Triplets
Louise
"Don't you remember?"
His voice grated at my hearing, the close proximity was all his doing which I wasn't thrilled about either, but it's not like he cares. After all, he thinks he can do whatever he wants just because he's my father. Please, I call bullshit.
Rolling my head to show him that I didn't care, I lent my head on my hand and just gazed at the door behind his head. "I probably don't remember because everything you say just goes right out of my ear the moment you finish." He sighed and checked his watch. "Oh, please, don't feel obliged to stay because of me if you have something more important to attend," I drawled.
"Louise, please. This is supposed to be about rebuilding our relationship, not tearing each other down," he said.
"That's what the bitch who tells you everything said? Because to me, this is just another way that you can rub it in my face that you've confined me to this school for me not suiting your family's image."
He sighed and rubbed his temples. "I thought you'd mature somewhat since the last time I saw you."
"Well, I guess I didn't inherit your genes then," I spat.
"You know what? This is why you're here, Louise. Your behaviour. Nothing to do with me or your mother, it's your behaviour. We sent you here because you pushed us to our wits' end and this was the only school that would take you in December. I'm sorry that it's a boarding school but it's only until June," he said, finally getting out what I had expected him to rattle off his chest for the last few months.
Drumming my fingers on the tap, I crossed my legs and made sure my school skirt was neatly across my top knee before I spoke. "Have you ever asked me why? Why I act like I do? No, no one has ever asked me that so why should I bother listen to what everyone else is demanding me to do?"
The bell rang overhead, signalling that parents should start wrapping up their time with their children before they'll be asked to leave. It's usually ten minutes after the bell that parents are told to start leaving and then it's normally another twenty minutes until every parent is out of the school and off home. This was my first parents' meeting but I knew how it worked thanks to my roommate, a girl who thinks I care about her insomnia-filled nights when in reality I don't and only ever humour her some nights because I choose not to sleep in order to catch up with any work that I haven't done or even do someone else's work because that's what happens when you get put in an all girls' school and a group of girls make you their target.
I watched my father rest one hand over his knuckles as he heard my words. After a moment of silence, he nodded slowly. "Okay, Louise. Why do you feel the need to act like you do? I'm all ears."
With a sigh, I began to fiddle with the ring on my finger. "You know Uncle Gary–"
He cut me off. "Don't start with this nonsense again, Louise," he warned, not wanting to even hear what I was going to say.
I knew he wouldn't listen, no matter what he said. Even though he's my father and should listen to what I tell him, all he does is worry about his work and how to 'deal' with me. He never wanted to listen to why he had to 'deal' with me because I've said it before and he told me not to lie. Shows how much he cared.
"Whatever. Fine, you want to know why I act like I do? It's because no one listens and no one even care. You're too busy with work and the only members of this family you even pay attention to is your wife and your other children. From the moment I hit thirteen I was treated like a waste of space, like I was a nuisance to everyone in the bloody family!"
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Louise, no one thinks you're a waste of space. In fact, no one is too busy for you. It's you who stops us from showing that we care."
"Bullshit!" I exclaimed. "You think I don't know what you wanted me to remember? Summer in Spain when I was eleven. I went into the water and you joined me for once but I went out a bit too far for my ability and I panicked. I thought I was going to drown but then you came and calmed me down and brought me out of the water. Of course I remember that memory; how could I not? But do you remember two years ago on my fourteenth birthday? You hit me so hard that it hurt to blink for two days afterwards just because Lily tripped over and you thought I had hurt her. I remember that memory more than the one you remember because you hit me after promising you'd never do it again after Mum threatened to press charges on you because she disagreed with your method of discipline. And the thing I remember most clearly from that day is me trying to remind you that you swore you'd never hit me again and all you said was that I deserved it for hurting your daughter. Almost like I wasn't your daughter as well."
By now tears were in my eyes and I was angry as well as sad. Sad because this was what my relationship with my father had amounted to and angry because he never once tried to acknowledge that it's not just me to blame, it's him as well. I didn't know what he was going to say back to that or whether he would even say anything because at that moment a teacher poked her head into the room. "Mr. Jenkins, I'm afraid it's time for you to go," she apologised.
He nodded curtly at her and stood up. "Goodbye, Louise," was all he said before he disappeared out the door and I was left alone. That was all he could say to me? I've had it with trying with him! As soon as I hit sixteen, I'm leaving to live with my mum. I don't care about their divorce agreement, I can't live with him for two more years.
