THE GREAT PRETENDER by Millenia Black Page A

since she was certain her mother would only spend the remainder of the conversation harping on it.
    “Oh, Helen! Why did you have to say anything at all to her?” Bea demanded. “You couldn’t wait to tell her you knew, could you?” Helen could picture her mother wagging her index finger in midair.
    “Oh, forget that. I can’t take this silence. I mean, we both said some mean things, and I just feel awful about the whole thing. I feel even worse because I have a gut feeling that she’s pushing us away so she can reach for something that really isn’t even there. You know what I mean?”
    “I know what you mean…But don’t you think she has a point where Lonny is concerned? You really should talk to him, Helen. Ashley is a fragile child. You can’t keep letting him disappoint her like this. She’ll probably grow up hating men or something.”
    “I know. I just don’t want to deal with Lonny any more than is necessary…But I will have a talk with him about it. If it happens again, I just won’t make arrangements with him to come pick her up anymore—simple as that.”
    “I think that’d probably be for the best. I agree with Renee—that little girl spends too much time feeling sad, and she’s too young for that!” Bea paused. “I also agree with you about Renee and Reginald. The man is trouble. Big trouble. You can see it a mile away.”
    “What can we do?”
    “Honey, we can’t do anything,” said Bea in a concerned tone. “All we can do is butt out and let her make her own mistake. I just hope I can stand it when she’s hit with reality. You know how Renee is.”
    “Well, in the meantime, I’m gonna call her and try to fix this mess, and I’m prepared for an uphill battle. I know how stubborn she can be…but we already miss her, Mom—and Denise, too. Ashley kept asking about her this morning.”
    “That’s right, you call her. You know she won’t be the one to take the first step.”
    “Yeah…and I’m sure it’ll be all right. We’ll work it out.” Finishing off the last of her porridge, Helen attempted to get the conversation on a lighter note. “So, did Daddy finally get his fishing rods from Dean?”
     
    • 
     
    Renee looked through the peephole. Helen was on the other side of the door. What the hell is she doing here? she thought. I don’t need this right now.
    Breathing a sigh, she opened the door, but offered no greeting.
    When it became apparent that Renee would sooner have her bake under the rays of the sun than invite her to come inside, Helen cautiously brushed past her and stepped into the tiled entryway. She glanced around briefly, looking for Reginald. She’d seen his silver Land Cruiser shining out front and knew he was home.
    Moving over to the loveseat, Helen sat, crossed her long legs and smoothed her pleated skirt. She put her purse on the coffee table, and she waited.
    Closing the door, Renee followed her sister into the living room, but did not take a seat. Instead, she leaned against the column of the archway, folded her arms, and remained silent. She just stared at Helen. She prayed to high heaven that her sister hadn’t come over to cause trouble, especially in light of what had happened the night before.
    “I’m sorry,” said Helen after a brief pause. “I miss you and Denise, and I’m sorry,” she said quietly.
    If the wall had suddenly turned into a cobra and bit her on the butt, Renee couldn’t have been more surprised. Taken aback, her arms fell and hung at her sides. An apology was the last thing she’d expected from Helen.
    Overwhelmed, the hostility left her.
    “I’m sorry, too,” Renee murmured, her eyes filling. She didn’t want to start crying before Reginald left. He’d suspect that she’d immediately run to her sister with the news. So she rushed over to the couch and desperately put her arms around Helen.
    Equally surprised by Renee’s reaction, Helen returned the hug, but she said, “Something else is wrong. Something