Chapter 2

Ann didn’t want to get into it with Brian in front of her family but she was going to have a hell of a lot to say to him when they left her brother’s place. Brian was acting differently today than normal, but he was just too naive. There was nothing that would change Amanda. She’d raised her so she should know. For right now, she needed to squash any thoughts of Amanda and her brat coming to stay, she decided.

“Brian’s heart is in the right place, Amanda. But I KNOW you. You are a lying, manipulative bully who would steal us blind without a second thought. There is absolutely no way I am going to let you within a hundred feet of my house! I can’t even believe you thought you could ignore Brian and ask me! HE has less reason to trust you than me! I never did tell him some of the things you accused him of when you lived with us last time. Lies that were just designed to set us against each other, but you failed then and you’ll fail now. If I thought his idea had as much as a snowball’s chance in hell, I would have considered it. But you ... you couldn’t even go an entire day without making a point of ruining someone’s life just because they offended you by breathing the wrong way. You’re a cruel, heartless bitch and that’s being kind!” Ann peaked her tirade practically shouting at Amanda.

“So now’s not the best time to ask for a loan?” Amanda said with a grin, totally brushing off her mother’s insults.

Dalia giggled behind Amanda. She’d seen the humor in Amanda’s comment, but Ann took her literally.

“You are a real piece of work, you know that? I cannot believe you’d dare to ask for a loan!”

“Joking mother!” Amanda said, still smiling. “But seriously, I have changed. Look at my truck! Does that look like the sort of ride I’d have if I was half as bad as you describe? It’s all just a misunderstanding. Why don’t I come over tonight and we’ll talk. I’ll even pick up dinner. It’ll give you a chance to think about this, okay, mom?” Amanda said in a soothing voice.

Amanda knew that once she got her foot in the door, there’d be no stopping her. She just had to sideline loser Brian, even if Brian seemed to have grown some balls since she’d last seen him.

“No! You have NO redeeming qualities! I always wondered if you were switched at birth!” Ann raged in reply.

“Ann, that’s your daughter you’re talking about,” Brian said. “It doesn’t matter what she’s said about me, because we both know she’s a habitual liar. But she has good qualities too,” Brian admonished his wife.

“Name one, Brian and I’ll let her come over!” Ann challenged her husband before she thought about what she was saying.

“No. YOU name three!” Brian said, pissed off all over again that Ann thought she was justified in belittling him in front of her extended family.

“That’s what I’m saying! There’s nothing redeeming about Amanda. Weren’t you listening?” Ann sounded totally frustrated with Brian and talked to him as if he had lost even more IQ points in the last few seconds.

“No, dear. You listen to ME. Amanda is family. She won’t stop being family just because you, in your infinite wisdom, have disowned her. I can immediately think of three qualities she possesses, but you seem blind to everything except your anger - anger because she hurt poor little old you, just like she does with a hundred percent of the other people she’s ever met!”

“You’d be angry too if you ... well never mind. You just forgive and forget everything anyone does to you. I’m not like that. I remember everything. She will NOT come to our house again. Please?”

“Look, babe. Come outside with me. We need a private chat and you need to cool off, okay?”

Brian was doing everything he could to keep his temper under wraps. Ann was not making it easy on him. It would be easier if he just jumped in the car by himself and didn’t look back, but he’d meant what he said. Amanda really WAS family, even if it was generally a family he didn’t particularly like. And he really could think of 3 good qualities, even though she’d disrespected him so bluntly just a moment ago.

At least Brian was sounding more like his normal self, Ann thought. She did want to go outside and tell him exactly what Amanda had accused him of, but going outside with him now would have been like losing the argument with her daughter.”I’m not going anywhere. I will sit right here until Amanda has packed her stuff. She’s not welcome here either,” Ann said as if she owned her brother’s house.

“Then sit here until you’ve come up with 3 good qualities in Amanda, then. No coffee, no smoking and NO getting up. I’ve had enough, Ann. If you get out of that seat before doing as I ask, you’ll be walking home. I’m your husband and I’m serious.”

Ann looked at Brian in disbelief. He hardly ever played the husband card. In fact, Ann could only think of one time in 20 years that he’d done it. Anne was old school and had a very specific set of values. If nothing else, she was obligated to accepting her husband’s demands. She had in the past, mostly sidestepped that requirement, by being vocal in her opinions.

The couple stared at each other for long moments. Eventually Ann dropped her gaze, but she didn’t acknowledge his demand for another minute.

“Okay. Good qualities. First, Amanda gives up on anything and everything she tries to do. That’s good because it saves her from burying herself every time with her constant poor decisions. Two, she elicits loyalty from her daughter, however I can’t for the life of me understand why she does or even wants to and three, she has a sense of humor. She’d have to, to think that she’s coming to OUR home. Satisfied, dear?”

