Malice Masterpieces 2

by K'Anne Meinel

  Kit helped her bathe and tuck in the younger ones; they all enjoyed reading books together. Alice’s attempts at making voices made them all laugh. It had been a long six months where only Nan read to the younger ones and Kit had missed being a family. Today had been a healing time for them all and she impulsively hugged Alice and thanked her for the day as she went off to her own shower and bedroom.

  Alice cooked pancakes the next morning as Kit helped her get the two little ones up and ready for their day. Alice drove Kit to school since she was packed down with her entire locker full of books and she waved happily, looking forward to showing her teachers what she had accomplished. Basically Kit was a good kid and Alice was pleased that they had worked so hard to catch her up. She hoped the counselor would steer her right, there was still a lot of emotions that four days of school work and some family time would not heal. Alice then drove Sean off to school, he was so proud of his Mom taking him to school he was nearly bouncing in his seat. Normally the bus took him and dropped him off and this was a treat to have her drop him off and sign him into class.

  “Ms. Weaver, this is a surprise,” the teacher greeted her as Sean pulled on her hand to show off ‘his’ mom to his friends. Alice was carrying Emily who looked interested at all the bright colors of the school room.

  Alice smiled and said, “Well I thought I’d drop Sean off today but he will be taking the bus this afternoon.”

  “I can see he’s excited,” his teacher smiled. They didn’t see Ms. Weaver very often, especially since her wife had been killed, they all knew about it but of course didn’t say anything.

  Alice smiled again as she let Sean go off to talk excitedly to his friends and point back to ‘his’ Mom. Alice could see how proud he was. “Everything okay with Sean, no problems?” she thought to ask.

  The teacher shook her head immediately, “No, no problems, Sean is a very well-adjusted young man,” she turned to watch him and glanced at another child, “Jonathan, quick picking your nose!” she said sharply to a little freckle faced kid.

  For some reason, this normal behavior soothed Alice and she adjusted the now squirming Emily who wanted to get down and check out the toys. She nodded to the teacher, “Well, call me if anything should change.” She headed out of the classroom, Emily starting to act up.

  The teacher watched her sadly, such a tragedy, but she hadn’t lied, Sean was remarkably well-adjusted and behaved like a normal child of his age.

  Alice took the now upset two year old to the store with her in the Pathfinder. Driving the Volvo would have been too much so this morning she had chosen to drive the SUV that hadn’t seen much use in recent years. The Volvo had been large enough for their brood and now that Kit sat in the passenger seat instead of crammed in the back seat of both vehicles Alice saw no reason to get a new one. She considered getting rid of the Volvo, too many memories, but the fact that she might upset the children kept her from really convincing herself on that score. Besides Nan used it to ferry around the kids to their various activities and Mrs. Fernandez used it to do some of the household shopping. In the grocery store she stared at the offerings in the aisles unseeing. It had been a long time since she had shopped, Mrs. Fernandez did all their shopping and Kathy had bought extras now and then but Alice wanted some of those extras and hadn’t known what to describe to the housekeeper. Now she wasn’t seeing things she had thought she wanted. Her third lap through the store with the antsy Emily though yielded some treats for her, for the cart, and eventually for the family. She felt like she had accomplished something when she put her purchases in the SUV and strapped the now content and sticky two year old who was sucking on a lollipop in the car seat.

  Unpacking at home with a two year old helping was fascinating. Emily looked just like Alice’s sister Connie and yet something about the way she grinned reminded Alice of Kathy. She didn’t see that the child was almost her twin, right down to her exotic cat like eyes. Alice spent the morning playing with Emily and keeping her amused before feeding her a lunch of peanut butter and jelly with a cup of applesauce and a small cup of milk. A full tummy and all that play with her mommy and it was nap time. Alice took her on the patio and rocked her in a chair until she was soundly asleep before carrying her into the nursery and setting the monitor on. She smiled to herself, the morning had been hectic and she respected Nan a whole lot more after dealing with the children solely by herself for an entire day now. She waited almost eagerly to see Sean’s bus that afternoon and then Kit’s later.