His voice grated at my hearing, the close proximity was all his doing which I wasn't thrilled about either, but it's not like he cares. After all, he thinks he can do whatever he wants just because he's my father. Please, I call bullshit.
Rolling my head to show him that I didn't care, I lent my head on my hand and just gazed at the door behind his head. "I probably don't remember because everything you say just goes right out of my ear the moment you finish." He sighed and checked his watch. "Oh, please, don't feel obliged to stay because of me if you have something more important to attend," I drawled.
"Louise, please. This is supposed to be about rebuilding our relationship, not tearing each other down," he said.
"That's what the bitch who tells you everything said? Because to me, this is just another way that you can rub it in my face that you've confined me to this school for me not suiting your family's image."
He sighed and rubbed his temples. "I thought you'd mature somewhat since the last time I saw you."
"Well, I guess I didn't inherit your genes then," I spat.
"You know what? This is why you're here, Louise. Your behaviour. Nothing to do with me or your mother, it's your behaviour. We sent you here because you pushed us to our wits' end and this was the only school that would take you in December. I'm sorry that it's a boarding school but it's only until June," he said, finally getting out what I had expected him to rattle off his chest for the last few months.
Drumming my fingers on the tap, I crossed my legs and made sure my school skirt was neatly across my top knee before I spoke. "Have you ever asked me why? Why I act like I do? No, no one has ever asked me that so why should I bother listen to what everyone else is demanding me to do?"
The bell rang overhead, signalling that parents should start wrapping up their time with their children before they'll be asked to leave. It's usually ten minutes after the bell that parents are told to start leaving and then it's normally another twenty minutes until every parent is out of the school and off home. This was my first parents' meeting but I knew how it worked thanks to my roommate, a girl who thinks I care about her insomnia-filled nights when in reality I don't and only ever humour her some nights because I choose not to sleep in order to catch up with any work that I haven't done or even do someone else's work because that's what happens when you get put in an all girls' school and a group of girls make you their target.
I watched my father rest one hand over his knuckles as he heard my words. After a moment of silence, he nodded slowly. "Okay, Louise. Why do you feel the need to act like you do? I'm all ears."
With a sigh, I began to fiddle with the ring on my finger. "You know Uncle Gary–"
He cut me off. "Don't start with this nonsense again, Louise," he warned, not wanting to even hear what I was going to say.
I knew he wouldn't listen, no matter what he said. Even though he's my father and should listen to what I tell him, all he does is worry about his work and how to 'deal' with me. He never wanted to listen to why he had to 'deal' with me because I've said it before and he told me not to lie. Shows how much he cared.
"Whatever. Fine, you want to know why I act like I do? It's because no one listens and no one even care. You're too busy with work and the only members of this family you even pay attention to is your wife and your other children. From the moment I hit thirteen I was treated like a waste of space, like I was a nuisance to everyone in the bloody family!"
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Louise, no one thinks you're a waste of space. In fact, no one is too busy for you. It's you who stops us from showing that we care."
"Bullshit!" I exclaimed. "You think I don't know what you wanted me to remember? Summer in Spain when I was eleven. I went into the water and you joined me for once but I went out a bit too far for my ability and I panicked. I thought I was going to drown but then you came and calmed me down and brought me out of the water. Of course I remember that memory; how could I not? But do you remember two years ago on my fourteenth birthday? You hit me so hard that it hurt to blink for two days afterwards just because Lily tripped over and you thought I had hurt her. I remember that memory more than the one you remember because you hit me after promising you'd never do it again after Mum threatened to press charges on you because she disagreed with your method of discipline. And the thing I remember most clearly from that day is me trying to remind you that you swore you'd never hit me again and all you said was that I deserved it for hurting your daughter. Almost like I wasn't your daughter as well."
By now tears were in my eyes and I was angry as well as sad. Sad because this was what my relationship with my father had amounted to and angry because he never once tried to acknowledge that it's not just me to blame, it's him as well. I didn't know what he was going to say back to that or whether he would even say anything because at that moment a teacher poked her head into the room. "Mr. Jenkins, I'm afraid it's time for you to go," she apologised.
He nodded curtly at her and stood up. "Goodbye, Louise," was all he said before he disappeared out the door and I was left alone. That was all he could say to me? I've had it with trying with him! As soon as I hit sixteen, I'm leaving to live with my mum. I don't care about their divorce agreement, I can't live with him for two more years.