Falling from Heights Pt. 2
“What do you mean, what do I mean?” Veronica stared at the screen in disbelief but held back from typing while Maleena finished.
‘…said he was doing much better?’ the screen read.
Veronica wished desperately that she could just call her sister but she didn’t want to chance being overheard, she never knew where her father was lurking these days.
‘He is, kinda but not really. He’s…I don’t know…he’s acting weird.’ Veronica’s fingers flew across the keyboard as she tried to explain her father’s recent behavior, but still they could not keep up with her thoughts, ‘this sucks, can you do lunch tomorrow?’
“He’s always been childish, that’s what made him fun,” Maleena laughed as Veronica stole a bite of pasta.
“Yeah, but not like this. He’s driving mom crazy and if he ventro-farts me one more time, I swear…” Veronica asserted. “Speaking of Mom, she’s none to stable either. You need to hurry up and marry Jodie because she’s intent on one of us getting married.”
Veronica’s thought turned to the night before…
“Turner’s always hanging around, Mom thinks he’s still in love with me. So do I but this whole Buddhist thing is weird. He’s almost as bad as Xavier. Do you know he wanders by the house at least 4 or 5 times a day? Like I can’t see out the window. He’s such a stalker. Xavier! Pay attention,” Maleena was trying to keep up but Veronica had a way with a story, “Anyway, back to Turner, he came over again, but not for the reason I had hoped.”
“In the meantime, Dad had his whole “I’m dead, not dead” thing and Catherine Mendenhall died…oh, you didn’t hear? Drunk on the floor, right in front of Elizabeth! Don’t you read the paper?” Veronica took a breath but Maleena knew better than to try to speak.
“So, anyway, now Mom is trying to marry me off to Turner! Saying things like “I want to see you happy before I go” and talking about me having kids. Go where? is my question and I already told her I’m not having kids, but last night at dinner she came right out and asked Turner if he had bought a ring! Thank god he said no,” Veronica concluded her tale and looked to her sister.
“What does all that have to do with Dad?” Maleena asked, trying to bring her sister back to the point of the whole story.
“Oh yeah, I forgot,” Veronica blushed and stole another bite, “this is way better than my hot dog.”
“Veronica!” her sister was exasperating.
“See for yourself, we’re all coming over this afternoon. Don’t give me that look, you don’t have anything better to do.”
“Go Grandpa!” Alexa yelled as Robert came through the front door with the smustle on his mind.
Grandpa’s visits were always so much fun, he was the only one who would touch her bug collection and actually play with her at the playground. The other adults just watched and talked, like they were doing now…bor-ing.
Alexa ran over to Veronica, her favorite aunt, and begged her to smustle too.
“Honey, the adults are talking about important things,” Veronica said, pointedly excluding her father from the use of the word ‘adult’ but she knew she wasn’t going to win, she couldn’t say no to her only niece. The child had already been unfortunate in the looks department, there was no reason to disappoint her on smaller issues.
Maxine stared at her family as if they had all lost their minds, ‘How can they all do the smustle while I am dying?’ She hadn’t told the girls outright, she hadn’t told Robert either because he wasn’t mature enough to handle it, but her time was short on this planet and she needed to know that her daughters were secure…and by secure, she meant married…and her husband would be taken care of after she was gone.
Veronica was hopeless, she had already tried to interest Turner Ignatowski in an engagement, but Maleena had promise if only she would make her relationship with Jodie official.
The Bettencourt-Gunderson family arrived at their new home just as the spring tulips came into bloom along the walk.
Jodie had agreed to the move, though not to an official wedding, because he thought it was the best thing for Alexa, who was busy gaping at the three story facade. Now she would go to Bay Prep with Sabrina and Theo Winfield rather than to Height Elementary with the Gibson’s red-headed terrors.
Maleena had agreed because her mother had seemed so desperate and it might be nice to live in luxury again.
Alexa agreed because, well, she didn’t have much choice.
And that, my friends, is how Alexa Veronica Gunderson-Bettencourt left the care-free life of Rigel Heights and became the heiress to the Bettencourt fortune, because she didn’t have a say in the matter.
——
Notes: I know this post is weak. I needed to get Maleena, Jodie and Alexa back into Bettencourt Manor just to widdle down the number of houses to play and besides poor Veronica was being pushed aside in the story and she wasn’t going to stand for that anymore.
September 30th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Oh man, I hope Maxine can get her wish and see her daughters all settled down and taken care of before her time is up. I bet she worries about it constantly. One daughter seems well on the way, but the other is having all sorts of issues, isn’t she? Yikes.
edit: All of Maxine’s wants revolve around someone, anyone, in her family getting engaged or married. Poor, obsessed woman
Veronica’s love life is hopeless
September 30th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Yeah really I’m sorry for Maxine that she has to die soon and her wishes might not come true…
At least Maleena is tryign hard to impress her mum (bu hard I mean probably taking advantage) but Alexis is looking quite fine and I’m sure she’ll be a good heiress.
edit: I never considered that Maleena would be taking advantage…hmmm
Alexa’s a little tomboyish, but we’ll see how she does
September 30th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Wow, so Robert’s fallen to the deep end, ouch. At least his granddaughter humors him
edit: The two of them dancing together was so cute!
October 1st, 2008 at 2:38 am
Umm, if Maxine wants to see her daughters happy, then prehaps she shouldn’t try to marry Veronica off, marriage doesn’t automaticly make a person happy. She’s starting to sound like my aunt, eek.
But I hope Maxine dies happy (’cause I’ve really liked her), just that she doesn’t loose sight of the bigger picture.
edit: Maxine is all about a wedding and she’s almost in the red because her wants won’t roll. Neither daughter seems to be listening though
October 1st, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Ooo, I like that Maleena is back at her home. Poor Maxine, I like her. The elders are all dying off, she can’t go too! x(
Will Veronica ever settle down? And did someone forget to tell Maxine that it isn’t 1940, you don’t need a husband to be secure.
edit: lol 1940 or not, Maxine is stuck on marriage…maybe that would help settle V down, I caught her doing the attraction reaction to Jodie!
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:05 am
Maxine is dying to see her daughters settle down with the right man. I think thats the wish of any mother no matter what era, except my mother perhaps, ha! ha! Veronica is not going to settle down in the near future.
edit: Maxine seems to think Turner is the right man, too bad Turner doesn’t want to take on the challenge of Veronica
October 5th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Veronica, yay! I’m so glad to see she’s going to have a bigger part. I love her. I don’t think Turner can handle her. I’m still holding out hope that she and Xavier will hook back up.
It’s so sad the elders are on their way out, but that’s how it goes. Robert is certainly, uh, well, going senile? Poor guy, LOL!
edit: Turner playing hard to get is making him all the more desirable for Veronica, I think Xavier’s stalking the house is having the opposite effect. Robert is a hilarious elder, all his wants are pleasure wants.