  Kit was in good spirits. All her teachers had praised her and congratulated her on her progress and the work she had done to catch up. She had even met with Mrs. Kroner who had given her a note for Alice with the name of a psychiatrist she recommended. Alice called him almost immediately and arranged to have Kit go twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Alice would pick her up from his office. The school bus would drop her off in front of his office and as it was a private home the other kids wouldn’t know anything about it. Alice wondered if she should worry about it being a private home but the address was a good one and he came highly recommended by the school counselor. His credentials were good and Alice relaxed.

  Life seemed good for about a month after that and then Alice began to notice Kit trying on makeup, she used Alice’s expensive stuff and this bothered her. So together they went down to Walgreens and Alice bought Kit some inexpensive but good quality makeup explaining that it was important to use it sparingly and to use fresh makeup since her skin would be going through so many changes in her teen years. She bought her freshener that seconded as a skin cleanser and would help with pesky acne; Kit already had had a couple and was horrified by them. She also bought her sanitary napkins explaining it would be better to be prepared even though she hadn’t had her period yet. They came home with a lot of things that Kit hadn’t anticipated and Alice spent the time explaining how to apply makeup, conditioner, and other items. She also talked about the sanitary napkins despite the teens rolling of her eyes and discomfort. She left her trying out the makeup and enjoying being a typical teen.

  “Go back in your room and wash off at least half of that makeup, I didn’t buy it so you could glop it on,” Alice told her the very next day after she had bought all the makeup for Kit.

  “But Mom, everyone puts it on like this!” she complained.

  Alice looked at her critically, the extra thick eyeliner, the brilliant blue eye shadow and the horrendous two toned lipstick were a bit much but would have done well had the child been a prostitute. “I explained yesterday how to properly enhance your natural beauty, if you want to wear makeup you will abide by my rules and you will not take it with you to school but rather apply it well in the morning and I will expect it well worn by the time you come home from school. You will look like a proper young lady or you will not use it at all,” she said sternly and the teen wisely headed for her bathroom, angry, but cowed.

  The teen who came out looked fresh scrubbed and decidedly attractive with the thin eyeliner, the mascara, and the lighter shade of blue shadow as well as only one color of lipstick. Alice was pleased with the result. She wondered at this sudden need to wear makeup and thought perhaps her little girl, or rather Kathy’s was growing up. Maybe she had a crush on a boy.

  Alice had continued to go to the house she owned to work out. It allowed a release she didn’t know she had needed. It didn’t take long to get her body back into the shape it had always been, she just needed to polish up on her skills and the obstacles in this basement provided them. She tried to get there at least twice a week but as the weeks went by she went there maybe once and other times she dropped in a lesbian bar she had once frequented. It was a nice little club and not sleazy like a lot of bars she ran into over time, it allowed her to relax, have a drink, and look at the eye candy that wandered in and out. A few of the regulars recognized Alice, a few even talked to her, but a lot of them knew she was out of their league. She was polite and nice but a quality about her screamed money
and power and not just the Porsche she drove. She had finally traded in her pearl white Porsche on another newer model. The power and the upgrades delighted her and she had enjoyed playing with it as she drove around Los Angeles in it. As she sat in the bar she was approached by a pretty femme.

  “Hi, I’m Cindy, would you care to dance?”

  Alice had assessed her from afar and knew she would be shorter than the pretty brunette. She figured why not, she had to get out there eventually so she nodded and indicated to the bartender to keep an eye on her spot. Her drink she didn’t worry about since she only drank 7-up and cherry juice, a Shirley Temple, she didn’t need a DUI. She slipped her arm in with Cindy’s and they began to two step to the beat.

  “I see you in here a lot but not with anyone,” Cindy began as she looked down at the pretty petite blonde. She had taken a good month to work up the courage to approach her, people said she was powerful, they said she was rich, but they also said nasty things about her that kind of excited the brunette.

