Episode 8: FITTY SCENT

“Quit whining you brat. What’s a little prune in your juice?” Cackled Trinity McGuire, the house maid and past lifelong nanny to the LeGend lineage.

Nina LeGend-Sabastian squealed at the stench of skunk urine still lingering from her pores. Not even the home remedy of twenty gallons of canned tomato juice covering her body could dispel its pungent flavor. The fact that the crusty old curmudgeon stood over her with a hard wire brush once used on the family dog was hardly helping. Long deceased that dog! Hmm!

“Get away from me you Hag. I’m not five years old anymore. I won’t tolerate the way you used to treat me. I’m 32... 36 now, for God’s sake.”

The redheaded beast taunted her with the brush when from behind her entered Babs LeGend to her daughter’s rescue. Peeling Trinity’s fingers from the brush handle with effort she faintly grinned at the old woman, amused by her cantankerous mischief.

“That will be enough of your tenderizing my daughter.”

“Tenderizing?” The old woman rolled in laughter. “More like terrorizing. Her skin is too tough for a brush like this. I say we run her through a car wash.”

Babs guided her employee backward toward the bathroom doorway with her chin raised to show authority. “Focus on preparing dinner, Dear. Scoot. Shoo!” Trinity sneered at Babs attempting to get her brush back. Finally, unsuccessful she growled and turned away. “Don’t blame me if she ruins dinner with that cheap ass perfume. Five minutes. That’s all I’m asking. The brat’s already two quarts shy of a Bloody Mary bath. Scratch that she doesn’t deserve immortality.”

“NOR DO YOU!” Nina erupted! “DIE ALREADY YOU ... YOU ... YOU LONG DEAD ZOMBIE.”

A shrill cry for attention Nina pleaded to her mother to push her down the staircase. Nudging the maid out Barbara shut the door and pressed her back against it. Two body tossed against it thumps from the other side Babs smiled. Silence finally!

“I think she’s done.” Fingers crossed! A hesitant held breath for certainty Babs felt confident. “Yes! I believe she is.”

Nina lifted her hands from beneath the pool of tomato juice in the claw foot tub letting it trickle from her arms. “I hate her. Have daddy take her quail hunting and shoot her.”

“Calm yourself, Nina.” Babs frowned with a finger to her lips. “Trinity is just old and trying to help in her own twisted way. And speaking of age. You are not thirty-two. Nora would be thirty-six. You my lovely liar are thirty-eight.”

“Don’t remind me. Fine! I’ll act my age.” She winced at the red hue staining her body. “Mother? I reek. I really, really reek. Why am I always tortured like this? Can’t daddy set traps out for that monster?”

Sighing, Barbara sat down on the ledge of the tub to lean in and lift Nina’s chin. “Sweetheart, it was only a silly panic stricken skunk. You spooked it.”

Nina exhaled loudly! “I was referring to Trinity.”

Disguising a giggle with her right hand over her mouth Babs winked at her daughter. “She loves you, Dear. You might not want to believe it, but she does. Think of all the good things she has done over the years.”

“Seriously?” Nina glared up at her with eyes that failed to blink. “Name one, Mother. One!”

In turn Babs contemplated releasing her daughter’s chin. “She always kept you hidden from Nora when you played Hide and Seek.”

“She locked me in a trunk up in the attic then had Nora help bake cookies. I stayed there until daddy found me. I was punished for playing in the attic. Why do you always take her side? How dreadful it must have been for daddy growing up an only child raised by that wolf in sheep’s clothing. I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t let him suckle her tit as a baby.” She shivered at the thought of that possibly occurring in her own infancy.

“Augustus has never once spoken of anything quite so traumatic. She was the mother he never had, having lost poor Delores to scarlet fever as a baby. Only good things. As I said, she’s just old and cranky. Let her enjoy her irrational behavior in her final days.”

Nina grumbled beneath her breath. “Our luck the woman is immortal.” Bloody Mary, indeed! “Maybe she was nice to daddy because he was an only child. After all, she couldn’t have children of her own, right? Could it be she can only love one child at a time?”

Bab’s sighed with mental exhaustion, lowering her eyes. “Dear, please. Let this go. Trinity has a heart of gold beneath the mine shaft.”