“Good, thank you honey and I even agree with one of those observations. Amanda does have a great sense of humor. The big question is, given the set of rules I’ve laid out, does she have the cahoonas to give them a try?”

Amanda was startled by Brian’s question. She was still figuring out how she’d convince her mom to give her another chance. She knew she wouldn’t even need to abide by any rules - just agree to them, then ignore them. What could Brian really do?

“Sure I can follow your silly rules. I want to show you I’ve changed,” Amanda lied.

“Are you ready to put your money where your mouth is?” Brian asked.

Amanda was not about to be rushed. Knowing she wouldn’t follow the rules, was one thing. But Brian wouldn’t have offered if he didn’t have something up his sleeve.

“And what if I forget a rule? How many chances are you willing to give me? That three strike thing you had the last time I lived there?”

“That didn’t work at all well. You know that even better than me, Amanda. No, the first time you break a rule, you’re out on your ear the same day. For example, you leave the house and ‘forget’ to go to a job interview? By the time you return, I’ll have your stuff packed and on the porch.” Brian assured her.

“How would you even know, Brian?” Amanda challenged him.

“If you leave the house without getting approval, you’re out. If you’re late back, you’re out. I’ll be contacting the person you’re interviewing with and be the concerned parent - ensuring you made it there safely. Even if you forget to discuss your feelings on the interview, you’ll be out. That one’s something I consider to be almost the most important, because by talking about your thoughts and feelings on the interview while it’s fresh in your mind, we can discuss ways for you to improve your interview techniques. Think of those discussions as affirmations of your desire to improve yourself, if you like. Do you want to know what THE most important rule is?”

“Absolutely! But let me try to guess, first. It’d be the one where I get naked, right, Brian?” Amanda rolled her eyes and smirked.

“Not at all, Amanda. I didn’t even bother reminding you of that one. I was sure you hadn’t forgotten. No, the most important one is respect. You must refer to others as Sir or Ma’am, unless it’s me. I get to be ‘daddy’ to you. If you forget even once, I’ll put you out in a heartbeat. That’s the one rule I seriously doubt you can adhere to. Are you going to be able to prove your mother wrong and stick with this? You can start now.” Brian sounded cold and threatening.

Instead of answering, Amanda asked a question of her own. That’s all fine ... daddy,” she said as if reluctantly testing the word on her lips and not liking it at all, “but what about Emily? You’re not HER daddy. And I’ve never had a whole lot of success making her do what I want, so what makes you think you can?” She asked, looking over at her daughter and seeing her making faces behind Brian. She couldn’t help it. She smiled.

“I imagine Emily will spend a lot of hours standing in the corner like a child. If that doesn’t work, we move to plan B and see how she likes corporal punishment. She’s not an adult yet, so I won’t hold you personally responsible for her. We’ll take on that responsibility in the short term.”

“No way. Emily’s MY daughter and I’ll discipline her as I see fit.” amanda insisted.

“If you really believe your form of discipline has made Emily a better person and that no improvement is possible, then I guess there’s no point in continuing this conversation, because I know and I’m certain your mother would agree one hundred percent, that Emily is an undisciplined brat at least as nasty as you.”

Amanda wasn’t sure how to respond to that. She was having thoughts of the scam she’d run on Aaron again. Something about this whole thing was like deja vu to her. It was as if her speil to Aaron was being played back at her.

Ann sat in her chair, puffing on a cigarette, quietly relieved that Amanda had flatly refused to give discipline of Emily over to Brian. That insistence, she knew, would put an end to Amanda’s bid to move back home and her relief was visible. She really did love her daughter - she just couldn’t stand her nor do anything to change her.

“Why do you all not think I can follow damn rules as good as mom?” Emily put in, out of nowhere. Mom will bail long before anyone ever has a problem with me!”

Emily was actually telling her mom that Amanda could rely on her and if she wanted a way in Brian and Grandma’s front door, she was behind whatever scheme her mom had planned. They’d been pretty successful with a loser do-gooder in Virginia and they even got a truck out of it. Emily was wondering how much they could get this time. Maybe that big old house? The thought made her smile.

“You’re saying you’re willing to try this? Brian was even more surprised at that than he was that Amanda would consider being naked at his house. When she’d had last lived at the house, she had been even more anal about her privacy than her mom had been. Walking from the bathroom to her bedroom in a towel had been unthinkable to her.

“Why are you so surprised? Were you making all those rules just so we’d turn down your offer? That’s it, isn’t it! Well you don’t know us very well, Brian. Mom told you she’s not the same person as you guys kicked out last year but you don’t believe her, so you made up all these rules so it’s not your fault when we say thanks but no thanks. Well I say mom will prove you wrong and if we have to live with these dumb rules for a while to prove it, then I think we can! Mom?”

