Hierarchy

XVIII

August 2016

"My childhood home was beautiful," Bambi says as I plait her hair for her in our cell, "That guy was going to take everything from us, we almost went into foreclosure."

"Your parents couldn't have handled it?" I ask in return

Bambi shakes her head with certainty. "They tried," she comments, "He wasn't going to settle, he framed my father for something he didn't even do, so I had to take the matters into my own hands." I hum encouragingly to allow her to continue. "I knew he wanted me for a while, dirty old man." She shivers, "He was always staring when I was at the pool and he was talking to my father."

"Do you think he would have done something if you hadn't?" I ask

"Definitely, he was just waiting for the right moment." She nods, "So I had my phone on voice notes recording as I tempted him into having sex with me. I was a virgin and he was not gentle at all."

I smoothed over her hair with my hands to comfort her, "I'm so sorry you had to go through with that."

I see her wipe the line read that had dropped away, "It's okay," she utters, "He dropped those charges for a second before putting up new ones of extortion against me."

"He should have gone to jail for molesting you, you're a child." I tell her and she shrugs her shoulders

"He's a white male with friends in high places, they never get what they deserve." She stares looking down at her fingers, "At least we kept the house."

*
November 2018

"Best behaviour everyone." Mom says as Dad drives into the Mensa house.

It's honestly breathtaking, what I would do to live in a house like this when I'm older.

We stepped out the car and mom straightened Ethan's shirt before pressing the bell.

It opened not a second later to reveal Caleb standing in the middle of a giant hallway where I could see all the way back to the back yard.

"Hi Cathy and Martin!" Caleb greets as Dad envelops him in a big hug

"Son." Dad replies. Son? They're that close?

"Cathy you shouldn't have." Caleb says mentioning the dish in mother's hands as he takes it off her

"Oh it's no issue, Tiff loves my Mac and Cheese." She replies as we all enter their massive house. "Are they in the sun room?"

Caleb nods and my mother and father take each other's hand before making their way around the house like they own it. They must be here often if they don't even need directions anymore.

"Game room?" Ethan questions

"Yeah you can head up there," Caleb confirms, "My Mom would kill us if we don't at least introduce Regina to them."

Taking my hand Caleb leads me down the hallway.

"You look beautiful as always." He comments giving me the once over which brings heat to my cheeks.

"You think so?" I reply looking down at the sundress my mother forced me to wear

"Regina you could wear a plastic bag and still be beautiful." He confirms, "Now, my mother is a little energetic and my father is a little strict, please don't let them overwhelm you. I've already let them know about your touching thing."

I smile at him gratefully as he opens the door to the sunroom, entering before me. "Mom, this is Regina."

I poke my head into the room and am welcomed by a lady around my height who looks weirdly familiar and a man who looks just like Caleb.