Greendale

A Sour Apple

        I awoke to painful shrieking. Fog fills my brain as I shift towards my clock on the nightstand, 7:45 am.

"NOT THE CHINA SET, MY MOM GAVE THAT TO US WHEN WE WED" shrieked my mother. Apparently even three flights of stairs couldn't escape her tongue.

Rising from my resembled bed, I skip a teeth brush to figure out my mother's motive behind being ten octaves higher than a sane human being this early in the morning.

"Good morning dar-"

"DO YOU SEE WHAT HIS MOVING PLANS DID TO MY BEAUTIFUL CHINA" my mother's screech cut off my fathers usual warm greeting.

My whaling mother was holding a 1950s China set that looked like it barely escaped a move through the Vietnam war. It was an ugly plate, from the golden trim to the hideous bright pink painted daisy that lie symmetrical on the middle of the plate.

  "I'm sure dad can get you a new one" I said cooly as I grabbed an apple out of my mother's set up edible arrangement.

"I don't want another plate, this one was special to me" sadness filled my mother's face

"I will buy you a whole new China set Lor, it'll be special because it came from your loving husband"

My mom rolled her eyes and continued her rant. I took the opportunity to leave while my mom had her back turned, saluted my father and rushed back up to my cave.

As I finished my morning routine I heard the howls of my mother slow, my father must have also made a run for it when she had her back turned.

"Your house is quite spectacular Mrs. Clayton" an unfamiliar lady tuned out as I strolled down the last staircase.

"Thank you dea- oh this is my daughter Lydia, Lydia come meet our new neighbor!" My moms howl from this morning turned into a delighted whistle as I approached the doors of our house.

"Hello dearie, aren't you ravishing! I got a niece that is just about your age" the woman cooed delightfully. The utter confusion in my face made her shake.

"oh! I'm so sorry, I'm Hilda, I live right next door with my sister Zelda, our nephew Ambrose and our lovely niece Sabrina!" I forced out a smile as I tried to push past this strange lady standing in front of my mother.

"Nice to meet you" I half smiled as I back-stepped towards the kitchen. As I picked up my black purse I couldn't help but to eavesdrop into my moms conversation with this stout woman.

"Will she be attending Baxter high in the fall?"

"Yes, she is quite nervous, even if she won't admit it" my mother let out a assuring laugh.

"Perfect, so is Sabrina! I'll have to send her over later and they can become friendly! It really was a pleasure to meet you Lorelei! Have a charming day!"

"You too dear" my mother shut the door to the foyer.

"Geez, that lady was way too cheery for my own good" my mother rolled her eyes as she came back to the kitchen holding some sort of homemade pie.

"Yeah I don't know if I want to really make friends with anyone that's related to someone THAT happy" we both let out ugly laughter.

"Where is dad?" I began to notice a chair left empty.

"Oh hunny it's his first day, he did try to yell up to you but you know how gentle that man speaks" My mom shifted back into her stool under the counter and began fiddling with the carrot as it tried to squirm free under the grasps of my mother's knife.

"He's very nervous, I hear the big boss, Mr. Kinkle is a bit of a stickler drunk" she sighed.

"I think I'm going to apply for jobs today" sitting under this roof would cause me to go crazy with this ticking time bomb.

"Okay hunny, just not that bookshop, I can bare to see someone so delicate as you end up some place so dark" she held my face as she gave me one of her wicked smiles.