She stood up as Nina draped her right arm over the side of the tub to prevent tomato juice getting on her dress. “I’m just saying that I was born first. That should have been me.” Puckering Barbara ignored her daughter’s fight for attention. She didn’t really know what to say about it.

“Soak, dear! Lie back and relax. As discomforting as the smell may be. I’m going to go help your, Aunt Gina set the table. I’m certain the boys will be famished after a hard day’s work.”

Nina continued her distant round of emotions as Barbara opened the door turning to blow her a kiss. “I’ll check on you in fifteen minutes.”

Stepping into the hallway Babs found her sister Gina Grogan, a medium build version of herself with short, straight hair sitting in a Victorian chair along the wall. A scowl was shared between them. “Poor thing. Augustus burned her clothing in the fireplace. The odor would never have come out I’m afraid.”

Folding her arms in front of her, Babs seemed disappointed as she subconsciously looked back at the bathroom door. “She looked so lovely in Prada.” Gina concurred with a faint grimace.

“Joseph called. He and Garrison have worked up quite an appetite. I told him that Trinity was preparing her famous Bavarian Pot Roast. I could hear his mouth watering all the way over to Nora’s home. Garrison asked Joe if he would witness to those lady contractors. Was that not sweet of him?”

Babs fidgeted, attempting not to show her suspicious nature. “I can only imagine the trouble they have seen.” Barbara LeGend knew her son-in-law all too well. “Come along, Sister. Let us break out the fine China.”

Standing up Gina accepted her sister’s extended elbow, intertwining her own arm within it. “Are you certain we should leave Nina alone? I would hate for her to fall asleep and drown in her soup.”

Babs patted Gina’s arm for jesting, then smiled brightly. “Your niece needs this time to herself. Let her soul search in her cocktail. Tomato is another day.”

Gina lets out an unplanned snort, blushing at her sister through her giggles. “Oh, Babs. You’re so witty.”

Within a bathroom of three separate exits Nina Sabastian shed a tear, resting the back of her head on the side of the tub. Her emotions were shot. A lifted hand to wipe her runny nose only made matters worse as the dripping tomato juice on her fingers gave her a red moustache. Whimpering, her body began to chill and tremble from the coldness in her soul. That and the scent of herself made her eyes water.

“What’s to become of me, Donatello?” She glared up toward the ceiling. “Each day becomes increasingly more unbearable without you. For such a short while, I found a comfort in your arms. All of my life I felt isolated and alone. Nora always took center stage, even before the performing arts. As much as my parents deny it, even they favored Nora. Her recital’s at Uncle Joseph’s church choir always kept them busy. Mother would send me for singing lessons until only a deaf tutor could hear my cries for help. That, is the story of my life. Nora the gifted one. Nina the gift hoarse.

“You discovered me at a flower show in Connecticut and made me feel so very good about myself for the very first time. Mother’s prize orchids took first place. I took first place in your attentions. I sorely miss you, My Love. You called me your Blossom Basket. How could I resist your charms? You loved me even when I was overbearing and cold toward you. Maybe I drove you to the grave. Stressed you out until your heart couldn’t take it anymore.” She closed her eyes. “I don’t know. Perhaps my destiny is to be forever alone.”

Nina thought of her nephew, young Connor Dhorne who tried his best to comfort her in her time of sorrow. Yet, she lashed out in her misery. Sighing, she continued her thoughts. “I’m sorry, Connor. For being a bad Godmother. I just couldn’t handle the loss. First Nora, then Donatello. I realize now that you were hurting as well. Perhaps Nora knew Donatello would be leaving me. Choosing me to raise you in hopes we might console one another. You were just too much for me. Fighting for the attention, I myself wanted. Our competition was a constant battle.

“I hope one day you can forgive me, Nora. For abandoning your son. Like his father did.” So engrossed in her thoughts she neglected to hear a door opening from Nora’s bedroom behind her. Nor, the shadow over her.

“Here’s some veggies for your stew.” Chuckled the devil maid of Bartlett, Alabama! Trinity McGuire scraped off diced carrots and potatoes into the lap of Nina whose eyes erupted out of confusion. Staring down at the floating vegetables she cried even harder. She wanted to scream at the old bird who took a plunger by the toilet to use as a churn between Nina’s legs.