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Anger is a brief madness.
~Horace

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Three months passed quickly since the birthday getaway and she had put on a great routine for the Centre on trying to find Jarod. So far her “father” had bought it hook, line, and sinker. She wasn’t sure about Lyle and the blond bimbette, but she really didn’t care about them. She could handle them if necessary. There was only one problem and it came in the form of her five year old daughter.

Catie had shown signs about a week later that she was aware of the act pulled on her back at the beach house. Miss Parker had let Catie talk to Jarod on the phone a few times, but every time she had made up an excuse not to talk to him herself. Catie’s mood began to shift slightly and she became more and more defiant towards Miss Parker.

“Catherine, you are going to be late for school again. Now get downstairs!” Miss Parker called to her daughter and shook her head.

This was getting to be routine with them. Miss Parker would yell and Catie would ignore her until the last minute when she would saunter downstairs like nothing ever happened. If this was her being defiant at age five, Miss Parker could only imagine what it would be like in her teenage years. Just thinking about it gave her a headache. Five minutes later they were on their way to preschool. Miss Parker was busily trying to finish up her coffee and Catie was singing to herself.

“I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves. Everybody's nerves. Everybody's nerves. I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves and this is how it goes.” Catie chirped in her pixie-like voice. She opened her mouth to start another round of the song and by the fourth rendition Miss Parker had had enough.

“Catherine Elaine, I swear to God, if you sing that song one more time you are going to be in serious trouble.” she said blowing out the words in frustration.

“But Mama, I like that song. It’s funny to sing.” Catie whined, upset that she had been interrupted.

“I don’t care, Catie. It is making Mama’s head hurt and she needs to save that headache for when she talks to your Uncle Broots and your Pop- Pop.” Miss Parker told the mad child in the back seat. She was still unaccustomed to using the phrase Pop-Pop when in reference to Sydney, but it was getting surprisingly easier.

“But Mama...” Catie whined again, obviously not giving up on her right to sing.

“I said no!” Miss Parker said loudly. “Now, I mean it.”

“I want to sing it!” Catie said loudly from the back seat, kicking her foot into the back of passenger’ side seat. “I know a song...” she started again.

“Catherine, that’s it! You are on punishment from now until tomorrow night. That means no TV or videos.” Miss Parker said fed up.

“Daddy wouldn’t punish me!” Catie spat out, pouting and glaring at her mother from her car seat.

“Well, Daddy isn’t here!” Miss Parker said and slowed down at a red light.

“That’s your fault!” Catie suddenly screamed at her, making Miss Parker look at her in shock. The months of anger, sadness, and tension had reached its boiling point and suddenly poured out.

“You lied to me and you made Daddy go away! You lied to me just like they did! They said they would take me back to you and they didn’t. I hate you and I hate them! I don’t want to be with you anymore. I wish you’d go away and then I could be with Daddy!” Catie yelled at Miss Parker, her arms folded across her small chest in anger.

Miss Parker turned back around, trying to make sense of what was happening and saw the red light she had stopped at was now green. She started to pull ahead and opened her mouth to talk to her daughter, when something caught the corner of her left eye. It was too late however for her to avoid the truck that was heading straight towards them. Miss Parker thought to swerve, but didn’t have a chance to carry the thought out before the large vehicle struck her small sedan.

“Catie!” she screamed out as she threw her arms up to protect her. She heard an echoing scream of “Mama” before the pain over took her and her world went black.









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