The air suddenly became frigid. As both Darby and her papa's heads quickly turned in her direction to see her angrily standing there, her arms folded.
"You are supposed to be teaching her a lesson about obedience and respecting me, not laughing together! She will never grow up to be a proper Lady in Society if she is allowed to do whatever she wants! You will spoil her too much!"
Papa's eyes darkened at her outburst and he spoke coldly as well.
"I have been thinking this for sometime now…Darby doesn't need to be involved with Society…as far as I can see from her Lady lessons, it squashes any spirit and imagination a child has and I am not going to sit back and watch the light be dulled in Darby's eyes. The harsh treatment I've seen makes me feel sick. If this is how all little girls are trained to be Ladies than I think it is very cruel. I don't want my daughter a part of it." Darby watched the color drain from her Mama's face as if what she had just been said was the most horrific thing she had ever heard.
"W-w-what are you saying?! You can't be serious?!" Mama yelled, her pale face now turning violet with anger.
"If my daughter doesn't debut in Society it will seem like something is wrong with me! We are the Upper Class! Without Society to mingle with our same kind, what would we be? Common? Wild, mannerless and classless? It would be a disgrace!" Papa took his turn to become angry, shouting
"That's all you care about?! What about Darby?! She is too smart and lively to have to be broken so she can fit in with Society!" Mama was getting more angry and more purple by the minute.
"We will be social outcasts! Everyone would shun us, everyone would cut us out in High Society. What about all our businesses and money?!" Papa scowled and scoffed
"I have more wealth then all of them combined. My money is the only reason I was given a title! I don't need them for my money, they need me!" Mama screamed
"I can't do this! I can't do it! It's not normal! I just want her to be normal like everyone else! I can make her normal! I don't want her to be different!"
This stung Darby's heart to hear that her mother thought she wasn't normal but also that she wanted to force her to be like everyone because she was different. It was a very difficult and confusing thing for a little girl to hear. Her parents continued to argue back and forth, neither of them willing to break their stance. Darby was scared to see her parents fighting. It wasn't a very common thing in their house for her parents to scream and yell at each other. Usually, if mama wanted something, then papa would always let her have her way. But this time he was saying no, and he was siding with Darby, it wasn't an easy thing to watch. She could see how livid her mother was at papa siding with Darby and also saying she wouldn't join Society. It would change their whole life, mama loved her balls and tea parties, she loved mingling in Society with all the other High Class ladies and feeling special and looking down on those lower class than her. It made her feel powerful. But the fight was not getting anywhere. Mama was screaming and papa was yelling, but neither was relenting or trying to see the other side. Darby started to feel overwhelmed. Her usually peaceful family now felt like they were ripping each other apart. It really hurt to see them screaming and shrieking at each other, it felt like it had been hours since they started arguing and it actually might have been. It started to hurt Darby's heart. Yes, she hated the Lady lessons, they were awful and terrible, but she felt even worse to see them so furious and raging mad. She squeezed her hands together. The sound of their yelling was horrid, it felt like her ears were ringing, and her eyes started to water and tear up. 'I know I wanted the Lady lessons to be over but I didn't want them to tear each other a part…I can't take this' She pressed her palms to her ears to try and block out the terrible sound. She needed to think. It barely dulled the sound at all. What could she do? She racked her brain. Was there a way to make them both happy and herself happy? Even if she wasn't completely happy, she was willing to do something she didn't like…if their family could still have peace…
"Stop!!!" Darby screamed out, her tiny hands still holding her little ears.
"Please stop!" She yelled out again as they turned to look at her. She stood up strongly, taking her stance. She hated to do this, she really hated it but she didn't see any other possible solution. She was a child, could she really have her way after all? She knew she couldn't have it all, she couldn't always be one hundred percent happy all the time. She was willing to take on something terrible if it meant she could be happy sometimes.
"I can do it!!! I can do them both!" She cried out.
Silence.