It's not supposed to be this way

 

Vera had hoped to tell Megan everything, but once Megan told her the baby news, Vera felt as if she needed to keep quiet.

Yes, she went to visit Cori's mother. Vera had to have a few words with her. She just couldn't help it, even if her husband Kirby said it was the worst idea yet.

"Well, you could have told me that, before I went," Vera gave him a pout. Of course, he'd made her stay in as if she was a bad little girl and shouldn't even celebrate the American holiday. She was OK with that. She was known to stay away from people. If only she'd thought of that before seeing Alma. 

"I still don't like her," Vera looked at her husband now who of course was meditating. When was he not meditating? She was certain about Kirby working at the yoga center as a Ti Chi instructor was giving him a big head.  "So don't even think about making me be nice to her."

Vera went off to make a cup of tea, but of course, that rude woman was still on her mind. Oh, Vera couldn't help to be levied with that woman. And of course, she had a lot to say to her.

How could she be still living off her two boys all these years? Had she ever lived on her own? Was she capable of that? Or was she just around to bring them down?

Vera was rather good at this kind of talk, or was it an attack? She now winced as she made her tea and then went to get herself a couple of her favorite Lorna Doone cookies in the cupboard.

"You don't even know me!" The woman's words were harsh and Vera thought now they could have had a fight. But they were both transplants, perhaps the same country, but Vera knew Alma was no island girl and she was definitely off the radar even now. Maybe Alama wasn't even an American citizen.

Vera honestly wanted to look into it, but she knew Kirby would get on to her about it. Yes, she would keep quiet.

Of course, she'd said enough to Alma that day that she hoped she would just leave. Leave her boys alone. Didn't she know that was the best thing she could do for them?

"Don't make their life any more horrible than you already have," Vera told her. "Here you have such a beautiful granddaughter and you treated her like a ragdoll! Why? Why do you have to be so mean? What did the world ever do to you?"

Of course, Alma didn't have an answer for her. She just started to cry that day that Vera visited her.

"Oh, grow up," Vera snapped back. "Your tears won't work on me." And of course, that's when she sashayed away. She'd left Alama's place that day satisfied, but now Vera felt differently.

Vera only frowned more as she sat with tea in her own diningroom. She knew she wasn't very nice. And she knew she'd been just as cruel to her own daughter before Megan was born. Why was it so easy to be mean so naturally? With that, Vera dipped her cookie into the lemon tea and ate it.