Never Be the Same

Part 23

Stella lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep; her brain was working in overdrive. She has a sister and brother; she has been working very closely with her sister for a month. That has her irritated more than anything. Everyone said they were sisters, cousins, or twins, separated at birth. She went along with them and laughed with them, not once actually thinking it was true. Tia laughed and joked about it too, knowing it was true. What kind of person does that? Why wasn't she just honest from the start? Yes, she would have denied it at first and requested a DNA test, even though they look a little similar in every way possible. She would still want to see proof in black and white. Her motto is to trust no one. She's going to demand a DNA test as soon as she sees Tia; it's the smart thing to do. She's no fool; she knows someone could be lying. 

And on top of that news, she has a brother, too. She wonders what he looks like—if he looks like Tia as much as Tia looks like her. She wondered what he did for a living if he was married and had kids. What his likes and dislikes were, if he had a close relationship with their mom, was he and Tia Bo's kids or some other man?

Tia had a little girl, which means she has her first niece, and her kids had their first cousin. That part she doesn't mind; that part makes her happy. She wondered if Tia and Timothy were her only siblings or if there were more. That thought overwhelmed her, leading her to the realization that she might have a lot more siblings than just two. She might have more nieces and nephews, and that thought made her head hurt. She slowly sat up, careful not to wake her husband. 

She ran her fingers through his hair. She felt bad that their night of lovemaking got ruined. She knew he understood; her head wasn't into making love after hearing she had siblings or was supposed to have them. He held her for the longest time after Violet and Carver left; he didn't give her advice about what to do; he didn't pressure her into talking about what she was feeling; he just held her. He knew that's what she wanted; she just wanted to feel safe and loved. She kissed the side of his head and got out of bed. 

It's three a.m., and she doesn't see sleep coming anytime soon; her mind is preoccupied with too much stuff right now to try and sleep. So she heads to Shay's room and tiptoes inside, smiling at her beautiful girl sleeping. She bends down, kisses her forehead, and caresses her cheek. She covers her up with her purple blanket and lays her stuff unicorn beside her. She then leaves her room quietly and heads to Benny's. She slowly walked inside and laughed at the way Benny was sleeping with his legs up in the air. She pulls his legs down and kisses his head. "My silly prince." She whispered as she touched his cheek. She watches him sleep for a minute and then covers him with his blue blanket. 

She walks downstairs smiling, knowing that her family is sleeping peacefully and that they are safe, which is a huge relief for her. She goes into the kitchen and turns on the light. She is wide awake and just wants to occupy her mind. She went to the laundry room and noticed there were no dirty clothes. She sighed. Kelly has pretty much taken over the household chores since he's been on medical leave. Not that she's complaining; she just wants something to do. She walks back into the kitchen and checks the dishwasher. Thankfully, there were dishes that needed to be put away, so that's what she did. As she was putting the dishes away, she decided to rearrange the cabinets. After that, she went to the food pantry and organized it. She waxed the kitchen floor and the dining room floor. She even washed the windows in the dining room and kitchen. 

"What are you doing?" 

She turns around to see her husband standing there, half asleep. "Doing some cleaning."

"At a quarter to six in the morning?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I figured I would clean a little."

Kelly walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You want to talk about what brought on this sudden need to clean."