The Turn Life Takes (Eve/Julian) - Chapter 13
by yhh



Endora happily played outside while her mom cooked lunch. Seeing the always closed shed ajar, she walked over to the open doorway and went inside. Before she could take more than two steps, she was swept up into the air and felt a slap against her bottom.
"I've told you not to come in," TC yelled, as his hand came down again.

Screaming her head off, she made sure she cried loud enough for her mom to hear her.

"Do you hear me, little girl? Don't you come in here without my- -"

With the dishtowel in her hand, Eve came upon the disastrous scene. "What the hell is wrong with you, TC?" she demanded, snatching her screaming daughter off of TC's lap as her two eldest arrived on the scene. "What is wrong with you?"

Quickly pushing the women and baby out of his shed, TC closed his doors. "That brat was in my shed. I told you to keep her away from here."

"First of all, she's not- -" She couldn't talk to him like this. Giving Endora to Simone, Endora screamed louder and reached for her. "Angelpie, I need you to go into the house with your sissies, okay? Mommy will be right in," she said reassuringly to the toddler looking directly into her eyes.

Nodding as if she understood, Endora laid her head on Simone's shoulder as she continued to cry.

"Whit, Sime, go inside the house- -"

"Mom, I can- -" Whitney began and ended seeing the look in her mother's eyes. "Dora, if you calm down we can have some ice cream and watch a movie of your choice."

Instantly the crying ended. "Cookies n' cream, Pinochio."

Hiding their smiles, Simone and Whitney nodded.

"Cookies n' cream and Pinochio, it is," Simone confirmed, as the trio walked back inside the house.

With the girls gone, Eve focused all her energy on TC. "Have you started smoking crack? How dare you touch- -"

"How dare I? This is my house. She does what I say. What has happened to you, you used to be a mother that could keep her children under control? Are you being easy on her cause she's white?"

Who was this fool talking to? Was he talking to her with all this craziness? His house. And she was a bad mother. "My daughter, regardless of her color, is being raised the same way her sisters were, but unfortunately you've turned into a pompous, ignorant jackass. How dare you spank my baby for going into your shed? She's a child that's what they do, they explore things, they get into things, they bother things they are not supposed to, do you even remember Whitney's and Simone's childhood? Cause I could have sworn you were there. And if you had kept your shed locked, she wouldn't have gotten in there in the first place. And what the hell is in that shed anyway?" she asked, moving towards it.

TC blocked her every move. "That's none of your business."

"None of my business?" she repeated with disbelief in her voice.

"No, it's not. I knew this would happen," TC said with righteous indignation, "as soon as Tabitha's daughter moved into this house you've been acting crazy. Babying her, acting like she's the greatest thing since apple pie. I'm sick of! Enough! She was disobeying me and she got punished. If you don't like it that's too bad."

He was talking to her as if she were a child. "If I don't like it, too bad? Who do you think you're talking to? I'm your wife not your child. And if you lay one hand, one hand on my daughter ever again, we will be throwing down, make no mistake of that- -"

"You would fight me over her- - she's not even your child. You felt sorry for her and took her in and you're willing to jeopardize our marriage over her?"

"Jeopardize our marriage?"

"Yes, Eve. Our marriage is failing and you can't even see it because you're so wrapped up in that girl and spending endless hours over at Katie-bug's house. What are you doing over there anyway?"

"You're jealous over the time I spend with two girls who've lost someone very important to them. Someone who was a mother to one and like a mother to the other- -"

"Tabitha was not Katie-bug's mother!" TC roared.

"I didn't say she was, if you would shut up and listen, you could hear me correctly. Endora is my daughter and I've been trying really hard to make her our daughter, but I guess that's not going to happen."

"No, it's not. So you need to make whatever arrangements you need to make and then come back home when you're minus a toddler."

Looking at her husband in shock, had he said what she thought he said? "Are you kicking me out of my house? Are you telling me to leave?"

"This was my family's land."

That his mother gave them as a wedding gift, the same way Mother Russell gave Sam and Grace their plot. It was her salary as a doctor that got the foundation laid, which allowed them to build a five bedroom house in anticipation of all the kids they were going to have. She didn't even really care about the money. It was just the idea that the house, their house, the one they built together, TC truly seemed to believe was solely his. Why hadn't she ever acknowledged this selfish, self-absorbed side of him before? Maybe it was because it was always helping the kids at school, trying to make their lives better. How many kids had come on trips up to the cabin with them? Too many for her to even begin to name or count. That was just with her and the girls, he and Sam took kids up their on their own. She guessed the saying charity begins at home, wasn't true in TC Russell's case. In his case, charity began any where but at home.

"Daddy, how could you say that?" Simone cried from behind Eve.

"Sugarbear," TC said, trying to do some quick repair damage.

Shaking her head and with tears in her eyes, Simone suddenly saw her father through new eyes.

"Sugarbear," he repeated softly, slowly moving towards his youngest daughter.

"How can you say such mean things about Endora? She's a sweetheart and she lost her mother. Hell, she won't even remember her mom, Mom is the only mom she'll ever know and you could have been her dad. What happened to all the things you taught us about treating others equally, helping people in need, opening not just your wallet but also your heart? I don't even know the man standing in front of me," Simone concluded before running back into the house.

"Simone Evangeline Russell, get back here," TC commanded, but his daughter ignored him.

Eve hadn't intended for any of the girls to hear her conversation with TC, but obviously it was too late for that. It was time to go make things better. "Well you wanted us gone, then we'll leave," she said, turning on her heel and walking towards the kitchen.

"You're not taking my girls anywhere."

She laughed turning to face him again. "Simone overheard how you talked about her younger sist- -"

"That is not her sister."

Shaking her head, she thought in dismay would he ever learn. "Endora is not a that. She's a- -well, it seems that she is a Johnson. And Whitney and Simone love her like they love each other. And until you can understand that then you're right we don't belong here. Simone after hearing what you said, won't stay here with you. Whitney is an adult and can make her own decisions. But knowing my daughters as I do, and you obviously don't, Simone is giving her sister a blow by blow account of everything she heard and everything she thinks she's heard. So on that note, my three daughters will be leaving your home. And if you have any problems with that contact my lawyer."

Chapter 14
Chapter 12
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