Stranger with the Stars

The Breaking

Every week day, I made a routine to avoid contact with Cheryl. There was nothing I wanted more than to make my father's life easier. Each day I'd go to work, come home, then lock myself in my room until dinner needed to be made. I was lucky that my bedroom had a bathroom attached, otherwise that would have made this more of a hassle. On the weekends and about twice a week, I'd go to Uncle Eren's. I did my best to limit the amount of time Cheryl could see me or speak to me. Four years of bullshit. Her schedule rarely changed. It wasn't had to figure out where she'd be at any given moment.

She was a*****e manager at a local retailer. Thankfully, due to how large the chain was, they could move her store to store. She had no say in the matter, so some months she'd be at one down the road from the house, but for the last year, she had been placed at a*****e that was about a 45 minute commute south. The best part was she worked hours that put her directly into the commute times with the heaviest traffic. At one point, she tried to convince Uncle Eren that he needed an office manager and that she'd be perfect. He shot that idea down so fast that you would have thought he shot her. She still hasn't let it go.

However, today was different. Today I had the day off from work to take Sparky to the vet for a checkup. The vet was usually empty on Monday's and sparky was getting older. My father knew I was doing it today, Cheryl did not. She called off work saying that she was taking a mental health day. The truth was she wanted to get her nails and hair done, then have lunch with her friends.

When she had come home from lunch, that's when she saw me in the backyard playing with Sparky. She stormed outside demanding I tell her why I was home several hours before I was supposed to be. I let her know that Sparky had gone to the vet that morning and that I had taken the whole day as a precaution. There went my peaceful day of being alone.

When she turned and stormed her way back inside, I had a bad feeling. I put out some drive through cheeseburgers in a bowl for Sparky as a treat for being so good during his check-up. I pulled my suitcases out of the shed in the back. They had been tucked away in one of the cabinets so that they wouldn't get dirty from any projects going on at the time.

It was really only a duffel bag and 2 suitcases of a good large size. I knew I had some backpacks under my bed, I could always go to the store or lurk behind a grocery store for boxes if I really needed it. I lugged them all inside after checking to see where Cheryl was in the house. I grabbed a few big black solid trash bags to help get rid of things I didn't use or want anymore. Her car was gone, I could only assume she went out to go shopping. That was the only thing that would calm her down. Spending money.

Once in my room I locked the door and make sure the blinds and curtains were pulls shut.

My plan was to start packing away things I wasn't using daily. I would start looking into places to move in a few weeks. It wouldn't hurt to pack up the suitcases and hide them in the closet. It would make moving out later easier and it would give me something to do for the rest of the day. My room wasn't very large. It consisted of a sliding door closet that was about 4 feet in length. It only contained the approved clothing. Almost all of it was immediately tossed in the black trash bags. I only kept maybe 2 skirts and three large cardigans out, I'd just reuse them until I could be on my own. They were the only ones I liked. One cardigan was black with silver sparkles throughout the fabric, that one was my favorite and almost daily user. One pencil skirt was black while the other was grey. These were fine for now, work didn't require anything extravagant. I'd rather be back in my t-shirts and jeans.

My room would probably take the day. Just going through and taking out objects from the dressers and TV stand. Putting unused towels into bags. The bag with the unwanted clothing was banished to the corner of the room. It wasn't going to make it very far on the day of reckoning.

----

I had started packing up my room around 11 in the morning. By the time I finished, it was about 6 o'clock. I had better get started on dinner if I wanted it to be done by the time Dad got home from work. I heard Cheryl come home not too long ago. It sounded like her shopping didn't go as planned as I didn't hear any plastic crinkling of bags. She was on the phone talking to someone about how she never gets time alone, as if she knows the meaning of having time alone.

My room somewhat looked the same. I hadn't taken down the framed posters or photos off the walls, my Christmas lights still pinned towards the ceiling and my nightstand still held my chargers and laptop. I had gone through my closet and pulled almost everything out and packed it. I left only two sets of towels to use in the bathroom so that I could switch between washes. My closet was now filled with bags and the suitcases. The fragile items I kept on the dresser were wrapped in sheets in the suitcases. My video games and gaming system were wrapped up in towels in the smaller suitcase. The drawers and cabinets were cleaned out in the bathroom.

All that stayed out were the clothes in my dressed, the few work clothing pieces, a pair of flats, a pair of sneakers, my bedding, the art on the walls, the medicine cabinet, and my TV. The left over items could be easily packed, but I'm in no rush at the moment. The way it's done makes it look like the room barely changed. I did however leave the bag of fugly clothing in the corner. I made sure to tie it shut so that no one with prying eyes could open it easily.

