Twisted Fate

A Twisted Beginning

It shouldn't have happened like this. It shouldn't have happened at all. By some twisted fate, it happened.

We were walking along the street downtown, my sister and I were chatting about our usual family drama, when she ended up running into a brick wall. Not literally, but a giant man that acts like a brick wall. She ends up on her ass, and I'm laughing at her while I help her up.

This is classic Ari, very clumsy, very spacey. We always laugh at each other while helping each other up; it's just our way of dealing. It was pretty sobering for me when the giant brick wall decided to be a douche and start yelling.

"Watch where you are going, you little s***!" He basically growls. I've never turned towards anyone so fast in my life.

"Excuse me?" My eyes narrowed as I got close to him. "Who do you think you are?" I asked. Ari grabs my arm, pulling me back.

"Ash. Don't." I pull my arm away from her and stalk right up to him, poking him in the chest with my finger.

"You are equally at fault here, you brick wall! You could have watched where you were going, but you didn't! And you aren't even hurt, so what are you b******* about? She's the one on the ground and could have broken her ankle or wrist." My anger is boiling over now, and I don't hold back.

"You didn't even stop to ask if she was okay. What kind of human being does that? You're nothing but a f****** t**t. Acting all big and bad, nah. You are nothing but a little b****." He continues to stare down at me, his eyes narrowed. Ari continues to grab me and move me down the sidewalk, away from them. "Don't worry, I know a great dentist once I break your f****** teeth!" I yell as my final insult as Ari finally manages to drag me away.

"D***, Ashley, you can't be doing s*** like that. He could have snapped you in half." I glance over at her and scoff,

"Men like him are nothing but p*****, Ari. All talk, no bite." She stops and stares at me before laughing so hard she's crying. I huff a little and then smile.

"You should have seen his face, Ash. I think he was more confused than anything. His friends were trying not to laugh." I shrugged and led her towards a*****e we wanted to go to.

"Whatever, they were d**** anyway. Now, enough of them. I've been wanting to go into this store." She giggles before following me inside. We walk throughout the store and peruse their items. Ari ends up buying a white romper with light pink flowers, very her style. It's not fair that she has beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes. She looks good in anything.

I got the weird red hair and brown eyes, no one else in my family has. Thinking about the renovations for my bathroom, I avoid buying anything.

We leave this store and head towards my car, done for the day. I drop her off at her apartment, which is just down the road from my house.

"Are you going to Mom's tomorrow for lunch?" I ask her before she leaves, and she flinches.

"I'm not sure yet. Jarold has been in a mood." I roll my eyes, disgust for him boiling up in my stomach.

"Of course he is. Well, just let me know." She nods, mumbling to me about texting me later. I huff and make the drive to my house.

I was able to buy it last year. It's small, old, and needs a lot of work, but it's mine. Unlocking the door, I open it to find my kitten running up to me, meowing. Penelope, whom I ended up getting for free from my mom's coworker a few months ago, is a talker and a fighter.

Putting away my keys and taking off my shoes, I follow her to her space and fill up her food bowl. These are the days I love, spending them with my sister and coming home to my kitten and doing nothing. Tomorrow I don't have anything to do but go to my parents' house for lunch. They live about thirty minutes away in a smaller town. We go out once a week to see them.

_____

The morning came quickly, and I was only slightly annoyed by it. I don't mind mornings, but I prefer mornings when I can wake up and stay in bed for a little longer. I don't even have to sleep, but being all warm and snugly in bed is the best way to start mornings.

Unfortunately, I never wake up early enough for that, and if I need to get somewhere like work or my mom's house, then I have to get up right away, or I won't get up at all. With a sad huff, I get out of bed and get ready for the day. Saying a quick goodbye to Pen, I hurry out the door, locking it up before making the drive to my parents' house.

Once I got there, I opened the door expecting a bunch of dogs to start running towards me. This time it's nothing but silence.

"Mom?" I ask out, tossing my keys on their kitchen counter.

"Out back!" I heard my dad yell out from his office. I go through to the back yard and find my mom chasing the chickens around, trying to get them back in the fenced-off part of the yard. The dogs are having a blast with them. I laugh and call for the dogs, who come running towards me. My parents have a mini-farm, four dogs, six chickens, a huge vegetable garden, fruit trees, and honey bees. It's a headache to deal with, but my mom loves keeping busy.

"Ah, Ash, you're here!" She says, looking over at me for a brief moment. I nod before guiding the dogs back inside and closing the door, leaving her to deal with the chickens.

My dad comes out of the office and pulls me into a side hug, "Hey kiddo," He says before letting me go, "How are you doing?"

I smile at him, following him to the kitchen, "Doing well, how's it going here?" He huffs out a laugh and pulls out a few dishes in the dishwasher, starting to unload it.

"Oh, good, you know your mom, she wants to start making sourdough bread, so I've had to go buy all those things." I smile, nodding, that sounded like mom. She always wants to be doing something.

"Ash, I was gonna tell you. I'm gonna start making sourdough bread!" Mom shouts, coming into the kitchen.

"Yeah, Dad was just telling me about it. What made you want to start doing that?" I ask, sitting on the stool by their counter.

"Saw a video online and thought I could do that too!" I nod, thinking if anyone could, it would be her. "Have you heard from your sister? Is she coming today?" I shake my head.

"No, but she said yesterday that Jer Bear has been in a bad mood, so they might not." My mom rolls her eyes and goes out to the garage. My dad laughs and leans against the counter.

"I had asked him to come hang out at the house the other day on his day off to sign for a package for me. He said no." I look at him for a minute.

"He said no?" My dad nods, a look in his eyes.

"Yup,"

"Why? It's not like he was doing anything? He only works four days a week." Dad just shrugs, rolling his eyes.

"I'm sure it's just because he wants his day off."

"It's not like we asked him to run a marathon." Dad just grunts. I shake my head, if there's one thing I can't stand about my brother in law is his lack of family orientation. He never wants to help out and has constantly told us that he doesn't view my parents as his parents.

After everything we've done for them, my sister and brother in law, you'd think he'd be more willing to help us.

Ignoring my sister and her husband not being here, me and my parents have a great lunch. We eat pasta, talk about work and school, and joke until late into the afternoon.

It being a Sunday, I head back home to get ready for the work week ahead.