"Quit whining you brat. What's a little prune in your juice?" cackled Trinity McGuire, the house maid and past Nanny of the LeGend lineage.
Nina LeGend Sabastian squealed at the stench of skunk urine still lingering from her pores. Not even the home remedy of twenty gallons of canned tomato juice covering her body could dispel its flavor. The fact that the crusty old curmudgeon Trinity stood over her with a hard wire brush once used on the family dog was hardly helping.
"Get away from me you, Hag. I'm not five years old anymore. I won't tolerate the way you used to treat me. I'm 36 now for God's sake."
The redheaded beast taunts her with the brush when behind her enters Babs LeGend to her daughter's rescue. Peeling Trinity's fingers from the brush handle she faintly grins at the old woman, amused by her cantankerous mischief.
"That will be enough tenderizing my daughter."
The old woman rolls in laughter, "Tenderizing? More like terrorizing. She's to tough for a brush like this. I say we run her through a car wash."
Babs guides her backward toward the bathroom doorway with her chin raised, "Focus on preparing dinner, Dear. Scoot. Shoo." Trinity sneers at Babs attempting to get her brush back. Finally she growls and turns away. "Don't blame me if she ruins dinner with that cheap ass perfume. Five minutes. That's all I'm asking. The brat's already two quarts shy of a Bloody Mary."
A shrill cry for attention Nina pleads to her Mother to throw her down the stairs. Nudging the maid out she shuts the door and presses her back against it. Two thumps from the other side Babs smiles, "I think she's finally done."
Nina lifts her hands from beneath the pool of tomato juice in the claw foot tub letting it trickle from her arms, "I hate her. Shoot her."
Babs frowns with a finger to her lips, "Calm yourself, Nina. Trinity is just old and trying to help in her own twisted way. And, speaking of age. You are not thirty-two. Nora would be thirty six. You my lovely liar are thirty eight."
Nina pouts, "Don't remind me. Fine. I'll act my age." She winces at the red hue staining her body, "Mother? I reek. I really, really reek. Why am I always tortured like this? Can't Daddy set traps out for that monster?"
Barbara sighs sitting down on the ledge of the tub to lean in and lift Nina's chin, "Sweetheart, it was only a silly panic stricken skunk. You spooked it."
Nina exhales loudly, "I was referring to Trinity."
Disguising a giggle with her right hand over her mouth Babs winks at her daughter, "She loves you, Dear. You might not want to believe it but she does. Think of all the good things she has done over the years."
Nina glares up at her with eyes that fail to blink, "Name one, Mother. One."
In turn Babs contemplates releasing her daughters chin. "She always kept you hidden from Nora when you played, "Hide and Seek".
Nina huffs dramatically, "She locked me in a trunk up in the attic then had Nora help bake cookies. I stayed there until Daddy found me. I was punished for playing in the attic. Why do you always take her side? How dreadful it must have been for Daddy growing up an only child raised by that wolf in sheep's clothing. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't let him suckle her tit as a baby."
She shivers at the thought of that possibly occurring in her own infancy.
Babs shakes her head, "Augustus has never once spoken of anything traumatic. She was the Mother he never had. Having lost poor Delores to scarlet fever as a baby. Only good things. As I said, she's just old and cranky. Let her enjoy her irrational behavior in her final days."
Nina grumbles beneath her breath, "Our luck the woman is immortal."
"Maybe she was nice to Daddy because he was an only child. After all she couldn't have children of her own right? Could it be she can only love one child at a time?"
Bab's sighs lowering her eyes, "Dear, please. Let this go. Trinity has a heart of gold beneath the mine."
She stands up as Nina drapes her arm on the side of the tub, "I'm just saying that I was born first. That should have been me." Puckering Barbara ignores her daughter's plea for attention. She didn't really know what to say about it.
"Soak dear. Lay back and relax. As discomforting as the smell may be. I'm going to go help your, Aunt Gina set the table. I'm certain the boys will be famished after a hard day's work."
Nina continues her distant round of emotions as Barbara opens the door turning to blow her a kiss. "I'll check on you in fifteen minutes."
Stepping into the hallway Babs finds her sister Gina Grogan, a medium build version of herself with short, straight hair sitting in a Victorian chair along the wall. A scowl is shared between them, "Poor thing. Augustus burned her clothing in the fireplace. The odor would never have come out I'm afraid."
