the same bitchy tone Candy used. It grated on Madison. She hoped her grandmother

worked miracles otherwise she was afraid that she would be beating some sense into her sister soon.

She took one last look at her young sister’s new wardrobe. Everything was too tight and too small. Jill was short for her age

and underdeveloped. The clothes made her look like a child prostitute. This miracle better happen fast.

Madison kissed Joshua’s cheek. “Go knock and remember to be polite.”

Joshua nodded. He ran to the door and knocked loudly. A minute later the door opened wide. He walked inside with his head

held high. The three women walked in after him.

A tall woman in her late fifties stood in the foyer. She didn’t look anything like Madison imagined she would. She expected a

short plump gray-haired grandmother like the one off of that cookie box back home. This woman was strong and capable and

had a no nonsense air about her.

Candy pushed past her and headed for the woman. She dragged the woman into a hug and gushed. “Oh, Mama, I’m so happy to

see you!”

Grandma pushed her back and dismissed her. “I bet it is.” She focused on the three grandchildren. She took in Joshua and

smiled, then Madison and beamed, then Jill and frowned. The breath Madison hadn't realized she was holding left her body.

Her grandmother didn’t like the looks of Jill. She was going to help. Thank god.

“Well, let’s go into the living room and have a talk.”

Madison sat on the loveseat. Joshua took the seat next to her. He reached for her hand and held onto it tightly. He was afraid.

She knew why. Candy told them over the years how horrible and violent this woman was. Her only prayer was that Candy lied,

again.

Grandma clasped her hands together. “I just want to say that I am very pleased to have you children here. This is going to be

your home for the rest of your childhood.” She leveled a look on Candy, reminding her that Jill and Joshua were now legally

hers. Candy pouted. It was an act. She found another sucker to raise her kids and give her a free ride.

“Now, Joshua and Jill, you each have your own rooms.”

“Really?” Joshua asked excitedly. He’d never had a bedroom never mind his own room.

“Yes, your rooms are near mine so I have a few rules. No loud music. Joshua, you have a bed time of…” She looked at Candy