The Youngest Barksdale – Part 1
Daria Barksdale looked at
Lawndale as the plane flew over on approach to the airport. She still wasn’t
sure why she had to live with Helen and her family. She would have preferred to
live with Amy. But her mother was insistent, neither Rita nor Amy were
‘suitable’. She shook her head and focused on the town below. She could see
various sprawling subdivisions arrayed around a rather small 19th
Century core. ‘It’s more middle class. That’s what I’ll say for it,’ she
thought.
Jake Morgendorffer waited in
the Arrivals Lounge of the Lawndale Municipal Airport. He knew why his wife had
sent him there to meet her sister, she was working late on yet another big
case. ‘Not enough time for me. Not enough time for Quinn. Now there’s not
enough time for Daria either.’ As he was thinking this, he saw Daria
approaching, a short teen girl wearing an understated but well-tailored green
dress, a pair of small glasses and her auburn hair tied back in two buns above
her ears.
“Jake!” she called, as she
pulled along her two suitcases.
“Let me help you with that.”
“Thanks,” Daria said as he
picked up one of the suitcases.
“How was the trip?” he asked,
knowing that she probably wanted to destress from the trip by talking about it.
That was what he did.
“There was little turbulence,
and only half the seats were full.”
“That’s great.”
The sun had set before they
arrived at the house, but Daria could tell it was fairly large. Two of the upstairs
lights were on. “Your niece is home, then,” Jake said as he pulled up in front
of the garage.
“I’d like to settle in first,”
Daria said.
“Oh, sure.”
Quinn Morgendorffer saw her
father enter the kitchen. “She’s here, is she?” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered.
“Why does she have to be here
again?”
“Your mother has told you
why.”
“But she’ll be going to my
school. People will be asking questions.”
Jake was certain people would,
and the statement caused a flashback to when he was at Buxton Ridge. Some of
the other cadets asking why he wasn’t going home for the holidays. “Oh, I hear
that! Always asking why.”
That snapped Quinn out of her
selfish diatribe. “Daddy!”
“Oh!”
Daria found one of the guest
rooms to her liking. While some remodeling had been done, there were still bars
on the back windows. She started unpacking.
Having
unpacked and changed, Daria came down to the kitchen. She saw that her sister
was home. “Daria!” Helen exclaimed. “How was the trip over?”
“It
was uneventful.”
“That’s
good, Daria.”
“How
was your day?” Daria asked by way of small talk.
“The
usual. Dealing with paperwork for the latest case, as well as potential new
ones. Trying to deal with hysterical clients…” Helen trailed off.
“Tough
day?” Daria asked.
“Yes,”
Helen said with a sigh. “And now I have to prepare dinner. Your brother-in-law
is prone to putting ‘interesting’ ingredients in the meal when he cooks.
“I
can help.”
“You
don’t have to,” Helen said. “You have had enough of that with Mother.”
Daria
sighed. “Yes…”
Helen
ended up heating up some store-bought Lasagne. She hoped that Dinner would go
without any drama, but she knew her daughter would cause some stress.
“So,
Daria, you’re starting school tomorrow?” Quinn asked.
“Of
course,” Daria answered in a guarded tone.
“Well,
don’t go around saying that we’re related!” Quinn said petulantly.
“Quinn!”
Helen reacted.
“It
could really mess up my popularity!”
“How
many times have I told you, that popularity is not the be all and end all of
high school social interaction,” Helen said. She was tired of telling Quinn
that over and over.
Quinn
didn’t say anything to that. Helen was tired of that non-response too.
“Quinn,
apologise to Daria.”
Quinn
shook her head.
“Apologise
or there will be no dates for the next week!”
“Fine!”
Quinn ejaculated. “Sorry Daria. You can say we’re related.”
“Thanks,”
Daria responded, still in a slightly guarded tone.
For
the rest of the dinner, not much was said. Daria was sure that was way it
usually was in that household.
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