Dinner was going to be simple. There was a frozen lasagna left in the freezer. It would fill us up for tonight and still have enough left over to pack in Dad's lunchbox for tomorrow.

I went out to the kitchen making sure I could hear her in her bedroom still on the phone. I didn't want to be interrogated about what I did all day while she was out. If she asks, I might just tell her I played video games the entire time. I'd get a speech about how it was bad for me and how it wouldn't help me be any more attractive to the male population. I loved gaming, today just wasn't filled with much of it.

I had brought my blue tooth speaker with me into the kitchen so I could put on some music while cleaning. I figured the lasagna would take a good 45 minutes, and my Dad would be home in about an hour. There were dishes in the sink and trash that needed to go out.

I started with taking the trash out, then moved on to doing dishes. We had a dishwasher, but it was never used. We've just always done it by hand. It makes sure that each dish has been thoroughly cleaned. It's also quite therapeutic. Cheryl snaked her way into the kitchen, leaning against the island in the middle. I could feel her staring at the back of my head. My music wasn't loud or inappropriate, the same went for the gray sweatpants and over sized long sleeve shirt I was wearing. The lasagna still had time, including the green beans I had placed in a separate dish to bake for the last 20 minutes.

"You know, we have a dishwasher." There it is.

"Yes." I wanted to keep this conversation short and to the point. I didn't have a single f**k to give.

"You don't have to be Cinderella. Use it." Not a suggestion, she was now giving commands.

"No thank you."

"Do you not even know how to use it? It's not hard. Well, it might be for you.." Jab number one.

I took a deep breath while drying off the last of the dishes. There wasn't many, making the conversation easy to cut off.

"No point in using it because the dishes are already done. Did you need something or not?" I turned around drying the bowl with a towel. I returned the glare that she continued.

"Is dinner done yet?" She quipped.

"Lemme check." I stated. I didn't even turn my head or blind with the follow up seconds later, "Nope."

"You didn't even bother to look."

"Would you look at that, I sure didn't." I gave a fake smile and turned back to the sink. I placed the final dry dish into the cabinet. using the rag, I began to wipe down the counters.

She continued to lean on the island. Her head in her hand with one finger tapping the counter. I could tell she was looking for another insult. Her eyes kept searching the kitchen for any mess, any object out of place.

"Don't forget to set the table. Not all of us are savages you know." I paused. She was eyeing me up and down with a little smile starting to come through. Jab #2 had landed. She was looking for a fight today. The feeling from the morning came back. I had no intention of slipping up or saying something that could come back to bite me in the ass.

I decided tonight we were going to have lasagna with garlic green beans. Everyone could serve themselves. I promised myself that after dinner I would call my uncle and ask to come over tomorrow after work. I'd have to make sure to call Fleur at some point and let her know that I'm starting to plan to move out.

Cheryl never moved from the island. Continuously watching me pull out the plates and put them down. Watching me pull out a Powerade from the pantry. When I went to grab ice for my cup, she cleared her throat as if telling me that she needed a glass of ice as well. I pretended I didn't hear it.

I did hear the door start to jiggle. Dad's finally home!

At the same time the front door began to open, the oven timer went off. I'll say hello to him in a minute. Cheryl of course, offered no help to pull out dinner. She still hadn't moved an inch.

She knows.

"So Ellie, I've been meaning to ask you-"

"I'm home!" Thank you for stopping the conversation Dad. I owe you.

"Hi Dad!" I yelled from in the kitchen. I was working on pulling out the green beans and setting them on the stove with the lasagna. They looked and smelled wonderful.

"Hi honey, anyways. As I was saying, Ellie I-"

"Just a hi honey? What a loving response!" Dad was by the door taking off his work vest. He saved me again. He smiled when she turned to roll her eyes at him.

He was tired but would never show it. His shirt and pants covered in dry dirt and sweat. His skin forever tan due to being outside in the sun all day. He had some dirt on his face and arms that were clearly visible from where I stood.

"Dad, go wash up before you eat! I don't wanna eat dinner with someone who might cause Discover Channel to bust through the door looking for big foot."

He huffed at me before making his way to the kitchen sink.

"What kind of dictatorship do I live with, huh?"

"The kind that doesn't want you eat your dinner with a side of dirt." I threw one of the pot holders at him. It hit his back with a gentle poof.

"I will eat my dirt how I please."

Cheryl loudly cleared her throat, obviously not happy with the conversation taking place without her.

"I didn't forget you honey, I'll come talk to you in a moment."

Cheryl just hummed in annoyance and stood up. She circled around the dining room table before taking a place at the side closest to the kitchen. She sat down crossing her arms.

"You know you have to come get your food, right?"

She huffed at my question. She shot a glare before continuing to pout in the same spot.

