New Beginnings

How the Smith Stole Christmas

"Polly, pass me that blanket in the box please?" Alice asked frustratedly as she wandered up and down the room with a crying Tyler on her arm, desperately trying to get him to sleep.

After being evicted, Alice had no choice but to move the family into a motel temporarily. It was tiny, cramped and not the cleanest of places, causing the women to bicker constantly over the most frivolous of topics, but it was all Alice could afford at the time, so they unfortunately had to deal.

The teen continued to ignore her mother as she sat back into the beat up armchair, watching whatever nonsense on the TV that had her so enticed.

"Polly?!" Alice called again, more agitation in her voice. She still received no answer, and took matters into her own hands by storming over to the television set and switching it off.

"I was watching that!" Polly practically screamed as she got up out of the chair, giving her mother a domineering look.

"Don't look at me like that." Alice warmed sternly. "Now give me that blanket." She demanded. Polly reluctantly handed her the cloth before narrowing her eyes at her mother. She was still pretty mad about their living situation and had barely spoken to her mother since they had moved into the motel.

Alice wrapped the tot in the blanket and laid him down to rest in his travel crib. He immediately calmed himself down when he had his blanket with him and began to try and fall asleep, which Alice was relieved by.

She walked back over to Polly, who had turned the TV back on and pulled up one of the boxes with their belongings in to sit on in front of her daughter.

She sighed as she saw the genuine anger in her daughters eyes. Alice never wanted to turn out like her mother when she was growing up, and knowing she was on the road to doing so, with her daughters resenting her the same way she did her mother, hurt her to the core.

"Polly, please look at me." She sadly begged.

The teen turned her head towards her mother, but did nothing about the expression on her face.

"I know you're pissed at me right now, trust me baby I know, but I promise I will fix this, and by New Years, we'll be celebrating in our new home." She assured Polly.

The teen's face softened a little as she glared back at her mother, feeling slightly guilty about her outburst.

She was about to speak finally, but was  interrupted by Betty bursting into the room and looking highly shifty as she  came power walking through and clutching her coat tightly.

She rashly shut the door in a panic, making sure it was double locked before stepping towards the window and glaring to see if anyone had followed her.

"And where the hell have you been?!" Alice demanded to know as she stood up, placing her hand on her hips.

Betty turned back around at her mother and sister, looking guiltier than sin. "Just, for some fresh air." She lied with a stammer as she ran a hand through her hair with her other still clutching onto her jacket.

She walked over to Tyler's crib in a hurry, hoping to check on him, but was stopped as a bottle of what looked to be perfume dropped out of her jacket, she silently cursed as it did.

Alice gritted her teeth the minute the bottle hit the floor and stormed over to her daughter, picking up the bottle and shoving it into her face. "Oh really? And I guess Santa dropped this into your hands on your little stroll too huh? Open your jacket." She demanded.

The teen sighed and let go of her jacket, revealing bottles of perfume and medication. Alice picked it all up and dumped them all on the bed.

"So, while I was here watching YOUR kid, you were out stealing again?! What the hell do you need perfume for, and whatever this is?!" Alice asked angrily gesturing to an odd looking box.