Directions in Transition

Chapter 5: Family

(tw misgendering)

Eastside of Tendrel Road, lies fields full of farm life and hay. Estelle's mom, Stacy, had to drive all the way each morning up the hills, bouncing the tiny gold minivan every time she went to her workplace. Across the expansion of shrubs, there sits the small apartment where Estelle and Stacy lived. Cars filled the suburban city, and it felt enclosed within it's little society. Nature was abundant, trees and plants on every street, with it's sidewalks painted crystal white and house's with an victorian era twist to it. It was itself, both modern and a relic that reminded other's of the past, it's college known for bringing more artists, investors, and builders into the world, as well as now an ever growing more normal campus within. 

Binko Tempest felt slow paced, life calm and quite, crime rates unusually low, but the residents have all experienced some kind of lost. Living in such a small city outside of the main highway always brought forth people wanting not to have bigger lives, just smaller homes with their families.

Stacy Vantel was an interesting person. She was known throughout Tempest for being able to cook the best pies, (used to) working as a college professor and had a small part-time job at a library to many. Stacy and her daughter both used to live in a quaint home near the elementary school, Peregrine, and eventually moved to live at an apartment, close to her workplace and the high school. Her coworkers were unknown to the detail, but Stacy always appeared happy every morning, bouncing around and helping others. It was a shame that Estelle, her daughter, was so unlike her.

Stacy thought that Estelle had gotten her withdrawn traits from her dad and was always disappointed about that. Still life was bright and forward. She had been young when Estelle was just born, only 17, and her ex-husband was much older than her. Stacy's parent's had been worried, untrusting, but eventually gave in when Mitch had such a good reputation around Church. Stacy was warned many times to not live with Mitch, but always ignored those warnings in favor for her new little baby girl, just one years old in the world. The light of her life and such a sweet little cute baby cheeks. 

Tears streamed down Stacy's eyes and she fell in love with Estelle the moment she came into this world, and love the idea of her growing up and living the dreams Stacy always wanted to do. Estelle had such pretty eyes, and Stacy saw herself in them.

They were all a little family and soon Sansan was born. He was born premature and quite small for an infant, but his giggling and gurgles reminded Stacy of herself, and she decided to keep him as well.

It was nice for a time. Mitch was rarely home, often working full-time at Church and staying late hours. It was quite far, and he also did many volunteering jobs around the community. He was rarely home, and Sansan hadn't even known he had another parent until Mitch came one day to visit his little birthday ceremony in 2nd grade. 

Stacy cared about Mitch, met him when she was in high school and him a little older than her, and she fell in love with him after one of her friends got them introduced to each other. He was quiet to other people, but Stacy knew that he would be good to their kids.

She later realized that being around Mitch was stressful. He would come home, late at night, tired and withdrawn to her attempts at comforting him. Sometimes he would yell at her, and she would get nervous and confused every time it happened. Stacy wasn't sure exactly why he was mad at her, but he was probably stressed and overworking again.

And for years she tried to ignore it. Glass ceramic mugs would be smashes and pieces would fall to the floor, tables would be shoved and food spilled all over. It became more constant and every time Mitch came home, there would always escalate to an one-sided argument and eventually leave the house messed up. He called her, "unbearable," and degrades her constantly to being, "worse than a criminal, she ruined my life."