Topic: Taking a Chance to Mend the Past

Shane Devoe

Date: 2010-12-01 18:43 EST
Shane took a nice big sigh and continued to stare down at the blank piece of paper that sat in her lap. She had been staring at that same page for about an hour now and the only thing she had gotten written down was ?Dear Mama,?. Yep, this letter was going real well.

She let out another sigh, this one brisker and full of frustration, and she pushed the metal-ringed notebook aside. Legs unfolded beneath to support her as she stood from the couch, leaving the pad of paper half-buried beneath the simple throw that had been keeping her warm, and bare feet padded along, going from wood to tile as she moved through the threshold of living room into kitchen. Something relaxing to drink was to be called for and so stained-glass eyes instantly moved to peruse the few various bottles of alcohol that sat housed on a shelf, arms wrapping tightly about her middle as she paused in front of them, her lower lip coming in to be chewed as she stared.

A few minutes later and the tea kettle was heating up on the stove, the petite blonde leaning heavily against the counter beside it with both hands covering her face. Irritation was breeding with age-old stress along with some other mixture of emotions that Shane was just too tired and too annoyed to try and sort or put name to. Years worth of chagrin were eating away just beneath the skin but, regardless of all that resentment, she still felt that instinctual need to love her mother and that was the only thing that had her even trying to write that letter that was almost five years in the making.

Eyes flicked over to the dusty old shelf that was home to those miraculously numbing booze and Shane couldn?t help but question herself as to why she wasn?t currently downing a shot or two of vodka or whiskey. But rolling tummy and whistling pot were her saving grace and she pushed herself away from the counter, gathering up mug and a teabag of peppermint leaf to finish fixing her virgin drink.

Padding her way back through the kitchen and into the living room, Shane reclaimed her place on what she had deemed as her side of the couch. Blanket and notebook were tugged back into her lap as legs folded beneath her, her mug being drawn right up against her chest so that the soothing vapors could rise just beneath her nose. She nestled herself deep into the corner of the comfy cushions, curling into herself as she begrudgingly looked back down at the pristine sheet of white broken only by those faint lines of blue. Lower lip was back to being nibbled upon, that minty breeze stirring the senses of the tongue, while the pen was tangled back up between muse-gifted digits.

She sat for close to another half an hour with barely any change in posture, the only movements being the pen as her ceaseless habit of fidgeting brought it to winding between fingers in a methodical time and the repetitive lifting and lowering of the mug as tiny sips were taken. Frustration was beginning to build again as her mind, and in turn the paper, remained blank and so, in a restless attempt at jumbling some thoughts, Shane shifted to bring herself to stand again so that she could pace.

But before she could plant both feet on the floor she felt a gentle stab at her thigh, something in her pocket jabbing just below the hip. Confused, that delicate brow furrowed as she resettled back down, mug being discarded atop a nearby table as fingers went delving into the confining pocket. A mere second or two and Shane found what had dissuaded her from moving, pulling out the gaudy piece of jewelry that had acted as her wedding ring.

Now complete submission to sitting was given and Shane found herself reclining back into the plush pillow behind her, that glitzy fake diamond being held up before her as she eyed it, letting her thoughts follow its lead back to the memory of the morning that she woke up a married woman. A married woman in bed with her husband. That husband was Bradley Kaiser.

A new sensation began to wash over her and slowly a smile began to spill across her lips. A strangely calming feeling of joy blossomed at the center of her chest as she studied the god-awful ring, fresher memories now coming to be replayed in front of her mind?s eye and Shane could feel little else other than that raw sense of happiness as she let herself relive the past few months.

A time was given to let herself wallow in that aura of natural bliss before Shane brought herself out of that lovey-eyed daze, blinking a few times to set the haze gently aside and look back down at that haunting notebook and pen. But this time there was no blankness or empty thoughts, only those of contentment of her new life and the man who had made it so, and so she simply just let those thoughts bleed out onto the page, all the while that brazen piece of jewelry being held tucked into her hand.

?Dear Mama,
So, I got married??

Shane Devoe

Date: 2010-12-30 00:02 EST
The trailer house looked exactly the same as it did the last time Shane had seen it, that being almost a full five years ago. A nervousness had begun to smolder deep within her belly right as they had turned onto her old street and Shane now nibbled carelessly at her lower lip, eyes trained on the front door of her old home.

?Are you going to be alright, babe?? Bradley?s voice snapped her out of her daze and she looked over to her husband who sat in the driver?s seat next to her. She could see the look of natural concern that was in his eyes and Shane managed to muster up a lopsided smile for him.

