Heavenstone 01 - The Heavenstone Secrets

frustration.
    “Clean up. Wash the kitchen windows tonight. Clean out the refrigerator. Polish the stairway banister tomorrow.” On and on and on.
    With these new responsibilities, my home-schooling, and my usual house chores, I had little time for myself, not that there was much for me to do for myself, anyway. The few friends I had made at school quickly forgot me once I stopped attending. I heard only once from Kent, but that was early on, merely to confirm that it was true that I had withdrawn from public school. None of the girls called me. Despite the fears I had about returning and facing the other students after Mother’s death, I couldn’t help but feel a constant emptiness. Aside from Mrs.Underwood, who avoided any conversation other than what was necessary for schoolwork, Cassie, and Daddy, I spoke to no one for weeks and weeks.
    And Daddy was still quite different, much quieter, rarely smiling or laughing, even with me. He seemed only vaguely interested in my progress with Mrs. Underwood, too. If he said anything about it, it was to tell me Cassie had told him I was doing well. In my mind, I wasn’t really doing much better than I had done attending school, but Mrs. Underwood appeared satisfied. Her compliments, if any, were never exuberant. The best words I heard from her lips were “Good, continue.”
    So, despite all I had to do, I still felt a terrible sense of loneliness and boredom. Cassie kept telling me how time softens the pain of loss, but I missed Mother even more. I thought it was just as true for Daddy, but Cassie insisted otherwise. When I told her what I thought, she became impatient and annoyed.
    “I told you about the two holes, Semantha. It’s the deeper one, the deeper one!”
    I didn’t argue, but I still didn’t understand or believe what she was saying. In the weeks that followed, Cassie became so different. She no longer wore any of her own clothes but only Mother’s. She would put on some of Mother’s jewelry as well, and Cassie was never one for wearing lots of jewelry. In fact, I recalled how much she had complained about Mother’s jewelry. No matter what Mother wore, it was always too much, too gaudy. Now she was doing exactly the same thing, never leaving the house without wearing a necklace, earrings, four or five rings, bracelets, andwatches, even a jeweled pin. And this was the sister who had often said, “What Mother’s wearing today could feed a third world country for a week.”
    One other thing that truly surprised me even more was Cassie’s sudden use of makeup, all Mother’s makeup too. Once someone who hated even to put on lipstick, Cassie would now spend hours on her hair and face while she sat at Mother’s vanity table and looked into what had been Mother’s mirror.
    When I asked her about it, she snapped at me.“Don’t you see how I’m trying to brighten things up here for Daddy? Can you even begin to imagine what it must be like for him every day to finish his work and start out for this house, knowing how empty it is for him? The holes, Semantha, the holes!”
    She didn’t have to shout about it. Of course, I could imagine how hard it was for Daddy; it was still hard for me, and I wasn’t completely oblivious to the other change in him as well. I noted how he drank more, especially after dinner. I was very worried about him, and when Uncle Perry paid a visit, I brought it up the first chance I had. Actually, I was the one responsible for his visiting. I realized I hadn’t seen him for a long time, and I called him to invite him to lunch on a Saturday. When I told Cassie, she had another fit.
    “Why did you do that without checking with me?”
    “It’s only lunch, Cassie. What’s the big deal?”
    “The big deal is Daddy and I are going to Lexington on Saturday, and I’m not going to change our plans to accommodate Uncle Perry.”
    “Well, I suppose I could cancel and tell him to come some other time if we’re going to Lexington.”

    “I didn’t say
we’re
going, Semantha. I said Daddy and I are going. It’s a business trip, not an outing. We won’t have time to entertain you.”
    “I don’t have to be entertained. I haven’t gone anywhere in weeks, Cassie.”
    “I’ll take you out for dinner one night this week. I think Daddy’s having a dinner meeting with some retailers. Thank goodness for the business. It takes his mind off the holes in his heart for a while, at least.”
    “Maybe Daddy will be upset that he