Page 118 - Reason To Sing by Kelita Haverland

Reason To Sing

I are forced to eat in silence like monks. When he does decide
to talk to us, he’s either up on his soap box ranting or moaning
about how hard-done-by he is. It’s pretty much always about
him.
Vian and I keep our antennae high. We never know if he’s
going to pay us a compliment (which is rare) or scare the crap
out of us (more common) with his verbal artillery. And talking
back? Are you kidding me? You don’t dare! You can’t even
comment or ask a question. You never have a chance. Ever!
Even just a tiny sound coming out of your mouth and the lava
spews again. This evil man truly derives pleasure from watching
Vian and me squirm.
Our stepfather controls people with anger and fear. He’s
an accomplished manipulator. Just look what he did with our
mom! He borrowed tens of thousands of dollars from her for
his cattle business, which he never paid back, and now he’s
contesting her will. He’s going to end up getting twice as
much as he should. And when you think about it, it’s really
my parents’ estate. They’re the ones who worked so hard for so
many years to build the business. And this creep and my mom
were married for less than three years! Three years! He’s such
a crook.
Now that Sally has been let go, we have no one to turn to.
No one to listen to us. No one to complain to. Mike is such
a cheap jerk. We loved Sally so much and he knew it, but he
refused to keep paying her. I honestly believe my mom never
really saw his true colours. She thought she was doing the right
thing by marrying someone who would take care of us. I know
she would want Sally to still be here.
I’m always nervous around Mike, especially if I need
anything from him. Like permission to go out with friends
on a Saturday night. If I want to make plans to go out on the

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