It was almost the end of the school year and Mom and her boyfriend wanted to take me somewhere. I had no clue what was going on but since I was eating more than peanut butter and jelly and not having to take care of everything I was content to go with the flow. We were in his shiny car in the afternoon and the driver took us from our small apartment to his house. Clarification, his huge freaking house with a yard you couldn't mow in a weekend alone. I'm guided out of the car and into the house as Mom and I are being led to a small room with a couple couches and a few chairs topped off by its own fireplace. Mom has me sit alone in a chair till her Mr. Delauter returns with three children of his own. First one is a boy much larger and a couple years older than I am with black hair like his father but his is also longer and not styled for business, more the messy attractive boy look on a large muscled frame. Following him are two girls who look a little alike but dress very differently. The girl on the left has dark brown hair done in a ponytail and glasses and wearing a proper polo shirt and slacks while the one on the right is very opposite. Her hair is more black than dark brown like her sister and has waviness to it that I see some girls get at my school, and she is sporting a more popular look with a jean skirt that sits above her knees and white tank top with a matching jean jacket, the jacket being unbelievably bedazzled. I have no clue what I have been walking into as the other kids, my Mother's boyfriend's kids, sit down with girls on a couch and a boy in a chair almost across from me. Mom and Mr. Delauter are standing in front of us when he decides to speak.
"Kids you've met Loretta in passing over the past few months and the two of us decided it was finally time to bring things together. This boy here is her son Guy," the three look at me with almost no expression as I'm sitting in a ratty polo shirt and worn jeans," There will be some coming changes in the next few months and I want all six of us to pull together with what happens next."
"Okay Dad we'll pull together but why are we meeting today? I was going to hang out with my friends," the son says, obviously not interested in the news.
"Well Mark this is important, more than your free time with your friends. Guy that is my son Mark Jr. and the twins are my girls Abigail and Bethany," Mr. Delauter points out the girl with glasses first then the popular girl.
I wave lightly completely out of my element and smile a little only to get a light smile back from Abigail in the glasses, some hope for this. I turn my attention back to my Mom who is nervous or excited, not sure which.
"Kids you've all met me before and we've talked a little but something important in all our lives has happened. Your father asked me to marry him," Mom says it and the air leaves the room," and I said yes."
"So you're going to be our new mom," the popular girl Bethany asks.
Mom nods and things turn to the loud and excited. Everyone is up off their seats except me hugging and talking as I sit and think about everything that's been happening over the past few months. They know my mom, they're hugging her but I have no clue who they are. I'm stunned as things turn to dinner at this new place and everyone is talking except me when I realize that nobody has even noticed. I finish the meal with everyone and a nice Mexican lady takes my plate, no dishes is a plus I guess. Mom and I are driven home by her future husband who gives her a kiss like Dad used to before leaving us to our apartment.
"I'm so glad you like Mark's children, I think you and Mark Jr. will get along so well together," Mom starts as I try to speak.
"Mom they don't know me, I don't know if I want to live with them," I say the words but they aren't heard.
"You'll be living in a house and a bigger room, Mark and I picked it out for you a couple weekends ago…," she keeps talking about this like she can't hear me.
For years I waited for my mother to stop going out and come home, now she does and I can't figure out why nobody can hear me. The next few weeks when I'm finishing out my final year of middle school I'm going to meet and get to know my future step siblings. It doesn't go over well from what I can guess. I try talking but I don't have a lot in common with Abigail and Bethany. I tried hanging out with Mark Jr. only to be locked out of his room or left behind at the new house. Last week before the wedding I'm at my new 'home' and moved into my room. It's big, bigger than the living room at the old apartment but I'm still trying to get a feel for the 'new house, new family'. I'm heading past Bethany's room when I hear the popular sister talking to someone.
"I swear I will never understand why he has to live with us," Bethany tells someone as I listen in a little.
"Honey he's her son and Guy isn't a bad kid, just really shy," I hear Mr. Delauter tell his daughter.
"Dad he's a freak, even Abigail thinks he's weird," she argues and I feel more than a little shame.
"Loretta and Guy are going to be part of the family soon, I recommend you make the best of the situation and help your new brother," he tells her as I sneak back to my room.
Learning that someone doesn't like you is hard when you didn't do anything to them. I want to talk to Mom about this wedding again but she's too busy making sure it happens. The day finally comes and I'm walking Mom down the aisle. I hand her over to Mr. Delauter, my new step dad, and he doesn't even look at me or say anything. I take my spot as the ceremony begins and when it's over the guests, about fifty people I've never seen before, welcome the happy couple. The party rages on and I find myself alone now more than ever as Mr. Delauter's kids spend time with people they know or their friends. I catch Abigail watching me a little but nothing happens so it's a null point.
Wedding comes and goes and instead of an immediate honeymoon Mom and my new Step Dad decide to wait till he is able to finish out some of his legal cases. I discovered he's a lawyer, before taking their honeymoon. The next two months is when I see the new set up in the household. Mom is now a real Mom taking care of the girls and giving advice to Mark Jr. the few times he's asked. I watch as Bethany suddenly becomes the perfect daughter, constantly sweet talking Mom and being overly helpful with absolutely everything. I try to interject but I'm pushed to the side mostly by Bethany but Mom doesn't seem to notice or mind it. It takes almost two months to clear Mr. Delauter's work before he and Mom leave on their honeymoon and us children are left in the care of a security professional for the house and grounds, Rosa the maid and Mark Jr. who is allegedly in charge. I try to talk to Mom but she just passes my attempts to get out or away from the situation by telling me to be good for my older brother.
At first everything is quiet and I look at what I'm going to be doing for my first year in high school. I review classes and schedule, check what I'll need and plan out my courses, all things I was doing before when Mom was 'fun'. It takes a week before I'm sitting alone in the living room watching TV when Bethany struts into the room and shuts the TV off with the remote.
"Listen here, we don't want you here and if you haven't noticed neither does your mom or my dad," her words are harsh and I figure I need to speak up.
"She's my Mom, she wants me here," I try to argue but Bethany is quick to counter.
"If she's your Mom, why does she spend all her time with me? Why does she tuck Abby in bed at night and sing her to sleep? Why does she help Mark with his homework? She's our Mom, you're just her useless baggage that we have to put up with till High School is over," I sit there and listen as she lays out the new reality of my life," For the next four years you are living here but you will not associate with me, my sister or my brother when we are at school or in public. You are dead weight and I don't want your stain on our family."
"We're supposed to be brother and sister," I say hurt and wanting to go home.
"I have a brother and sister, you have no one. Understand," she moves to stand in front of me looking down," Now what are you going to do for the next four years?"
"I want to go home," I say, but she doesn't hear me.
"If you won't do what I say then I guess I'm going to make you," I look up at her confused as she smiles at me.