Do Not Pass Go 06 - Boss Traci

She was lying, and I knew it. I suspect she knew that I knew it, and that I was lying as well. It was the way she played the game, and I wasn't Dad. I'd give it back to her in spades.

~ * ~ * ~

The next day, we had a pow-wow, before Mom got home. Normally that would be close to eight or nine o'clock at best. Who knows what it would be now? So we met at soon as we'd had our snack.

After the snack, Grandma had told us that Mom said we were to stay in our rooms. As if. As soon as we'd finished eating, we gathered in Jenna's bedroom.

"What was with sending us away last night," Jenna asked, as soon as the door was closed. I was surprised she hadn't brought it up on the way to school. Maybe she was learning patience.

"I gave it to Mom big time," I explained. "She has to realize she's lost. The CPS folk are watching her like a hawk, her boyfriend is in deep doo-doo, and now the police are on her back. I told her it was time to back off, and mend fences with Dad."

"How did it go?" Jenna asked. I noticed Tommy was being quiet. Too quiet. I was starting to worry about him.

"Same shit, different day," I said. "First she went on the attack, but when I didn't back down, she tried to play the martyr. It was all Dad's fault, she said. His fault for leaving, for making a big deal about her slutting around. She didn't want the courts to stop him from seeing us, that was the lawyers and the judge. No, she says she just wants everyone to be happy."

"You believe her?" Tommy asked, the first thing he'd spoken. I wondered if he wasn't hoping that the Momster was on the up-and-up.

"Not a bit," I said. "You know how Mom is. She can't let Dad win, no matter what. And in her eyes, his being able to see us at all is a win for him. No, Mom hasn't changed. She just wants the cops and CPS off her back."

"What's next?" Jenna asked.

I smiled at my older sister. I don't know why I ever thought she was shallow, or stupid. So she wasn't as smart as me and Mom. Neither was Dad. But she was committed, and gave it her all. She was taking big chances for us. I owed her, we all owed her.

"I'm going to take over the direct confrontation. Make Mom's life hell. I'll use her phone and computer to give her some problems, and we can come up with some ways of giving her grief. I don't want you and Tommy doing anything that will give CPS any heartburn." I turned to Tommy. "No fires, and no sacrificial altars. You can act sullen and quiet, and keep playing the bad video games, but don't confront Mom directly. At best, just ignore her."

He nodded, and I think he was a little relieved. I hoped he didn't need real therapy when this was all over. Sometimes I forgot that he was just eleven years old.

As for Jenna . . . "Same for you. Tone it down a bit. Let her think she's getting through to us. No boys in the room, no contraband. You can keep up the bad outfits, and when it comes to talking to Mom, accusations are okay, and you don't have to go along with what she says, just don't confront her directly. Everything is on the hush now."

"How much longer?" Jenna asked.

"It's up to Dad. I'm hoping we can force him back into court, and use all the evidence against Mom and her boyfriend, to work things out."

"You don't think we're going to have to live with him, do you?"

"I don't know, Jenna. Honestly, I wish Dad would come back, and we could live with him here. If it comes down to staying here with Mom, or going to stay with Dad and Aunt Billie, I'm going to Saint Paul. You heard Mom, she's ready to ship you off to him already."

Jenna sighed. "I know. I guess Saint Paul isn't that bad. Allie's pretty cool. You don't think we'd have to go before the end of the semester, do you?"

"Not likely. There's only a month left. I guess we'll have to see. You don't want to let up now, do you?"

She seemed to think about it, while Tommy's head was on a swivel, turning back and forth between Jenn and me. "It's such a mess," Jenna said. "I wish Mom hadn't screwed around, and I hate that she messed up everything for us and Dad. I don't understand why she had to do that. Why she crapped all over us."

I saw the tears in her eyes, and realized how this was getting to her. She rarely showed it. "Mom's selfish. She doesn't care about anybody but herself. She was pissed at Dad and decided to punish him. You know how she is. When she's tired of treating Dad like crap, who do you think she's gonna punish next? It's already started."

Jenna wiped her eyes and nodded. "Right. Let's finish this then. We'll show the Momster she can't ignore us for years, then use us against Dad. I'm tired of all this. All of it. What's next?"

"You and Tommy know what to do. Just tone it down. I've got it from here. If Mom brings over any more boyfriends, we'll deal with them just like we did with Smelly Willy."

~ * ~ * ~

Mom was home by seven, miracle of miracles, and neither CPS or the cops showed up all day. We even had dinner together, and there was no fighting, although Tommy didn't say a word, and Jenna verbally poked the Momster a few times.

After dinner we retreated to our rooms. I got on the computer, and ordered some supplies online. I chose next-day delivery, since money was no object. Then I used Mom's credit card to sign her up for a bunch of sleazy websites.

Eager to please, nothing's off limits. I need a real man to show me the 'ropes'. Tell me what you'd like to do with me, and what you'd like to do to me. The more detailed the better. I've been a bad girl lately, and need a strong man to show me the error of my ways. Don't make me wait!

I put her work email address and cell-phone numbers in her contact information. That should be interesting.

My work for the night complete, I emailed Dad and let him know that Mom was losing it. I told him it was time, past time, for him to go back to court, and straighten things out. I even sent him a spreadsheet of Mom's comings and goings.

I gave him the full breakdown of our visits from CPS and the police. I told him the same story we'd told the police, about Mom overreacting to Jenna having a friend over to study, and my calling 911. Perhaps I bent the truth a little. I was Momster's daughter after all.

There was no way to tell if it was enough to get him off his duff, but all I could do was hope for the best. I couldn't do everything for him. Heck, I'm just thirteen, I'm not even sure I could hire a lawyer, without parental consent.

No, it was time for Dad to pull his own weight.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sorry for the brief delay getting this one posted. The story concludes with next chapter.