My dad clearly noticed but I urged him to only serve himself. If she wanted to eat, she'd come get it.

My father and I made out way to the table. Once we sat down, he started to talk about the new work site that he'd been sent to. It wasn't too far from the house, maybe 10 minutes by driving. He talked about his co-workers were jealous of the truck finally being completed. 

The F-350, rightfully named Borus, looked like an absolute monster of a truck. Lifted a solid foot or two, huge metal grill guards on the front and back. I had worked on re-doing the interior. It had lights tubed along the inside so that it glowed when the the right button was pressed. I made the lights to have the ability to turn on and off so that you wouldn't have to drive with them on in the day. The carpet was changed to a black, and the seat lining was turned into a smooth black leather fabric. The dash instruments were replaced with cleaner, newer versions. The radio had been switched out for a blue tooth one. A ham radio was installed below. He had put armor plates on the bottom and made sure any part that could be upgrade, was. I loved it and so did he. It took about 7 years of hard work. The only thing that needed to be done was the painting. He allowed me to pick it.

Bright sparkly orange. Turns out, you can get your vehicle covered in glitter, but per his request I kept it to a gentle glitter. Something that didn't scream, "Come on Barbie!" The added on armor and guards were a glossy black. The lights on top were the standard silver, but that was fine. We'd decided not to bother to pain them. It looked like something straight out of Hot Wheels.

Then he brought up Mom.

"So have you decided what you're going to do with what your mother left you?" he questioned. Cheryl genuinely looked surprised. I guess she was unaware of what had happened.

My father and I both got a call the previous week about my mother passing away. The lawyers told us it was a heart attack and that she had left a very large inheritance behind. Being an only child, it would all go to me. When she left, they said she met a man and married him immediately. Her new husband died the previous year, meaning I was the the only person left to inherit it. The husband had no children on his side.

 Per her will, the home she lived in was sold and all of her assets and belongings except for a few pieces of jewelry. Those were to be delivered within the next few days via the lawyer. He stated he would be in town today, and he was hoping to meet me. 

After Sparky's vet visit, I had met with the lawyer down at a rented office space for privacy. He handed over the jewelry and the funds were in my account within the hour. The jewelry was supposed to be from a grandmother I never knew. The bank even called to check on the sudden and extremely large increase.

My father and I discussed what to do with the inheritance. I felt it was only fair to give him half. He rejected the amount I wanted to give him, telling me that I should save that money to buy a home and go to college. After arguing for a good half an hour, he finally accepted part of the funds. He told me he was going to use for a gift to himself by paying off the rest of the mortgage on the home, then putting the remainder into savings. He said he would also get himself a gift, which was to be a surprise he'd show me later.

"Yeah, I think maybe... I'm going to use some of it to look into moving... out," I responded, shoving a fork full of food in my mouth immediately after. There had been a long pause following.

His first expression was shock. Then a warm smile.

"That's a great choice. I've been wondering when you planned on leaving. You know I've been looking at some apartments not too far from here." There she is. Can't go 10 minutes without her ruining a moment. Wants me gone, but close enough to watch over when wanted. 

"Well, there is no rush, you're always welcome to stay. You better not leave and forget to give me a house key." He started gesturing with his arms. I could hear the concern in his voice, but he also sounded proud. He knew I'd been unhappy with Cheryl around. He also knew that I wouldn't up and leave him without saying something.

"You can pick the design of the key if you want. I was going to get you hot pink with sparkles. Or this super cute set I found with rhinestones all over. How about one to match your truck?" I laughed.

"I wouldn't lose it, I'll tell you that much. That color is god-awful." He rolled his eyes and got up from the table. He grabbed my dish and headed for the sink. Dinner passed by in a flash.

"I got the dishes. You ladies sit tight. I wanna talk about you moving and how your day went with the vet." He yelled out.

I felt good. I was so worried he would have taken it the wrong way or that he'd be completely upset. I wasn't abandoning him, he knew that all too well. Suddenly, a loud slap hit the table. It of course, belonged to the chunky jewelry covered hand of Satan herself.

"So, what do you mean, what your mother left you, hmm?" Cheryl hissed out. There was the bad feeling. She had a twisted smile and sat straight up. She was the cat and I was the mouse. She had said it quite enough so my father wouldn't hear, but it was loud enough to echo in my mind over and over.

"It's not your business."

"Oh that's not true, I'm your mother. You're supposed to share. We are family after all, aren't we?" She was twisting a piece of her hair in her fingers. Each word dripping with false innocence. 

Don't stand down. You will not hide anymore.

The voice in the back of my head was right. I was tired of being walked over. Tired of being treated like an object or servant. I wasn't going to let her win this time.