  “That’s because I’m not with anyone,” Alice said amused, it had been a long time since anyone hit on her and this girl was a novice at it.

  “Well, that’s good for me then,” Cindy said as she smiled at Alice and pulled her marginally closer.

  Alice allowed it but she wasn’t really that interested, she was going through the motions though because she needed something; the feel of a body against hers was nice, the perfume she was wearing though was cheap and strong. They danced two dances together and Cindy would have continued or bought Alice a drink but Alice had surreptitiously pushed a button on her phone and it went off five minutes later, she pretended she had to go much to Cindy’s regret.

  “See you around,” she said as she left the club and left a $20 on the counter for the bartender even though her drinks had come to maybe $5.

  Alice didn’t know why she set the alarm off on her phone, it was a nifty little download she had that sent a fake phone call. Using it tonight had been an escape. There was nothing wrong with Cindy other than her overwhelming perfume; she just hadn’t been in the mood. The body against her was nice but she just wasn’t ready yet. She sniffed when she got in the car; she could swear she could still smell the cheap perfume the woman had been wearing.

  Alice got home and went to check on the children. The two younger ones were washed and ready for bed. She listened as Nan told them a bedtime story about fairy folk and smiled as they demanded kisses from their mommy before they were tucked in and ready to sleep, she complied gladly. She then went to check on Kit finding her trying on makeup, again the heavy stuff that she had warned her about weeks ago.

  “Do we really have to get into this again?” she asked annoyed as she watched her.

  Kit turned guiltily and said, “Well Bonnie said men like this on their girls.”

  The name rang a bell with Alice but she couldn’t remember why so she asked, “Who is Bonnie?”

  “You remember Bonnie, she was Mom’s best friend,” Kit said as she began to use a facial towelette to remove the makeup she had been practicing with.

  Alice watched her in the mirror. Bonnie? Bonnie? Oh yeah, she remembered her now. Something else niggled at her mind though at the name and she couldn’t remember what. “When did you see her?” she asked.

  “Oh I see her at least twice a week when I get left off at Dan’s house. She lives next door; in fact they are good friends.”

  Something about those statements set off warning bells for Alice. She wondered at the coincidence that the psychiatrist lived next door to Kathy’s ex-best friend. She thought she heard a subtle hint in the word ‘good’ too. Nothing showed on her face though as she said, “Oh?”

  Kit was wiping off the thick makeup and it was streaking by the amount she had put on her face. She nodded and said, “Yeah, Bonnie said with Mom gone I could confide in her after all they were such good friends and all.”

  Alice pretended to look at the doo-dads on Kit’s dresser as she observed her in the mirror over the dresser as her daughter looked into her mirror taking off the makeup. “You can’t confide in me?” she asked in a quiet voice, not sounding hurt, not sounding annoyed, to allay the girls suspicions.

  Kit smiled into the mirror as she rubbed the lipstick off, the liner with it, “Yeah but you are my mom, that’s not the same and it’s nice, Bonnie knows stuff.”

  Alice pretended to look up and smile, “What’s wrong with talking to Susie?” knowing that the young girl came around with Kit once again and they were best friends.

  Kit waved her arms dramatically, “She’s so, so, young,” she finished with a flair.

  Alice’s smile altered slightly young? But then so was Kit. She hadn’t seen Bonnie since Kathy died; come to think of it she hadn’t seen her at the funeral either and with that something clicked in her mind.

  “So you see Bonnie when you see Dan?” she asked innocently.

  Kit nodded as she finished cleaning her face, “Yeah, she comes right in; they are real friendly over there.”

  Alice nodded but wasn’t thrilled with the information. She had had no idea that Bonnie was seeing her child without her knowledge or consent. She wouldn’t have minded had she been asked but when she was at Dan’s she thought she only was seeing the psychiatrist. She had met him of course since she picked Kit up frequently but Nan picked her up just as much.

  “Hey do you mind,” Kit brought her attention back to the moment and Alice looked up from the dresser. Kit was holding her nightgown and apparently wanted to change. Alice smiled again and shook her head.

