Before She Steals It All

Summary

She was the picture of gentle warmth, but only when my father was in the room.

The second his sedan backed out of our suburban driveway, her voice would drop an octave, flat and cold as slate. She would make me drop to the kitchen linoleum on my hands and knees, barking like a stray dog until she decided I had humiliated myself enough to deserve a handful of their lukewarm leftovers.

Beside her, her rotten son would clap his thick hands, laughing until his face turned red. "Ride the pony! Bark louder, girl!"