My Story: The Winchester House [Completed]

31: Family Feud

I walked into Mrs. Winchester's bedroom for the morning with her morning tea, and she was standing next to the window. I placed the tea on the table near her before pouring her a cup of tea. I gave her the cup which she took silently.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Mrs. Winchester?" I asked as I stepped back and folded my hands.

"Sweep up the salt," she said, and I nodded as I started to walk to the door. It was finally 1908. "Please send Max into here." I looked at her and took a deep breath.

"Yes, Mrs. Winchester," I said, before walking out the room. I started the search to find my husband.

"My mother lets me take Syren and drop her off then go to practice!" Luke yelled.

"You are a child. You can't be responsible for your sister," Connor said as I turned the corner. Luke and Syren had their equipment but Connor wasn't letting them pass.

"What is going on?" I asked as I put my hands on my children's shoulders.

"Uncle Connor won't let Luke take me to practice," Syren explained, "He's being a meanie right now." I looked at my brother then pushed my children pass him.

"Now run along to practice. Next time someone tries to stop you two, come get me or go get your father," I told them as I gave them kisses on the head. They ran off and I looked at my brother.

"Luke is not responsible enough to take care of his sister," Connor said, and I just put my hand up.

"Connor, that is not your place to say what Luke is ready for and what he isn't ready for. Max and I trust him," I stated.

"You trust a child to take a taxi with his sister to the ice skating ring then take a trolley to San Fransisco to the baseball field? Are you aware of what happens in the city?" he asked me.

"Yes, I trust my son, and you know that I am aware what happens in the city, but if we are to be afraid of everything except what we are certain of, how can we change?" I asked. Connor put his hands on my shoulders, and shook his head.

"What is it with you and change? You were perfectly fine at home. Instead, you wanted to work here," he told me. I push his hands off of my shoulders.

"You came to work here too."

"Father wanted someone to take care of you," he shared.

"Mrs. Winchester was taking care of me. Luke was taking care of me before the accident. Besides, change is good. If it wasn't, we wouldn't be here," I told him, and he looked away from me.

"What's the next big change you want? Your children to be professional athletes?" he asked.

"If they so please to pursue being professional athletes when they are older, then who am I to stop them?" I posed, and he ran a hand through his hair.

"Their mother. You should know what is best for them, and you can change what they think about. Samantha, I'm only say this because I want you to have a family name you are proud of. You aren't a Smith anymore. Your children is your reputation now," he said, and I stood up straight.

"Thank you for your opinion, Connor, however, my husband and I are raising our own family, and you are raising your own with Madalynn. Please remain focused on your family, not my family," I stated.

"Samantha, you are part of my family," he said. I took a deep breath.

"Then respect my decisions with my family. I trust my son and daughter to what is right for them, and I trust my son to take care of his little sister, the same way you and Brenton did for me," I said, "He still has Smith blood in him." Connor shook his head.

"I will not support that type of life for them."

~*~

Madalynn and I were sweeping the salt up by the closed off area of the house, and the uneasy silence made it hard to do our job right. No doubt Connor told her about our discussion for lack of a better word, just as I told Max.

"Samantha, that is Connor's opinions which have no hold over my opinions," Madalynn suddenly said, and I looked at her.

"I am aware that my brother chooses to have his own opinion on items that are not his concern," I told her as I bent over to pick up the dust pan full of salt.

"I've been trying to tell him that he can not put his opinions on things that were not involving him to begin with. Our family life is about all he has an opinion on," she stated as I dumped the salt into the the waste basket.

"Connor doesn't always understand when he should stay quiet. He hasn't since we were just babes at home. He would trying telling our parents how to raise us, and every time, Father smacked him for the unwanted opinion," I stated as I thought about when we were children.

"He is an adult. He should know better," she said, and I nodded. "How are your children performing?"

"Syren and Luke are both succeeding in their respected sports," I told her, and she nodded.

"I want to get Adalynn into figure skating, but she is like her father, and she refuses to try something new," she told me, and I nodded as I started sweeping again.

"I didn't force the children to do anything. They picked their own sports," I told her, and she nodded as she processed the information.

We worked silent as we finished sweeping.