  “Give me a hug,” she said as she held her arms out.

  Kit smiled and went into them, snuggling in as she had with her mom. Suddenly she stiffened as she smelled unfamiliar perfume on Alice, something she knew that Alice would never wear. “What is that?” she asked in an accusing voice.

  Alice looked down at her in confusion not understanding the question, “What is what?” she asked.

  Kit leaned in and sniffed dramatically, “That, that perfume, that’s not your perfume,” she said alarmed. She looked up at Alice and the defiance returned to her eyes as well as the hurt Alice had seen there before.

  Alice remembered the club and the brunette she had danced with as well as the overpowering perfume, for some reason she felt guilty even though she hadn’t done anything. In the eyes of her thirteen almost fourteen year old daughter though she was tried and convicted, she could see it. She saw her looking expectantly at her and waiting for an explanation. She pretended to pull at her blouse and sniff as well but got the odor of the obnoxious perfume anyway. “Oh that, I was in Macy’s today and someone spritzed me, awful isn’t it?” she sniffed again for effect.

  Kit didn’t believe her Alice could see but she wanted to. Alice could read people excellently and her teen hadn’t learned an adults attempt at concealing their emotions. She was upset and Alice saw that.

  “What?” she tried to bluff her way out of the long silence as she held her in her arms.

  Kit pulled back, “Are you seeing someone else?” she asked with a catch and accusation in her voice.

  “Someone else?” Alice repeated back to her feeling strange about justifying herself to a child. But Kit wasn’t quite a child anymore was she?

  “Mom,” Kit said, she rarely called her Alice anymore if ever since she had married Kathy, “Are you seeing someone else?”

  Alice could hear the hurt in the girl’s voice. She wasn’t a child but she certainly wasn’t an adult nor was she ready for her mother to begin dating again apparently. She grinned reassuredly, “No Kit, I am not seeing anyone else, I told you, and they spritzed me before I could duck.”

  Kit relaxed a little but the suspicion remained in her eyes. Alice leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t worry; I love you guys too much to have time to date…”

  Kit watched her as she left the room, frowning as she didn’t know whether to believe Alice or not.

  Alice pulled her blouse off
and threw it in the hamper, the perfume smell was still there and she cursed the unknown Cindy for her poor choice in cheap perfume. She didn’t need to answer to a teenager about her whereabouts and she certainly didn’t want to have a big scene about her dating again. She wasn’t ready and it was obvious neither was Kit.

  It had been nearly a year since Kathy had died. They had all celebrated semi-happy birthdays, trying to make the best of it despite the gap missing and move on with their lives. It was easier for Sean and Emily than it was for Alice or Kit but they all tried to make the absence unnoticeable to the youngsters and it was easier to pretend with them. Kit, now fourteen was looking more and more like her mother every day, she had sprouted up and was wearing tasteful makeup whenever Alice was around to see her but a couple of times had been caught wearing too much which had resulted in punishment. She walked differently and acted differently whenever she wasn’t around her family. Alice didn’t see it until Portia came for a visit.

  “Lock that kid up for Christ sake!” Portia said succinctly as she watched Kit get on the school bus in a short skirt and jacket.

  Alice laughed as they sat on the patio eating breakfast. “She’s growing up, should I buy her a chastity belt too?”

  “At least,” Portia answered as she took a drink of the orange juice she had just poured.

  Alice laughed enjoying Portia who was on her third day of her visit. Alice had insisted she stay with them rather than the five star hotel she had booked, her argument that their house was at least a five star and that they had plenty of room had been cinched when she said the kids would love to see her. It had been a year; it was what had sold Portia on the idea of visiting the cold Alice. What she saw was the return of the private and cool Alice but she also saw the dark circles under her eyes that never seemed to quite fade away. That she was still devastated by the loss of Kathy was obvious, the kids at least had bounced back and seemed to be doing great, but she hadn’t been prepared to see Kit, a miniature version of Kathy looking so grown up and at only fourteen.