?Yeah, I?ll be alright,? she answered, looking from him back to the door of the house. A multitude of different emotions were forming a confusing swamp in her stomach but Shane had always been the type to plow through anything, even if it had been something she had been for a long time avoiding. ?It?s just been years since I?ve seen the place. Or Ma.? She was right back to nibbling that lower lip.

After parking in the small driveway behind the ancient beat-up Cadillac her mother still drove, the couple started stepping out of the car. Not soon after the door to the house opened and Josie emerged, wearing a smile bright as day. ?Shane! Is that you?? That horrendous accent was like a blast from the past, unchanged just as much as her mother was with even years of smoking having not been able to dull the mid-western cadence even a hint. The forty-something year old woman, still very attractive for her age, came down the steps in a flurry and was already making her way toward the two, her arms opening up for her daughter as she made a beeline for her. ?Lord have mercy, you haven?t changed a bit! Just look at you! Pretty as a bee!? Yep, her mom was still using those weird old terms that only she understood. ?And just look at those eyes!? Josie released Shane just as quickly as she had enveloped her, scooping her face up between both hands and tipping it up so that she could look at her. ?Oh, what your father wouldn?t give to know that you had those.? As usual, there was a hint of sarcastic resentment in her mother?s voice at the mention of her father. ?And you must be Bradley,? Josie said, finally acknowledging the other person present. She turned to face him as she wrapped an arm around Shane?s shoulders, tugging her daughter a bit too close and using a tone that just didn?t sit quite right with Shane.

?Ah, yes, ma?am. Bradley Kaiser. Pleased to meet you.? Bradley had come around the front of the car and was now extending a hand out to Josie. He was good enough to not even send Shane a wary glance, something she was sure he desperately wanted to do. Whether or not Bradley could feel it, Shane almost shivered at the awkwardness in the air.

?The pleasure?s all mine, I?m sure,? Josie replied, taking Bradley?s hand and giving it an almost delicate shake, her smile still plastered on her face with years of waitressing experience and a lifetime of lying.

---

The next few hours went by like molasses for Shane even though her mother was doing everything that a mother who had just seen her daughter for the first time in over five years, and who had just for the first time met her new son-in-law, would. There was coffee and cookies waiting for them inside and the entire trailer probably had never been cleaner, the smell of cleaner still fresh in the air.

There was just something off about the whole thing. Josie was being polite enough and even friendly, sometimes a bit too much for her daughter?s taste, and whereas most anyone else would probably see this as nothing out of the norm, Shane could barely keep herself from squirming beneath the weight of the fa?ade, it was like a dense fog that only she could see. So when Bradley offered to go out and do the menial task of taking out the trash, Shane finally got the chance to breathe, and to face her mother.

?So,? Josie began, her hands submerged in the soapy water of the kitchen sink, scrubbing at a dish. Shane had just finished bringing the trio of mugs in from the living room and placed them on the counter, taking a lean next to them as she turned to study her mother. ?He?s not that bad of a looker, is he?? The blue of Josie?s eyes was almost accusing as she peered over at her petite daughter.

?No,? Shane stated. ?He?s not.? She watched her mother carefully, knowing full well that she wasn?t nice enough not to say something about Bradley?s scar.

?You hadn?t mentioned his face.? And there is was. Shane scowled and her mother smirked. ?Little bit older than I thought he would be.? The dish clanked against another as Josie placed it on the rack to dry.

?He?s a bit older than me, yes. But he?s a good man. Got a good head on his shoulders and a more than decent heart.? Shane wasn?t quite sure where this conversation was going but she really did not like it.

?So he?s not just looking to have a trophy wife then, is he?? More of a statement than an actual question and Josie was back to watching her own hands in the water.

?No, Mama,? Shane replied, closing her eyes as she raised a hand to rub at a sudden tension spot at the center of her forehead. ?He?s not just lookin? for a trophy wife out of me.? After a moment or two of silence, save for the occasional clink of dishware, Shane lowered her hand and crossed her arms under her chest, looking straight at her mother. ?Mama, I think I?m pregnant.?

Now she couldn?t quite tell why she decided to say this, let alone to her mother in the first place, but there it was. Josie, the mother who had practically left her to raise herself and who she just walked away from the instant she was legally able to, was the first person that Shane had told that she thought she was going to have a baby. ?So that?s the real reason you married him.? And that was the terrible reaction she got for it.

Anger was the first emotion to come swarming to the surface, followed quickly by dismay and mortification. But before anything born from any of those feelings could come pouring out of her mouth, it was the instinct to defend her husband that gave her words fire. ?No, that?s not the reason I married him.? Were she a creature of the feline race, that surely would have been a growl. ?I married him because he?s a good man, because we?re attracted to each other, because he cares for me, and I lo-,? A pause, a bite of the tongue, lips pursing as that word was caught just in time. But Josie?s doubtful, almost pitying gaze had the truth snapping from her. ?And I love him.?

