Clare

Clare was a girl when her parents finally divorced after years of fighting. As she stepped over the trash that littered her un-tiled kitchen floor, she thought of her father, Alfred. Her family thought that Alfred had spoiled her, but Clare disagreed. She made her way through the kitchen, stepping over trash bags and mail that covered the floor. On her way out, she put down three  cans of opened cat food for her cats, and said goodbye to her companions for the afternoon.

After her aunt's relentless phone calls, Clare finally  drove out to the grave where her father was laid to rest. She pulled the truck up to the road, and with a click and a pop, the engine stopped.  She had some flowers that she would lay on the grave, and she would finally take down the ones from Christmas since it was now April and time for Easter flowers. She didn't visit her father often, but when she did she was reminded of her parents' failed relationship and her childhood.

The girls had been calling her all day, and she was getting a bit annoyed. She vaguely wondered what they wanted, but she was busy thinking at the moment. She laid the flowers on the grave, and turned to leave.

She sat in the truck for a few minutes, looking at the red stone grave of her father. She didn't visit her mother's grave often although it was much closer to home to visit.

She thought of the girls again briefly. They had deserted her, and she didn't deserve that. She knew she wasn't the  best mother. At times, she even thought she was the worst, but she had tried to at least provide opportunities for them to succeed if nothing else. She knew she didn't provide them with the best home life.

 Then her thoughts immediately went to Frank, and she was both disappointed and filled with rage. He never even told her he loved her all those years. He was constantly in and out, it was no wonder to her that her life had turned upside down. It wasn't fair. He left just in the same way that her father left her with Zetta. Zetta the unloving alcoholic, with her harsh punishments and strict rules. The other kids had always laughed at the way Zetta had made her dress. She wasn't allowed out with the other kids, and it wasn't until she got older that her mother and she had any type of real relationship at all. Her father had become harsher as she got older from the fights. He reminded her of her weight and any acne she might have had. It didn't seem as though she could please both her parents at the same time no matter if she didn't take any sides.

Thinking of her sometimes unstable childhood home, Clare suddenly felt exhausted.She had worked an 18 hour shift the night before, and she hadn't exactly slept much yet. She turned the key in the ignition, and started to drive home. The car veering slightly from time to time riding the rumble strips lining the highway until she reached a fatal curve where she could finally rest.