Twist of Fate

Welcome to Laurel: Part 2

After Stewart left, Renee and Helen went into the kitchen, while Zoe and Johnny stayed in the living room and watched television. Helen looked serious as she poured coffee for Renee and herself.

"Do you know when Marla will be back?" Renee asked her as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"You never can tell," Helen said as she poured Renee a cup of coffee. "There have been times when she hasn't come home until the next morning."

"Do you have the number to the clinic," Renee asked as she sipped the hot coffee.

"It's on the board," Helen said, pointing to the small pegboard by the phone. She walked over and saw a piece of paper that had the words written on it, South Side Emergency Clinic.

She dialed the number and waited for an answer. "South Side Emergency Clinic, Rhonda speaking. May I help you?" said the voice of a young woman.

"Yes, I would like to speak to Doctor Mandrake," Renee said. "Tell her that it's her sister Renee."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but Doctor Mandrake hasn't been here tonight," the woman said, which didn't sound right. If it was one thing that Marla was, it was dependable.

"Could she be at the hospital?" Renee asked. Helen heard her part of the conversation, and she too looked worried.

"No, ma'am, I called there fifteen minutes ago, and the head nurse said that she had left," Rhonda said which confused Renee even more.

"Oh, alright... please, have her call if she shows up," Renee said, and she looked even more worried and somewhat frightened.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" Helen asked.

"There could be," Renee said and ran in her mind all the places her sister could have been. "Don't worry about it."

"What are you planning?" Helen asked, now sounding more like a scolding mother.

"Does Marla still have that little red sports car?" Renee asked with a look of mischief about her face. She only had the chance to drive that car once and almost got into an accident, and since then Marla never let her or anyone else drive it, not even herself.

"It's in the garage," Helen said, and looked like she regretted saying it.

"Where's the keys?" Renee asked but Helen stopped talking. "Hel, now you tell me where those keys are or I'll just have to hotwire it."

"The wall safe in your sister's bedroom, but I don't know the code."

"I do," Renee said and walked over to the back stairs. Helen chased after her, looking like she was trying to stop her, but once Renee had an idea in her head, there was no stopping her. "Thanks, Helen. You're a doll." She gave the older woman a kiss on the cheek and ran up the stairs. She raced down the hall, until she reached her sister's bedroom.

As she walked into the freshly painted plain white door, she noticed that Marla still had the flowery wallpaper that she loathed. It looked like a room in a bad bed and breakfast establishment. Not only was the wallpaper flowery, but so was the quilt that lay on her bed. She had to shake her head at her sister's taste, which was the opposite of hers. She preferred animal prints, fur rugs and dark tones opposed to light pastel colors that made Renee want to vomit.

Even her sister's white dresser set had flowers on it, and the room was immaculate with not one trace of dust anywhere.

She walked to the far side of the room to the portrait hanging on the wall. It was one of her and her sister as teenagers when no one could tell them apart. She cringed at the picture, seeing them wearing identical outfits that their mother insisted upon.

Renee went out of her way to not be like Marla. Her sister, the older twin by twelve minutes, was the one who was the perfect angel. She got perfect grades, never got in trouble and always did everything their parents wanted her to. Renee, on the other hand, was a rebel. She even got pregnant at sixteen after running away from home.

She had been gone a year before returning and no one in her family ever knew about Zoe. Looking back, she wished she would have handled it differently and kept her. She never regretted having her, and getting her back two years ago was the best gift she ever got.

Her life was good now. She and Marla finally had the relationship they always wanted, and they both had children they loved. Life was good, and she felt that it would only get better.

She removed the portrait to reveal the safe and punched in the code. The door popped open, and she rifled through the small metal box until she found the keys. She closed it back up and returned the picture to its rightful place on the wall and left the room.

She came bolting down the stairs just as Zoe looked up. "Mom, where are you going?" she asked as her mother's hand grabbed the doorknob to the front door.

"Just out for a little while," she said as Zoe walked up to her. "Stay here with your cousin, and I'll be back later."

"Sure, mom," Zoe said but looked nervous.

Renee ran out to the garage and got into her sister's red convertible and pulled out of the driveway. Zoe watched from the window staring out into the dark street, until she could no longer see the car her mother was driving any longer.

To Be Continued...

This was a little tidbit on Renee and Marla relationship. More hints to their upbringing will be coming up later in the story.