?Love him?? Josie scoffed. ?You barely knew the man before you were off getting hitched! How could you love a person that you hardly even know?? Her hands were withdrawn from the draining sink, taking a nearby towel and beginning to dry her hands as she turned to face her daughter.

?That?s not the way of it at all!? Shane?s temper was beginning to rise but she somehow managed to keep herself and her frustration constrained. ?Yeah, sure, our weddin? wasn?t the most formal of things, but we got married and decided to stick it out, so that?s that.?

?Just admit it, Shane,? Josie said, tossing the damp towel aside and folding her arms, much like Shane, leaning a hip against the counter as she gave her daughter a certain look. ?You were being smarter than I was and got your baby?s daddy hooked before he could run off like your?s did.?

?How dare you?? That was it, the last straw to break the camel?s back. Shane pushed herself onto her feet, fists lowered to her sides in pure anger as she shot her mother daggers with her eyes. ?That?s not why we got married. He doesn?t even know that I?m pregnant!? There was a flush that overcame her then as if all of the heat from the argument was drained in one fell swoop, leaving the skin on her face and neck feeling thin and balmy. A lightheadedness came up to replace it but even so she could hear her mother?s characteristic snort.

?He doesn?t even know you?re pregnant? Well that?s a sure way to get rid of him quick.? Shane must have given her a quizzical look because Josie rolled her eyes and explained. ?You think a man like that, at his age, is going to want a fresh wife and a newborn baby around? Honestly, Shane,? Her mother tsked. ?You?d think you would have learned better.?

?To hell with your learning,? Shane spat, standing there staring at her mother with something much more than disdain. ?And to hell with you.? She turned on a heel and left, making way straight through the living room and bursting through the front door. She didn?t even notice that she had started walking down the sidewalk before she heard heavy footfalls behind her but she didn?t stop moving until she felt the hand on her arm.

?Hey, wait up.? Bradley had come up behind her and was gently coaxing her to stop. Shane didn?t need much convincing and turned toward him, a hand coming up to rake back through her mess of blonde, atlas eyes almost frightening since the threat of tears made their color that much more intense. It took only a moment for Bradley to figure out that something was very, very wrong. ?What happened, honey? You alright??

?Yeah, I?m okay,? Shane sniffed, a stiff attempt at holding back the hovering tears. ?It?s just my mom. She?s such a? She just hasn?t changed at all since I left. Makes me wonder why I thought comin? back was a such good idea.? A small frown creased her lips and she shook her head. She could feel her throat tightening, the threat of a choking sob becoming a very real thing.

?Hey, don?t worry about it,? Bradley said soothingly, taking her by her arms and bringing her toward him so that he could dip his head and place a kiss to the top of her head. ?It?s not like you knew she?d be like this,? he murmured into the softness of her hair. ?It?s not your fault.? Both hands comfortingly rubbed her upper arms as he felt his wife give a small nod beneath the placement of his mouth and it was only then that he let himself remember the other part of what had been said back in the house.

?So,? he started, giving her head another quick kiss before pushing her away so that he could look down at her. He could barely keep himself from grinning. ?We?re going to have a baby?? Shane looked up almost meekly, giving yet another small nod, this one accompanied by the hinting of a nervous smile. ?Really? I?m going to be a daddy again?? This time Shane couldn?t keep the smile from spilling forth across her lips as she nodded, reigniting the light that Bradley so adored about her. ?Oh, honey!? With that he wrapped her in his arms and picked her up, swinging her around in a circle as both of their laughs erupted. ?You?re sure? We're having a baby?? He asked her again as if he couldn?t be sure enough, both of his hands coming to cradle her face as they beamed at one another.

?Yes. I?m sure.? Shane?s smile was wide as ever, her arms still wrapped around his neck. ?You?re goin? to be a daddy.? Bradley?s kiss was so full and loving, it sapped the breath right out of her.

?Alright,? he said, giving her another quick kiss. ?Go wait in the car. I?m going to go have a quick talk with your mom.? That got a funny look from Shane but Bradley didn?t give her the time to argue. He steered her toward the truck, opening the passenger side door and tucking her inside before making his way back toward the house.

---

Bradley was pissed. What he wanted more than anything at the moment was to celebrate with his wife, but he couldn't let Josie's behavior go unchecked. The screen door creaked as he pulled it open and banged shut behind him once he'd stepped inside. "Josie?" He called out, glancing around. Hopefully before he found her he could get his anger under control.

