SECRETS LEFT IN THE DARK

CHAPTER 1

December 25 1990

Christmas is a happy occasion, joyous and fun, a time meant to be spent with family and friends celebrating the love and happiness of life. It is the one day that you put your differences and grudges aside, a time when your troubles and tribulations do not exist. It is a time when one detoxes themselves from all unhappiness and heartache just that one day and instead fill yourself up with laughter and great delicious foods, desserts and fine wine that tickles your pellet.

twenty- eight year old Martin Mitchell and his in laws however seemed to be treading on 'hot coals' with each other on this auspicious day.

"Teddy your daughter has gone and done it again! Wade is only two weeks old! I thought she would change after she had a baby!" Martin Mitchell bellowed full of rage, he roughly put down his scotch glass on the mantle spilling some of the contents onto the cream Persian carpet which began to bleed in.

Mary stared in annoyance at the stain and began to sob both at the mess and at the fact that her daughter would never change and would always remain that hopeless demented woman. It was her fault that her daughter turned out to be the way she was if only she paid much more attention to Lauren when she was a little girl if only she saw that Lauren was joining that bad slutty girl Brenda, Martha Jones' daughter, that girl was practically Palm Ridges' bicycle. It was difficult though to keep such strict tabs on Lauren after Teddy's stroke which caused him to be paralysed from waist down, Mary was left alone to deal with finances for her family forcing her to work two jobs.

She clutched baby Wade her only darling grandson closer to her chest protectively, Don't worry, your stupid mother will be back for you soon, she said to herself as she rocked the baby in her grasp in a comforting manner.

Teddy wheeled himself to the nearby sitting room window and stared out at the soft white snow as it floated and lay like soft feathers being stacked on the ground and whitening everything so beautiful and pure, My Lauren was beautiful as the snow but if she were only as pure and soft hearted as it, Teddy thought bitterly.

Teddy and Mary loved and admired Martin Mitchell not only was he their wonderful son in law, he was a successful kind hearted spirit as well and who accepted their imperfect daughter as his wife. Martin fell in love with the damsel in distress thinking that with love she would change and become a better person however instead she just took advantage of Martin's good nature over and over again. They knew that he was too perfect for their daughter and deserved much better.

Martin yanked his scotch glass and drained it in his gut then slammed it down and looked at Teddy feeling a little giddy he was not sure whether it was from anger or the scotch having an affect, " Teddy. I respect you and Mary as if you were my own parents, I just cannot accept Lauren's emotional abuse anymore, she's twenty-two and still messed up in her mind, sometimes I think that she's insane."

"Insane? How do you mean Martin?" Mary asked perplexed even though she knew that Lauren could be delusional at times, what was the medical term that that psychologist used? Yes bi-polar.

Martin rubbed his eyes with his clammy palms he felt hot to the bone and felt suffocated in the small sitting room accompanied by Teddy and Mary. He looked at his in-law's expressions all agonized and just as helpless as he was they were just two old people hanging on the last strings of life which were being ruined by their deranged daughter.

Teddy sighed then said, "Martin, I'm so dearly sorry it's all our fault we should have warned you about Lauren we just wanted the best for her and thought that a fine gentleman like you would help her see reality. "

Martin shrugged, " Teddy, I thought I could. The first time that I laid eyes on Lauren I thought, my what a beautiful person this is, " Martin twisted his face in anguish and continued, " Until we tied the knot."

Baby Wade began to whimper then resulted into a fit of hysterical crying and Mary began to rock him with much more emphasis as she caressed his soft crimson cheek.

"Just look at that, the baby is miserable while she's gone out in the town partying with friends God knows where. " Martin said dramatically.

Martin stormed over to the telephone, punched a few buttons and placed the phone on his ear after a few seconds he snapped, "Lauren for God's sake where the hell are you? Wade is in distress he needs you. Come to your parents place we are here. "

Martin cut the call and baby Wade's cries grew a few syllables louder. Martin noticed that Mary was running out of options to calm the baby down so darted over to help her. Mary began to sob as she watched Martin struggle to calm the baby down. She then noticed Teddy place his hand on the left side of his chest as he silently cringed his face with pain. Mary began to panic she wanted to dash over to Teddy however she still had the wailing baby in her grasp while Martin shook some rattles adding to the noise. Teddy cringed again with agony and Mary uttered and stumbled with response she knew that Teddy might be experiencing a heart attack.

"Mary pull yourself together and help me. " Martin ordered out of control.

Mary was about to respond nevertheless stopped when Teddy lifted his hand motioning for her to be quiet and help Martin with the baby. Mary obeyed and focused her attention back on the baby. The baby was gone red as the missal toe cherries hanging on the Christmas tree from all the crying and Mary felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach she knew that Lauren was not coming back she knew that Lauren had ran away from her responsibilities, that she was too immature and deranged to care for a loving husband and sweet baby. Lauren still saw herself as a teenager, Martin and baby Wade were just in the way of her unstable life she would never grow up, some people will just not change. Mary's heart bled with sorrow as she watched a helpless and clueless Martin struggle to soothe the baby. She knew that she was too old to help in the future to grow and nurture the child and Martin was too much of a busy business man to manage on his own, this wonderful man and beautiful baby deserved a loving wife and caring mother someone other than Lauren, someone much better. Mary watched as Martin frowned with frustration and melancholy and she could not hold it in much longer she knew her daughter all to well, her delinquent like of a daughter.

"Oh Martin she's not coming back. Lauren has left and not coming back!" Mary exclaimed.

Martin looked both frustrated and puzzled, "What? "

Suddenly there was a loud hollow thud and Martin and Mary turned at the same time to find Teddy sprawled on the carpet. Dead.