Full Circle - Day 4

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Day 4

Victoria laughed again. “Hello, dear sister,” she said with deadly calmness.
Alexandria struggled to compose herself. “Victoria, where are you? Where is Mother?” she asked, determined not to show any sign of fear. She knew her sister would only feed on that.
Victoria laughed. “Well, unfortunately I have not been over to see Mother yet. I’m sure I will see her soon enough though.”
Alexandria let out a small sigh of relief. At least she knew that she would get to her mother first since she was only two blocks away now. “Listen, Victoria,” she said softly, hoping to reason with her or at the very least just keep her on the line until she arrived. “I know how you feel about Mother for allowing Father to send you away. I know how you feel about Father and me as well. But I don’t think…” she stopped mid-sentence, knowing the exact moment when her sister hung up the phone. No one had known, but she had tried several times to reach out to her sister, to heal the relationship, but nothing had worked. Alexandria had never been interested in reconciliation, only revenge.
As she pulled into the driveway of her parents’ home, Alexandria tried to shake the images of that night almost four years ago, that were beginning to resurface. That was the night that had changed all of their lives forever. The images were clear and rapid now, as though she was flipping through the pages of an old photo album. The long hallway… the basement… These images were so vivid, so real now that she could feel the damp, dark coldness of that very night. She could remember the shrill crying… the panicked, raised voices.
Wrapping her arms around herself, she shook her head, trying to erase the voices and images of that night from her mind. But she couldn’t. It was all too real and overwhelming. Suddenly, she was seventeen again and helpless as the pictures played out in her head. “No!” she cried as she raced from the car, trying desperately to escape the past that haunted her. Sobbing uncontrollably, she collapsed against the front doors of the house. She was so completely lost in the haunting pain of that night, she never saw the car that pulled into the driveway and parked behind her own.
Viola pulled into the driveway and parked behind her daughter’s car. Although happy to have the company, she wondered what her oldest daughter was doing here in the middle of a work day. As a surgical nurse, Alexandria had always taken great pride in her work and very rarely allowed herself to put anything before it.
As she continued to contemplate the reason for her daughter’s visit, Viola slung her oversized Louis Vuitton over her shoulder and slid out of the car. She made a mental note, reminding herself to tell her husband, Ivan about the small scratch she had gotten in the door of the car today. Of course, to him it would be considered a blemish… and that would never do. A blemish- she cringed. It was a word that he used often to describe anything undesirable. Anything less than absolute perfection. Oh yes, Ivan demanded perfection. Perfect house…mini mansion. Perfect cars… his and hers Mercedes. Perfect wife, and of course, perfect children. Not so much as a hair out of place was acceptable to Ivan. Anything less… any blemish would have to be removed.
Viola shook her head sadly. They had made a lot of sacrifices for the sake of perfection. Too many. Tears began to fill her eyes as she fumbled through her bag for her keys. Because of this, she was unaware of the crumpled heap that lay just a few feet away from her, until she heard sobbing like that of a lost child. One swift move of the hand and the tears were gone, leaving no evidence that she had even been the least bit upset. Clearing her throat, she smoothed out invisible wrinkles on her black, sleeveless Donna Karen dress. It would never do to have someone see her disheveled. Now holding her head up high, she quickened her pace as she made her way to the front door. As she got closer, she soon realized that the person lying there was in fact not a child at all.
Quickly reaching into her bag, she grabbed her cell phone. With one finger on the speed-dial for 911, she cautiously stepped closer for a better look. Her eyes widened with disbelief as she realized it was her daughter, Alexandria. “Alexandria!” she said firmly.
At the sound of her voice, the crumpled heap shifted, enabling Viola to see that Alexandria’s eyes were red and swollen from crying. How long had she been here? Viola wondered as she began to gently help her up to her feet. “Let’s get you inside,” she said in a hushed tone, “before… “ Her words trailed off. Ivan had them so conditioned for absolute perfection, that her first thought was to simply get her inside so that no one would see them in any sort of uncomplimentary light. It pained her that her immediate reaction had not been to cradle her daughter in her arms and just hold her there until she felt well enough to talk about whatever it was that had upset her so greatly. But that simply was not the Van Cort way.
Upon entering the house, Viola helped Alexandria to the antique chaise in the sitting room. She left her there briefly while she went to make her a cup of tea. When she returned, she found Alexandria standing, staring out of the window. She must be feeling better now, Viola thought to herself as she handed her a beautiful gold-trimmed tea cup. “Would you like to talk now?” she asked softly. As she waited for a response, she walked across the room and took a seat in one of the two oversized arm chairs near the fireplace.
Alexandria waited for her mother to be seated. Without ever taking her eyes off of the window, she whispered, “she’s here.”
Viola sat silently, waiting for her to continue.
Wrapping her arms around herself, Alexandria spoke the words again. “She’s here. Victoria is here, Mother.”
Viola felt a knot rise from the pit of her stomach and move steadily upward until it formed a lump in her throat… swelling…. Preventing her from speaking.
In the silence, Alexandria turned slowly now from the window to face her mother. “I think you know why she’s here. I think it’s time… “
“No!” Viola shouted, rising quickly from the chair. “I’m going to call your father. He will handle this.”
Alexandria laughed, mocking her mothers words. “Yes, Mother, he will. Father takes care of everything, doesn’t he? How do you think he will handle it this time?” she asked, sarcastically.
Viola stopped dialing the number and held the phone in her hand.. Looking directly at her daughter, she said, “You don’t know what you’re saying, Alexandria. You have absolutely no idea how big this really is. You have no idea,” she repeated as tears began to fall down her cheeks.
Be sure to look for the continuation of this story in about 3 days.