Finding Atlas

I was born Andromeda Calista Theriot on November 27th, 1988 to Lucille de la Vergne-Villeré-Bermudez and Fitzgerald Theriot, who both hailed from families with old money dating back to the Cajun settlement in Louisiana. My parents told me several times that the day I was born was the happiest day of both their lives, and despite the burning desire I had to believe them, I couldn't. I couldn't believe that my birthday was the happiest day of their lives because Mother's must have been the day she married Pops—it was a grand wedding that cost nearly five hundred thousand dollars, and she's huge on money—and Pops's must have been the day Xavier was born because he was the only male child in my generation in our family.

Envying money wouldn't do me any good, and neither would envying Xavier because he was my favorite cousin, so I didn't envy at all, because I couldn't change a thing. When I was younger, I sought the comfort and love of my Nana, Savannah Theriot. As I grew older, my visits to my Nana were limited (now they were nonexistent), so I merely smiled and ignored the lack of love parents were supposed to give their children. My father learned to love me, although the same could not be said about my mother.

From the outsider's point of view, I lived the perfect life. I had a very expensive roof above my head and gourmet food on my plate as well as designer bags and clothes. I had wonderful parents who treated me as an equal. What more could I ask for, really? Yes, I did have everything some people only dream of, but there was a void in my life that could never be filled, and I don't even know how it came to be. But it's just been there, for the longest time, and I've been sad, for the longest time.