"In here," Josie called out unceremoniously from the kitchen. She hadn't bothered following her daughter (she could see everything clearly from the kitchen window anyway) and was now busying herself putting some of the dry dishes away, something told to Bradley by the clinking of plates.

Following the sound of the dishes, Brad had been moving in that direction already when Josie had answered him. Her back was to him, but the floor creaked as he stepped into the kitchen. Words failed him as he stood there, arms crossed, leaning against the wall. While the anger continued to build inside him, Bradley grit his teeth in silence for several minutes. Josie finished putting the dishes away, but refused to turn around. Bradley exhaled slowly through his nose. "Shane loves you and I don't understand why you try to push her away.

"Push her away?" Josie snorted, shutting the cabinet door with a little more force than was needed. She was drying her hands on a dish towel again but she tossed it aside when she turned, taking up a similar position she had before when talking with her daughter, one hip meeting the counter edge while arms crossed beneath her chest. She had a much fuller body than our little Shane. "You think I pushed her away? Who do you think was the one that walked out on this family, hm?" Her eyes flicked, up then down, taking Bradley in again in one quick glance. "That was something else she got from her father. Not me."

"Now I don't think very much of a man who'd walk out on his family, so I don't even want to talk about Shane's daddy. But have you ever asked yourself why Shane would have wanted to leave?" Bradley pushed away from the wall, but left his arms crossed like Josie's. The muscle in his jaw twitched, pain radiating from his injury because of how hard he was clenching his teeth. "She only wants your approval. Shane was so nervous to tell you she got married because she thought you'd be disappointed in her."

There was another judgmental sweep of her gaze. "You have no idea my relationship with my daughter." Josie gave another snort and turned away from him, the act much more than a little bit dismissive. "And believe me, I have much more to be disappointed in than just her getting herself hitched." There was the sound of plastic attaching to itself as she wrapped a plate half full with cookies. "Hell, at least she was smart enough to get herself married instead of just getting knocked up." She looked up at the window, seeing the faint outline of his figure behind her. "That is, if you're still planning on keeping her."

"Hey," he said, throwing his hands up, palms facing out. "I'm just looking from the outside in." Brows furrowed when Josie turned her back on him and anger boiled up once more. "Of course I plan on staying with her. Not all men are disgusting bastards. Shane is a brilliant, successful woman. And it's a shame you can't see that, Josie."

"No," Josie started, tossing the plate off to the side and letting it clank loudly on the counter. She turned back to facing him now, one hand planted firmly on a hip. "She's an ignorant brat who doesn't care for anything more than herself. Arrogant and full of herself, thinking she's better than half the world. It's amazing you haven't seen that part of her yet." There was that sweeping gaze again but this time there was something else in those eyes, something speaking of distaste. Or was it actual disgust? "Better be careful. Who knows what kind of mother she'll be." That word was practically spat out as if it were poison. It was hard to tell if Josie was saying this as if she knew he knew about the baby or if she was trying to hint at the fact. Either way, it obviously wasn't meant to be very nice.

"No," he snapped, voice deepening and growing louder. "No, Josie, you're wrong. Shane wanting something more out of her life, wanting to better than you doesn't not equal arrogance or ignorance." He jabbed a finger at her, unable to hide his feelings any longer. "I don't ever want to hear you talk about my wife that way again. And if you'd like to be a part of this family, you'll apologize to her.?

Her finely plucked eyebrows arched as Bradley pointed that finger her way but otherwise she didn't move an inch. "Apologize?" Another quiet snort, another dismissive glance. "You must be joking." Her eyes narrowed now, her own voice taking on a venomous tint. "You go on and enjoy your little 'family', Bradley. See how wonderful of a life you'll have dealing with her." A glance out of a side window toward the car, to the petite blonde sitting, waiting in the passenger seat, then back to him. Years of resentment, anger, and, yes, even hurt wallowed in those eyes. But nothing showed more than the wretched truth of self-induced misery. "She's all yours."

This wasn't the way the day was supposed to have gone. Bradley said nothing to Josie when she went quiet. After watching her stare out the window, Bradley sighed softly and went into the living room to collect their things. He reappeared a couple minutes later with both their jackets and Shane's purse in hand. "It doesn't have to be this way." He moved for the door, one hand settling on the doorknob. "One day you'll regret the fact that selfish pride has kept you from being a part of your grandchild's life." Bradley pushed the door open and shook his head. Josie didn't matter anymore to him at this point. Now his mind was on what to tell Shane and wondering if she'd forgive him for this. "Goodbye, Josie. Our door is always open."

((Partly adapted from Live Play. A special thank you to the player of Bradley Kaiser for being such an amazing partner!!))