Tainted: Origins of a Psycho

Mother (Part One)

~Earlier That Day~

Vera looked at her reflection in the mirror with a weary sigh. There were dark circles under her once radiant brown eyes, and she had lost so much weight since her son left that her cheeks were caved in. She was happy that he was able to get away from the abuse he'd endured for so long, but with him gone she was left without a friend in the world, and her family was treating her worse than ever before.

Tears swelled in her eyes and she reached for the bottle of raspberry wine stashed under the bathroom sink, shaking her head in shame as she poured herself a large glass.  There was a time in her life where she never would have guessed that she would be sneaking in sips of alcohol to hold on to what sanity she had left, but she made the mistake of falling in love with a man who treated her like a punching bag.

Despite his terrible ways, Vera truly believed that there was good in her husband, and that there was still a chance she could change him into the loving husband and father that he was more than capable of being.

The sound of the front door opening pulled her back to reality, and she shoved the bottle of wine back underneath the sink. She smeared a little foundation on her cheeks before going to greet Victor and Violet in the living room.

"How was the movie?" She asked, handing her husband his pair of slippers, like she did every day when he returned home. 

"Total suck fest."  Victor grumbled, collapsing into his black recliner.

"Yeah!" Violet agreed, "It wasn't even scary! I told Daddy we shoulda got our money back!"

Vera forced herself to smile at them. "Sorry to hear that. Would you like me to go to the video store later? I'll find us a good movie to watch."

"No, thanks." Victor said, grabbing the remote control off of the coffee table. "The last time I sent you to the video store you returned with a corny family movie. Your taste sucks."

"I'm sorry." Vera sighed, looking down at the floor. "I guess I'll go cook dinner while you find something on television."

She started to walk away, but Violet stepped in front of her with her hands on her hips. "I sure hope it's better than those tacos you made last night. Those were disgusting!"

Vera looked to her husband to see if he would come to her aid, but as usual he simply laughed and agreed with his little princess. She sighed again and made her way into the kitchen to cook a package of pork chops she'd purchased earlier in the day.  As they simmered in the pan, she thought about how her son was always sure to tell her how thankful he was that she took the time to cook for him.  The thought brought a small smile to her face, and she found herself missing him that much more.

When she finished cooking dinner, she fixed Victor's plate and carried it to him.  "Here you go, sweetheart."  She said, "I hope that you-"

"Shhhh!"  He hissed, snatching the plate from her hands.  His eyes were fixed on an episode of Law and Order.

Vera shook her head and fixed her daughter a plate before going back to her bedroom. She poured herself another large glass of wine and reminisced on the good times she had with her son. She stayed alone in her room for several hours, hiding the evidence of her depression until it was time to go to sleep.