Checkered Blue

This is purely a work of fiction that takes place in a fictitious town named Willow Streams.

From the back seat of the sleek black BMW, Kendra squinted out through the tinted window at the family of five huddled together outside, six, if one counted the fetus developing in the bump of the pregnant woman. The smiles painted on their faces made Kendra’s stomach knot in unease. A young girl around the age of Kendra was holding up a cake as she stood amid the little group.

She sighed and leaned back into the plush seats of the car, thankful for the temporary isolation the enclosed space provided her from what was waiting out there.

“Does it have to be like this, Grams?” Kendra rolled her head to the side to see her Grams take off her glasses and shut them into their case.

“We’ve already had this talk, Kendra. I thought you were fine with this?” Her Grams responded absentmindedly, oblivious to the growing fear in Kendra’s heart.

“Yes, but that was before reaching here and actually seeing them.” Her eyes drifted out the window once more. Underneath them, the car bobbed as the chauffeur that had picked them up from the airport helped offload their bags from the trunk.A chauffeur. Of course, they had that!Kendra mused as she stared out the tinted window, her gaze climbing up the towering building behind the family outside.

“I don’t think I can do this. Please don’t leave me here, Grams.” Kendra turned back to her Grams, gaining the older woman’s full attention this time. Her Grams straightened up, now noticing her granddaughter’s eyes wide with dread.

The weight of the situation had finally begun to settle in. When Kendra had woken up that morning, she had been at ease all the way to the airport and through the plane ride. But being here now made her realize how real all this was and how much was about to change.

Her Grams tried to calm her down by stroking her back but Kendra was being hit by a ton of emotions at the same time that it made her jittery.

“Pumpkin, you don’t have to be scared. They’re your family-”

“Yes, but they’re all so... white!” Kendra blurted, another cause for the knots in her stomach. With her deeper skin tone, she looked nothing like the group outside, and she couldn’t imagine fitting in with them. Did they even want her here?

Her Grams paused, her eyes shifting to the window to peer outside briefly where their hosts were waiting, unaware of the situation in the car. She sighed and moved in closer to hug Kendra from the side, running her hands up and down her arms to ease her.

“You’ve met Collin already. He loves you.” Her Grams pointed out in an attempt to calm her nerves. “And despite Margery’s... past with your mother, she is quite charming, and I am sure you will come to bond well with the kids. The youngest seems extra excited to meet you. See?” Her Grams nodded out the window at the group. Still, the knots in Kendra’s stomach didn’t loosen.

Kendra looked up at her with big, round, hopeful eyes. “Why can’t I just remain with you instead? Or Aunt Jen. She adores me.” Kendra’s desperation filled the car, mingling with the cool air of the air conditioner and the rich, leathery smell of the seats.

“Oh, I have to be dead before I entrust a teenager into the hands of your aunt.”

“What about Uncle Martin?”

“Kendra-”

“Okay, let me stay with you then. It’ll be like those times Mum left me with you when she had to travel for an event. I’ll be good. I promise!” Her bottom lip quivered as she tried to gain her Grams’ sympathy.

Her Grams sighed, massaging her temples with her fingers. If there were any dark strands in her gray afro, they would be gone by now from listening to her daughter’s incessant persuasion. She understood, though, what must be going through Kendra’s mind and knew this change wouldn’t be easy on the girl, especially with what she had been through during the summer.

Her expression turned somber as she stared back at Kendra. “Pumpkin, this was your mama’s idea before she passed away.”

Kendra went quiet, and the silence filled the car, thick and suffocating. Though sleek and meticulously maintained, the vehicle’s interior seemed to shrink around them. The leather seats suddenly felt too smooth and slippery beneath Kendra’s sweaty fingertips.

“I know,” Kendra murmured, casting her gaze down at her black and white sneakers as she tried to suppress the lump forming in her throat. She could feel her Grams’ scrutinizing stare on the side of her face, closely studying her reaction as if waiting for her to suddenly crack. But Kendra remained stiffly seated, her expression stoic and her eyes vacant.

After what felt like an eternity, her Grams finally sighed and patted Kendra on the back.

“Come on. They’re waiting.”

While they had been having this conversation in the car, the sun’s warm afternoon glow shimmered outside. The late summer breeze picked up the young girl’s hair among the awaiting group. The smile on her face masked smoothly the fact that she was grinding her molars while her eyes remained trained on the vehicle parked in front of their home.

“Why do I have to be the one to hold the cake?” She gritted out, her eyes flickering down to the cake in her hand with ‘welcome home’ written in baby pink at the top. She had no idea her mum would have a cake ready for the occasion and, worse, make her carry it! If the woman wanted to embarrass her, she should have at least given her a warning beforehand.

