***
Kimi tried to be as quiet as possible when she entered the house.
But she needn’t have bothered since her dad had pulled over the easy chair and parked it in front of the door.
“Where in the hell have you been?” her father demanded. “It’s almost midnight.”
It took everything inside her not to cower and revert to that small child who was fearful of Daddy. “Out with a friend.”
“I don’t know who in the hell you think you are, girlie, bein’ ‘out with a friend’ until goddamned midnight, but you are sixteen years old. We have rules in this house.”
“Which are? I’ve never been real clear on them because you seem to have one set of rules for your sons and one for your daughters.”
“You watch that smart mouth,” he snapped.
Don’t react.
“Things are gonna change around here. You will abide by my rules. As of right now, you’re grounded. You’re only allowed to go to the store.”
Kimi squinted at him. How drunk was he? She should’ve let it go, but she wanted to point out that as of tomorrow he’d have no power over her. “You remember who you’re talking to, right, Dad? It’s Kimi. I’m goin’ back to Billings tomorrow.”
“Like hell you are. Now that your sister married that McKay bastard, I’ll need you around here to take care of your mother and make sure that Carolyn doesn’t turn against her family. We both know she won’t cut us out if you’re livin’ here fulltime.”
A slap in the face couldn’t have hurt worse. They didn’t want her here because they missed her. She balled her fists and said, “No.”
Her dad stood. “No? You don’t get to tell me no, little girl.”
“Watch me.” She shouted, “No, no, no, no, no!” at the top of her lungs. “I don’t know how damn drunk you are, but I’m goin’ back to St. Mary’s to finish school.”
“Wrong. As of tonight you’ll finish out school here. You’re running wild up there and I won’t have it.”
“Have you talked to Aunt Hulda about this?” she demanded.
He allowed a smug smile. “Don’t gotta talk to her, bein’s you’re my kid, not hers, and I don’t need her opinion.”
“You can’t do this.”
“I think it’s time you learn that I can.”
Kimi cut around the chair and headed toward her mom’s room.
“Get back here!” her dad bellowed.
She threw open the door and flipped on the lights.
Aunt Hulda sat up. “Kimi? What’s going on?”
Kimi walked over to her mother’s bed. Her eyes were open but she remained lying on her side. “Did you do this to spite me or to spite your sister?”
Her mother blinked and tried to turn her head away.
“Oh, no you don’t. You’ve put your head in the sand way too long. And you’re crazier than I thought you were if you think I’ll stay here and coddle you and be a slave to him and my brothers since Carolyn was smart enough to get the hell out, or just because he says so.”
“This is why we’re not letting you go back to Billings, Kimberly.”
“Letting me?” she shouted.
“What?” Aunt Hulda said from across the room.
“You need to be reminded whose family you belong to,” her mother said with false bravado.
The bed creaked and then Aunt Hulda stood next to her. “Clara. What on earth are you talking about? Kimi is finishing out her education at St. Mary’s.”
“Not anymore, she ain’t,” her dad said behind her.
Kimi whirled around and faced him. “The only reason you want me here is so you don’t lose Carolyn. You’re afraid she won’t come around anymore. And why would she? I wouldn’t.”
He pointed at Hulda. “I shoulda put a stop to this bullshit years ago. You’ve had too much control for too long and I’m takin’ it back.”
“You can’t keep me here,” Kimi said.
“You are a minor, girlie. I can lock you in your fuckin’ room if I chose to and there ain’t a damn thing you can do about it.”
“If you lock her in her room, will you hire a housekeeper, cook, laundress, nursemaid and gardener to take care of this household?” Aunt Hulda demanded. “Because we both know you won’t cook, or clean, or buy your own food, or even take care of your wife. You leave that responsibility to your children.”
Her father glared at his wife. “I told you your sister would turn your daughters against us. Now do you believe me?”