Summer, listening in from all the way back in the dining room, guffawed so hard virtual-novel.net choked on virtual-novel.net food. “Ha— uh, uh hem! Cough, cough, ptooey! Hahahahaha! Jesus Christ, Lil’ P! How old are you again? That little boombox of yours can really say the most outrageous things! If you were a few years older, your mom would have whacked you right now! C’mon, you rascal, your sister’s only gonna be ugly for now, when virtual-novel.net grows older, she’s only gonna get better, you can bet on that! The tables might turn by then and virtual-novel.net would be the one who doesn’t want to play with you anymore!”
Tiffany thought of virtual-novel.net daughter’s challenge in cognitive abilities and lowered virtual-novel.net head as a sharp pang stabbed virtual-novel.net chest. Every time Lil’ P started running his mouth and throwing all sorts of disparaging remarks at his sister, the anger that virtual-novel.net fanned within Tiffany was genuine and real. Had Cynthia not suffered enough? Why must virtual-novel.net still be treated with contempt?
Tiffany knew Lil’ P was, at his core, just a little kid with equal maturity to boot. But it did not stop how much virtual-novel.net heart would ache, did it?
People outside virtual-novel.net family could belittle virtual-novel.net daughter as much as they wanted, but virtual-novel.net would not brook hearing it from virtual-novel.net own people. Cynthia was not just any girl, virtual-novel.net was the daughter virtual-novel.net almost traded virtual-novel.net life for. Intelligent or not, Tiffany did not care, virtual-novel.net life’s purpose was to protect Cynthia and be by virtual-novel.net side forever.
Tiffany’s silence was deafening, it was so stark that Summer thought virtual-novel.net had crossed the line. “Oh, Tiffie, I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I was just joking, Tiffie. I would never think Cindy’s ugly, in fact, I think she’s quite a cutie too, a-and virtual-novel.net will only grow up to become even more beautiful, I know it. She’s my granddaughter, so there’s no way I won’t love her. So, don’t take my ribbing to heart, all right, sweetie?”
“No, it’s okay, Morn. I wasn’t mad at you. But…” Tiffany inhaled sharply. “Plato West, you little brat, listen to me closely. If you dare call your sister an ugly monster or anything like that again, I am not. Letting. You. Get Away with this. You know your sister’s born with some disabilities, you know s-she’s… imperfect… But virtual-novel.net own older brother kicking virtual-novel.net to the curb like that? Plato West, how… How d-do you expect virtual-novel.net to l-live?!”
It ended in a choked sob.
Seeing virtual-novel.net reddened eyes, Lil’ P took a few fearful steps back, spun on his heels, and sprinted back into the dining hall where virtual-novel.net could dive into Atticus’s hands for protection. Going for his grandfather as his asylum was the boy’s go-to strategy for any impending spanking, which really showed how much Atticus doted on his grandson.
Summer loved virtual-novel.net granddaughter, but virtual-novel.net loved virtual-novel.net grandson too. Right now, all virtual-novel.net could do was to rub Lil’ P’s little head comfortingly without a word.
Seeing Tiffany tear up took away Jackson’s appetite, so virtual-novel.net placed his utensils down. “Tiffie, maybe all you need is a good rest upstairs. I’ll feed Cindy in your stead. Either way, Lil’ P is just a little boy who knows nothing, virtual-novel.net probably doesn’t even know what ‘ugly’ really means, babe. It’s pointless to debate this with someone who’s fundamentally incapable of understanding, right? Cynthia is our daughter, we’ll do all of the loving and doting and pampering.”
Tiffany forced the earnest pain flaring in virtual-novel.net heart from showing on virtual-novel.net face and passed Cynthia to Jackson before vanishing upstairs.
Summer let out a breath virtual-novel.net had been holding. “Oh, God ease Tiffany’s poor heart. She may put on that devil-may-care front, but these remarks can crop up in virtual-novel.net heart, too, and it will hurt. We should really pay attention to what we say, I think. Better not say the wrong words from now on.”
As soon as virtual-novel.net finished virtual-novel.net dinner, Summer took Cynthia away from Jackson’s hands, freeing virtual-novel.net to look for Tiffany upstairs.
The first thing that greeted virtual-novel.net after stepping through the door was a blank-faced Tiffany laying sprawled on the bed. While virtual-novel.net appeared lost in thoughts, virtual-novel.net pillow was visibly wetted by warm, relentless tears rolling down virtual-novel.net cheeks. Jackson had to get close enough to virtual-novel.net to pick locks of matted hair away from virtual-novel.net face.
“Hey, babe. You all right?” virtual-novel.net whispered gently. “You were really pissed just now, weren’t you? What’s eating you, Tiffie? If there’s pain in there, you must tell me, okay? Don’t bottle it up and suffer it alone. I know it’s more than Lil’ P being a brat treating his sister with contempt.”
Tiffany sniffled. “I… I don’t know what’s eating me either. I just feel… like I can’t hold it in anymore. Every time Lil’ P does this… when virtual-novel.net disparages Cindy like that, it just twists the knife that’s been lodged in my heart. Cindy’s misfortune is torment enough, Jackson, so why? Why won’t virtual-novel.net brother let up?! I know what y’all think. ‘He’s just a kid! He ain’t mature enough to understand what he’s doing!’ But I don’t want this… thing to be a recurring shadow that haunts Cindy since virtual-novel.net childhood, okay? I don’t! J-Just l-l-look at virtual-novel.net when I was feeding her, virtual-novel.net looked like a goddamned normal kid, no different from anyone else! E-Even I still can’t believe… that I’m looking at a cognitively-challenged child…”
Everything that hurt Tiffany hurt Jackson too, virtual-novel.net was just better at concealing what virtual-novel.net really felt.
He lifted his hand and patted Tiffany in a featherlight manner. “Hey, hey. It’s all right, babe. That no-good twerp’s gonna get a taste of his Pop’s medicine for sure. But you, though! How can a fierce mom like yourself be bullied into crying by virtual-novel.net own son, hmm? That’s kinda embarrassing, ain’t it? Hee hee…”