“Because I said so.” Her mother replied from behind her. “Now, widen your smile and straighten your shoulders.”

“This is stupid,” Alex muttered.

“Alex, don’t be such a dark cloud on this fine afternoon.” Her mother subtly scolded while still keeping her smile on as they awaited their guests to alight from the car.

“Well, I’m excited!” Her little brother pulled on the suspenders of his pants, barely containing his eagerness to meet their guests.

“Watching grass grow makes you excited, dumbbell.” Alex patted his head with one hand while balancing the cake on the other. Her other brother beside her was holding onto the little one’s shoulder, and Alex was sure that if he let go, the kid would be running up to the car.

Her mum had made them all dress up like they would if they were attending one of their Grandma Eve’s charity functions. Alex was in a stylish, pink-and-black tweed ensemble, with her dark hair left to fall over her shoulders in gentle, controlled waves. Beside her, and despite the fact it was late summer and therefore hot, her brother was in all black, from his pants to his short sleeves and the blazer his mum had forced him in. He was the only one among them who didn’t bother mustering a smile for the occasion. His silent and aloof expression remained unchanged as he gazed at the car parked ahead of them with glassy eyes.

Alex could feel the tension from her father in the way his hands kept easing up and down their shoulders as he stood behind. His fingers would tighten around them, then relax, only for him to pull at his tie nervously. The man always appeared confident and sure of himself, perhaps because he was a lawyer. So, seeing him so tensed was a rare moment for her.

Her mum wasn’t any better. The woman had gone out to shop for an outfit for this occasion even though her walk-in closet was overflowing; she would need to sort some out soon and donate to one of Grandma Eve’s charities. Now, she was in a soft, creamy white off-the-shoulder piece highlighting her collarbones and shoulders while gracefully showcasing her baby bump.

To Alexa, they were doing too much! But it was not like anyone could say no to her mum or stop her from carrying out her maniacal plans.

They were starting to lose hope that their guests would ever step out. Their mum didn’t even bother them anymore to straighten up or widen their smile because she also was tiring out, especially with the sun relentlessly heating the earth.

“You’re okay with this, right?” Their dad whispered to their mum beside her. She didn’t answer right away, taking a few seconds as her stare remained forward before asking,

“Are you?”

Then the door finally clicked open, and their mum’s grip on their father’s hand instantly tightened, causing a rippling effect of their father tensing up and squeezing his kids’ shoulders, both then straightening up. The little one didn’t need to be reminded to conduct himself as his smile had never faltered.

Kendra was the first to step down, followed by her Grams. She paused and gave the family a once-over before straightening and walking forward.

“They look ridiculous,” Kendra muttered low for her Grams to hear. She wasn’t sure why they were dressed as if they were attending a function. Even though her Grams agreed with her, she still received a light nudge of disapproval from the older woman.

Her eyes instantly met with the older man’s in the group as he left his wife and kids’ side to meet Kendra, mirroring her smile.

“Dad.” Kendra returned her father’s hug as he pulled her in. Unlike when they had barely known each other, their hug this time didn’t feel awkward.

“I’m glad you made it, Kendra. How was the flight?”

“Short and fine.” She shrugged.

“Speak for yourself, young lady. You’re not the one with the bad hip.” Her Grams interrupted as she doddered up behind Kendra. Kendra could feel her father visibly tense up as the older woman came to stand beside Kendra while they pulled apart.

“Mrs. Jones. It’s a pleasure you could make it. How have you been?” Her dad could barely hold up his smile.

“Save the concerned act for my funeral, Collin.” She dismissively waved him off, and it seemed Collin was going to say something but decided against it and instead focused back on Kendra, his daughter.

“Kendra, come. Let me introduce you.” Collin urged her forward. “Meet the twins. Alexandra and Alexander.” He gestured to the two oldest kids, who both instantly sent frosty looks his way.

“Alex,”

“Xander.” Both kids interjected simultaneously, correcting their dad.

Kendra spared her father a glance beside her, but he didn’t seem fazed by the twins’ attitude. When her gaze drifted back to the twins, Alex caught her stare and bared her teeth in a smile that sent chills down her spine.

“Nice to meet you, Kendra. You’ll love it here.” Alex’s sickly-sweet voice caused Kendra to narrow her eyes warily at her. Her father brought her attention away to the young boy in front of the twins.

“This is Alfie.”

“Hi!” Alfie responded excitedly as he stared up at Kendra, who waved back and offered him a smile. At least one of the kids was genuinely happy to see her. Before coming here, Kendra had been briefed about them, and she knew Alfie was seven years old while the twins were a year older than her.

