Anabelle

chapter five

      Anabelle lagged behind while the rest of her family hovered at the door waiting for her mother who went outside to see the McAllisters off to their car. She was pretty sure her mother was not done with her. Gracia soon walked in slamming the door behind her, her face contorted in a rage. Anabelle ascended the stairs quickly dreading the confrontation that was coming right now.
" Stop! Just where do you think you are going?! Did you honestly think I was finished with you?" Gracia yelled and stormed over to where Anabelle had stopped, she pulled Anabelle back in to the living room and flung her on one of the sofas in the room.
"What ever am I going to do with you Anabelle?"
" It was an accident."
" Don't you dare say that! How clumsy can you be? Don't you know you could ruin things for us all?" Gracia yelled away.
"I'm sorry mother." Anabelle replied timidly.
" It was as simple as ABC, sit straight and stay quiet. How hard can it be?"
" Gracia, that's enough." James said tired of it all. Gracia scowled at him, but decided to stop.
"It shouldn't repeat itself again." Gracia warned and Anabelle nodded gratefully. Gracia sniffed and left the room subsequently.
" All the more reason why you should never have come back Paleface." Imelda sneered and followed her mother. Anabelle bowed her head and let the tears fall. She heard rather than saw Genevieve leave with them. She felt a hand on her shoulder but her head stayed bowed.
" Don't listen to her." James said with urgency in his voice. Anabelle stood up abruptly.
"Good night, father."
"Good night" James said and watched Anabelle walk slowly out of his sight.
                 **********************
"Was that necessary?" James asked much later when he and his wife prepared for bed. Gracia didn't reply immediately. She sat by her dressing table in her pink night gown with lace trimmings and focused on mopping the water off her face.
"She needed to be cautioned." Gracia said self righteously.
"And the one, on the dinner table, in front of your precious guests wasn't enough?" James sneered.
" She would not make that mistake again, she would be more cautious." Gracia stated with confidence stopping her ablution.
" Do you listen to your self at all?!"
" Not tonight Jamie." Gracia warned.
" The girl barely came back, now you are going off your head with complaints!"
" I will not argue with you." Gracia deadpanned.
"Don't then, that doesn't make any difference. Just know this, if that dinner and whatever that you wanted out of it is ruined, it will be all you fault." James said coldly and turned away from her.
" So spilling red wine is now good manners?" Gracia asked getting up from her sit.
"You put you daughter down and let Imelda insult her!" James shouted.
"She made a mistake! Shouldn't I correct it?!" Gracia shouted back despite her earlier resolve not to argue.
" You are so blind, You can't even see your own mistake." James said with wonder in his voice.
" Oh! Go to sleep! You're the one who's off his head tonight!" Gracia yelled and stormed out of the room. Slamming the door behind her .