Amanda was still not sure. She was beginning to wonder about her idea to scam her mom for one more big pay day. Part of her wanted to just walk away now before she screwed up what looked like one last chance to have a reconciliation. A bigger part of her was wondering what she could get. She liked the thrill of winning and winning to her, meant coming out on top, no matter what happened to her victims. They usually weren’t worthy of a further thought from her most of the time, but sometimes guilt did plague even her. Right now she was feeling that annoying desire to actually change. To really BE a better person even though all her previous efforts had failed.

“So there’d be no chances? If I screw up one time, you kick us out. Do you think everyone is really capable of being perfect when they need to be? You sound so black and white, Brian,” she said, not feeling that she could call this guy daddy. “The problem with that is that theres a gray area in the real world too. “I’m willing to try to follow your rules, but I also know I’ll screw up. I’m just not capable of being perfect. So unless you’re willing to talk real world stuff, there’s no point in discussing this further.”

Emily looked at her mom like she’d grown a second head. She’d set her mom up so well to accept the rules that would get them in the house and now Amanda was fucking everything up!

Brian looked at Amanda with some newfound respect. He had at first expected her to turn down his offer because she could not agree to his rules and then he thought she’d accept his rules to prove a point or something. Now she was turning down his offer because there was no room for her to screw up and redeem herself. That was totally unexpected and mature of her.

“What do you suggest, then?” he asked, really interested in hearing what she had to say.

“I’m not suggesting anything, Brian. I’m only saying that the consequence of a single screw up is to be put out again and that gets us nowhere. What do YOU suggest? Some sort of consequence that helps us atone for doing something wrong, maybe?”

“You make it sound like you need a trainer or a coach. Someone to watch over you and make sure you stay in line.” Brian replied. “If you were fat and wanted to lose weight, what would you do?” he asked.

Amanda thought about it for a moment. “First, I’d have to put the junk food out of my own reach. I know I’d do anything to get at that junk food, so I’d have to have someone to keep me away from it. But I also know that I’d need to reward myself for each pound of weight I lost. Rewards of junk food would be counterproductive but I’d need something, otherwise I would just give up.”

Brian believed her. He wasn’t sure why he should, but her explanation was just like what he’d heard about one facet of the Weight Watchers program. “Well I can tell you that you would be closely supervised in our house, Amanda. Neither of us trusts either you or Emily. You know that so it’s not a surprise. The question is, what will you accept as a motivator to stay away from the things that ruined every relationship you’ve ever been in, from friends to boyfriends to family?”

“I used to get a slap on the hand when I tried to grab a cookie out of the cookie jar when I was a kid,” Dalia put in helpfully. “But mom’s cookies were so good that I kept sneaking them anyway!” she laughed.

“What would happen if you were caught after you ate the cookie?” Brian asked, looking at Dalia’s voluptuous figure. She’d had a few cookies in her life.

“I’d get a spanking,” she admitted with a blush, “Then dad would put me in the corner with my hands on my head and my elbows touching the walls, and I’d have to stay there until dad got sick of seeing me and sent me outside to play.”

“Looks like you got away with it more than you got caught, snookums,” Duncan observed with a grin. “And I sure am glad! More of you to love the way you are!”

“So you received corporal and humility punishment,” Brian summarized. “But that wasn’t enough to stop you trying because you weren’t rewarded for any self control you displayed. So what would be a good reward for staying out of the cookie jar?” he asked.

“Beer!” Duncan put in. “Beer, the great problem solver, party starter and reward for anything!”

“Beer is fattening too,” Ann said with her normal absolute authority. “And the way you drink it, I’m surprised you don’t weigh 400 pounds yourself!” she said, looking at his lank frame.

“Well I burn off a lot of calories with Dalia,” he laughed and slapped his thigh, winking at his girlfriend. “Speaking of which, are you gonna take these two with you or not? We’re way past due for some private exercise!”

“Alcohol is NOT a good reward for Amanda OR Emily. Both of them get even worse when they’ve had too much,” Brian said dismissively, thinking of the time he’d caught Emily drunk. “So we can hardly use your calorie burning idea as a reward. If we do this and use Amanda’s weight loss plan as a template and even possibly Dalia’s corrective measures,” he said, looking at Ann and seeing her frown, “there’s still the matter of rewards we CAN offer for her showing she can resist the myriad of temptations before her.”

“So offer dates as rewards,” Dalia giggled. “My dad started adding to my punishments by putting me on restriction and not letting me go on dates,” she said wistfully. “That made a hell of a difference.”

“Damn girl! How old were you? I thought the cookie thing was when you were six or something!” Emily stared at Dalia in disbelief.