“And that’s Margery,” Collin spoke up beside her, and Kendra noticed a hesitant note in his tone as he shifted on his feet. “My... wife.”

Margery stepped out from behind the twins with her pearly-white teeth on display, and her light brown hair pulled back tightly in a neat bun so the perfect structures of cheekbones and jawline were fully revealed. One look at her and all Kendra could think was -So this is her. The woman my dad left my mum at the altar for.And if Kendra thought about it, she was also the reason Kendra never had a dad in her life for a very long time.

Margery, perhaps oblivious to the thoughts in Kendra’s head, moved forward and pulled Kendra in for a tender hug. Kendra was instantly engulfed in Margery’s floral-scented perfume with Margery’s baby bump stopping them from being even closer.

“Nice to finally meet you, Kendra. We’re glad to have you in Willow Stream.” She added after pulling away, but anyone looking attentively would have noticed Kendra’s frigid response as she stiffened against Margery, her arms remaining by her side. She didn’t return the hug. The cool look she offered Margery when she pulled back didn’t go unnoticed by Margery, though.

Margery managed to keep her smile on, giving Kendra some distance and remaining as elegant as one in a situation like that possibly could while everyone else’s attentive stares remained openly on them. Only Alfie seemed oblivious to the tension in the air, with his ear-to-ear grin still active.

The awkward silence remained until Alex decided she was bored by it.

“There’s cake!” Alex’s snarky remark seemed to diffuse the tension slightly as her mum threw her a look over her shoulder.

“Yes, cake. Kendra didn’t know you all were this excited to meet her.” Mrs. Jones mentioned, squinting amusingly at the round confection layered in soft blue and pink frosting being held by Alex. Her gaze also lingered on their formal outfits.

“Tell me, Margery, is this a work of yours?”

“Well, no. I... uh had it delivered from the bakery...” Margery stuttered as the older woman fixed her piercing stare on her. The last time she had seen Mrs Jones, the older woman’s stare was much frostier but also grim from disappointment and betrayal.

“It’s good to see you... again, Mrs. Jones. It’s been so long.”

“Yes, it has.” Mrs Jones drawled with a sarcastic glint in her eyes. “And we know why that is.” As if the air wasn’t any frostier.

While Margery tried to maneuver past the awkwardness between her and Mrs. Jones, Kendra took in her surroundings and its luxurious setting along with the fancy designer clothes the family had on, unlike her plain baggy tee and jeans. She glanced at the twins but did a double take when she noticed they both already had their gazes fixed on her.

Taken off guard by their synchronized stare, she was about to cower and look away but quickly stopped herself and met back their stare head-on. They didn’t look away either and kept on that deadpan expression.

Kendra felt like a bug under a microscope with her inspectors being Alex and Xander. The way they openly were scrutinizing her had Kendra wishing she could crack open their head just to see what they were thinking about her. She really did wish to crack their head with a bat for how rudely they kept her under their gaze. She was slowly being creeped out and losing her composure when she felt a tap on her side.

“I’ll help show you to your room!” Alfie suddenly offered, thankfully breaking her staring competition with the twins. She looked down to see he had one little hand extended for her to take as he smiled up at her but before Kendra could respond, her Grams interrupted.

“Thanks, dear, but your sister and I have to make a stop first before she can settle in.” Mrs. Jones informed Alfie, and Collin stared at her quizzically. “We’re going to go pay my son, Martin, a visit in New York.”

“Oh,” Collin remembered Martin, Mrs. Jones’ son, whom he hadn’t seen since the unfortunate incident with Kendra’s mum. “Well, your bags will be taken in, and when you return, we will...”

“No, no,” Mrs. Jones paused the chauffeur from taking her bags inside along with Kendra’s. “I will be staying at Martin’s for the short period I’m here.”

Kendra snapped her neck to look at her Grams, feeling the sting of betrayal. She had thought her Grams would remain with her for the little time she would be here. She hadn’t expected she would be left alone!

She said nothing, though, and simmered silently as her dad said a short goodbye to her Grams before they left.

“I will be seeing you soon, Kendra.” Her dad gave her one last hug. She glanced one last time at the twins to see them still staring at her.

“Weirdos.” She muttered to herself.

As the car drove Kendra and her Grams out of the compound, Margery stepped closer to her husband, and he pulled her into his side lovingly.

“She hates me.” She commented.

“Aww, mum. Don’t be such a dark cloud on this lovely afternoon.” Alex remarked behind, earning her an unimpressed stare from her mother, to which she responded with a cheeky smile and a shrug.

Alex then balanced the neglected cake on her hand and headed back into their home with her twin brother silently following suit.

Only Alfie remained and went to hug his mum’s leg excitedly. “When will she be back?”