Both "Merge" and "Appreciation" came out of the same interview with Mark and Michelle Elton, family friends of mine since I was a little girl. I wanted to add some variation to my stories and make The First Year more universally applicable, and I did that by talking to people who had different life experiences than I did.
Mark and Michelle were both married before they married each other. We were all very happy for them, and they're a totally awesome couple, but they had some difficulties, just like everyone, during their first year. Talking to them, I understood the importance of learning to merge two different families into one. For them, it was merging family traditions, kids, discipline tactics, communication, etc. But, every relationship faces this challenge: How do you combine your life, your family, and your traditions with those of your husband? Children certainly complicate the issue, but it's something we all have to learn to deal with.
This story is a little closer to what they told me their first year was like than "Appreciation," but I still dramatized it for my own purposes. The names of the guilty have, of course, been changed to protect the innocent. With those things in mind, enjoy this excerpt from "Merge."
Chapter
Eight:
Merge
Laurie stood half-concealed behind the wall,
clutching the hot laundry to her chest, watching her son and step-daughter
argue.
“Where’s my money?” Vanessa asked.
“I took it,” Jared replied. “It was pizza day at
school, and I really wanted pizza.”
“That was my money.
That’s stealing.”
“We’re family. It’s not stealing if you’re family.”
Laurie rolled her eyes and stepped out from behind
the wall. “Alright, that’s enough you two.”
Vanessa turned her big brown eyes up at Laurie. They
were filled with contempt. She put her hands on her hips, flicked her brown
pony tail over her shoulder, and cocked her head to the side. “I don’t have to
listen to you,” she said.
Laurie felt a little pressure build up in her chest.
Vanessa had never been thrilled with the idea that her dad was dating someone
new, but things got much worse when she and Dave had gotten married. It had
been a tough couple of months. “Yes, actually, you do.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m your step-mother.”
Vanessa narrowed her eyes and exhaled loudly before
responding. “He stole my money. He has to give it back.”
Laurie gripped the laundry a little harder, trying
to swallow her exasperation. “Vanessa, we’re family now, and families are
supposed to share with each other.”
“That’s not what we did at my house.”
“Well, it’s our
house now. Not just your house. We have to learn how to work together.”
“Then I’ll go back to my mom’s house.”
Dave’s wife had left him and the kids to run back to
Puerto Rico with an old boyfriend a while back. Laurie was always surprised by
the bitter hatred that rose in her chest whenever she thought about it. “I’m
afraid you can’t do that, sweetie.”
“Sure I can. I’ll run away, and I’ll steal your money. Then we’ll see how you like
it.”
Laurie sighed. “You can’t run away.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re eleven years old, and this is your
family now. You’re just going to have to get used to it.”
Vanessa’s eyes were unblinking as she stared into
Laurie’s face. “He stole my money.”
“You left it on the counter!” Jared said. “Anyway, I
only took two quarters.”
Laurie turned her gaze on her middle son. He looked
down at his feet.
“I’ll give you two quarters, Vanessa. How’s that?”
said Laurie, looking back at her step-daughter.
Vanessa glared at Jared. “No. I want him to give me two quarters. He stole my
money.”
“It didn’t!” Jared said.
Laurie took a deep breath and looked from Jared to
Vanessa and back again. “Jared, apologize to Vanessa.”
Jared started twisting his foot into the carpet like
he always did when he knew that he had been caught doing something wrong.
“Sorry, Vanessa.”
“Now Vanessa, apologize to Jared for yelling at
him.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“You aren’t my mother.” She turned on the ball of
her foot and stomped away.
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