Folding her arms in front of her Babs seemed disappointed as she subconsciously looked back at the bathroom door. "She looked so lovely in Prada."
Gina concurs with a faint grimace, "Joseph called. He and Garrison have worked up quite an appetite. I told him that Trinity was preparing her famous Bavarian Pot Roast. I could hear his mouth watering all the way over to Nora's home. Garrison asked Joe if he would witness to those lady contractors. Was that not sweet of him?"
Babs fidgets attempting not to show her suspicious nature, "I can only imagine the trouble they have seen." Barbara LeGend knew her son-in-law all too well. "Come along, Sister. Let us break out the fine china."
Gina accepts her sister's extended elbow, intertwining her own arm within it, "Are you certain we should leave Nina alone? I would hate for her to fall asleep and drown in her soup."
Babs pats Gina's arm for jesting then smiles brightly, "Your niece needs this time to herself. Let her soul search in her cocktail. Tomato is another day."
Gina lets out an unplanned snort blushing at her sister through her giggles, "Oh, Babs. You're so witty."
Within the bathroom of three exits Nina Sabastian sheds a tear resting her head on the side of the tub. Her emotions were shot. A lifted hand to wipe her runny nose only made matters worse as the dripping tomato juice on her fingers gave her a red moustache. Whimpering, her body begins to chill and tremble from the coldness in her soul. That, and the scent of herself made her eyes water.
"What's to become of me, Donatello?" She glares toward the ceiling, "Each day becomes increasingly unbearable without you. For such a short while I found a comfort in your arms. All of my life I felt isolated and alone. Nora always took center stage, even before the performing arts. As much as my parents deny it even they favored Nora. Her recital's at Uncle Joseph's church choir always kept them busy. Mother would send me for singing lessons until only a deaf tutor could hear my cries for help. That, is the story of my life. Nora the gifted one. Nina the gift horse."
"You found me at a flower show in Connecticut and made me feel so very good about myself for the very first time. Mother's prize orchids took first place. I took first place in your attentions. I sorely miss you My Love. You called me your Blossom Basket. How could I resist your charms? You loved me even when I was overbearing and cold toward you. Maybe I drove you to the grave. Stressed you out until your heart couldn't take it anymore."
She closes her eyes, "I don't know. Perhaps my destiny is to be alone."
Nina thinks of young Connor Dhorne who tried to comfort her in her time of sorrow. Yet, she lashed out in her misery. Sighing she continues her thoughts, "I'm sorry Connor. For being a bad Godmother. I just couldn't handle the loss. First Nora, then Donatello. I realize you were hurting as well. Perhaps Nora knew Donatello would be leaving me. Choosing me to raise you in hopes we might console one another. You were just too much for me. Fighting for the attention I myself wanted. Our competition was a constant battle."
"I hope one day you can forgive me Nora. For abandoning your son. Like his Father did." So engrossed in her thoughts she neglects to hear a door opening from Nora's bedroom behind her. Nor, the shadow over her.
"Here's some veggies for your stew." Chuckles the devil maid of Bartlett.
Trinity McGuire scrapes off diced carrots and potatoes into the lap of Nina whose eyes erupt in confusion. She looks down at the floating vegetables and cries even harder. She wants to scream at the old bird who takes a plunger by the toilet to use as a churn between Nina's legs.
"Boil, boil, toil and trouble. Devil's brew that I make bubble. Call me a Witch will ya? You know damn well I love you. Stop whining and grow up. Dinner's almost ready so stop stewing 'bout the past. And, you can clean this tub when you're done. My knees and back won't let me scrub like they used to."
She tosses the plunger on the floor and walks back into Nora's room leaving Nina to gasp. At least her tears were drying up. Her vegetative state would last another twenty minutes. The scent would linger if not as bad as before. 50/50 she would think of her remaining odor.
Fourteen minutes later.
Downstairs, Gus LeGend was cleaning out the flue of his fireplace to rid his home of the ashes of the past. A messy job that he found relaxing. If not revolting at first. Every window in the house was opened up to entice a fresh breeze to rid their walls of Nina. All save for the attic of course and it's delicate inhabitants. As he carries his bucket of ash toward the front door his reach found an assist on the door knob.
In stepped Garrison Dhorne and a sweat covered Uncle Joseph.
