The Future of the Curse

            Sharing my life between family and work in perfect balance was not in my skillset. I was so close to my goal, just two more promotions, that I kept a work-orientated focus. Kyle did not have long. It’d be miraculous if he saw any of my children become teenagers. I needed to get through my career track while he was still living and able to be the priority parent. He exceled at caring for them. Most days.

            Milton and Lois knew that their younger siblings required more attention, and they appeared to be content with entertaining themselves. I would like to think that they enjoyed the freedoms that came with age.

            I knew they appreciated school. Lois could recite a list for two minutes of all the friends she made. Milton was more like me, finding fun in exercising his mind through homework.

            And this is not all to say I was never there for my family. Even with my work obligations, I made time for child rearing.

            Time could not be stretched far enough to include consistent upkeep of the house. When two sinks, a shower, and the television were all broken, I gave into Kyle’s insistence that we needed to hire a repairman. I could have fixed everything myself, but, again, time.

            The man that came to the house appeared startlingly similar to Kyle. Only he was still young and did not have the weight of my husband. I believe his name was Avery.

            I frequently caught him staring at me, and it made me feel quite uncomfortable. I thought that I had gotten used to looking different than most others. College, and then Kyle and Dedrick, had boosted my self-esteem to that of an average person. Still, his stares reminded me of my first day of school.

            While Kyle kept an eye on his repairman doppelganger, I took the opportunity to work with Frederick. He loved the boy too much, and did not like to push him to independence out of fear that he would grow up to resent him.

            I could feel Mother intrude into my mind as I sat Frederick on a training toilet. “Well that one’s not very promising.”

“That is my son you are making rude comments about.”

“Yes, I can tell.”

“Why don’t you let me be and enjoy death alone?”

I could feel her sneer, my lip nearly rising in imitation. “Oh, I’m never alone. That witch is always lurking somewhere.”

            Mother did not leave me, but she kept quiet. Kyle took Frederick back from me. There were numerous things I could do, such as cleaning or writing reports. It was hard to concentrate with the heaviness inside my head. As I wandered aimlessly about the house, I discovered the Milton and Lois outside, feasting on snow cones. “They really are your grandchildren,” I muttered.

            For the first time in a very long time, Kyle and I both found the time and necessity to share my bed. His weight next to mine felt pleasantly familiar. My night’s rest was interrupted by Mother attacking my dreams with her thoughts. She rambled about her old life and how she was nearly worshipped. I had heard it all before, until she came to the topic of picking an heir. “I’m leaning towards that one son of yours. Fabien? Damien? You know, the ugly one’s twin.”

            The thought of one of my children being plagued with her was haunting enough to fully wake me. It was bad enough having her in my head time to time, but at least I had known her in life. I knew how silly she was, and how little her nasty opinions mattered. She was a stranger to each of them though. How would it be to have an anonymous critic in your ear and to not be able to escape?

            I held Francis close to me the first minute I had where he was awake.

            I wished to promise my son that she would never get him, but I did not fully understand the curse. It was probable that it was out of my hands. I settled upon tossing him in the air.