Kaydence's visit

 

My darling baby brother, Sebastian Ryan "Bassy" Plumb, made it official.  He married this lounge singer named Cherise Hall, at some swanky Sunlit Tides resort.  I heard about it like everyone else - by reading about it in the paper.  Heck, that's how Kaydence heard about the wedding.   He hardly knows the woman and yet he says 'I do' to her, moving her into his house, his life, and Kaydence's life.  Just like Bassy.

So the pride of Bassy's loins, my darling little niece Kaydence, has graced us with a visit.

Apparently, the other day Kaydence was hungry and she tried to cook herself some macaroni and cheese.

Unfortunately, she had the fire a little too high and the kitchen just about burned down.

My brother had just come in from one of his acting gigs when the fire broke out.

The fire department was called, and it took nearly three hours to put out the fire. 

So the next day at Community School for the Gifted (CSG), I'm called upon to chaperone the high school fine arts class field trip to the bistro.  And there was Kaydence.

 

Skylar's behavior toward Kaydence, though, was absolutely appalling.  She walked right past her, not even acknowledging her, and went inside with her friend Heather.  

That evening when I got home, I told Skylar about it.   I said point blank that she was not going to behave that way toward another member of this family.
Skylar's response was absolutely chilling.  "You found a little girl you like better than you like me."
"Skylar!"
"It's true, isn't it, Mom?"
"Skylar, of course it's not true.  You're my daughter, I love you."
"How come we don't do anything together anymore?"
I sighed a deep, heavy sigh.  "You're always so busy, Skylar, with your practices and auditions, I don't always want to get in the way.  But you're still my baby girl, you'll always be my baby girl. I love you."

I still don't know if I've gotten through to Skylar.  She's so stubborn. That is VERY familiar, lol. 

She and Kaydence do not like each other at all, and I suspect it's mutual.  I also suspect that there's some jealousy and a little rivalry brewing between them.  I have no idea how to handle girl rivalry because I have zero experience with that.  I was never into that kind of thing growing up, and neither were my daughters up to this point.  Satis was a brainiac, Sage was a tree hugger, and Sierra was, well, Sierra. 

On Friday evening my brother and sister-in-law left in a cab for the airport and Watcher knows where.  They didn't tell me or Kaydence where they were going.

Kaydence decided on her own that instead of spending the weekend by her lonesome at her dad's rental, she would spend it with me.

She arrived at the mansion at 10:30 that night.  Most of us had already gone to bed.  There's a reason I said "most of us."

Most of us, that is, except for Sierra, who was up on the balcony stargazing.   I don't think Sierra knows what sleep is.  Sometimes I hear her up at four in the morning either working out or typing on the computer.

And very early that morning she disappeared out to Summer Hill Springs out by the mansion and went fishing.  She came in boasting about having caught her biggest fish ever.  Sigh.  Andy's daughter, all right. 

Come to think of it, Kaydence being here doesn't matter a whit to Sierra at all.  I don't think anything matters to her.

 

She's pretty much in her own world.  

 

The next morning, Kaydence wanted some help with a homework assignment.  So I decided to help her.  Someone had to.  

Skylar was out in front of the business building performing for tips.
 

That evening, after we'd finished, I heard Kaydence beginning to sob briefly.  But no sooner had that happened than Andy swooped in to the rescue, getting a smile out of her with a dead-on impression of Watcher knows who.

While Kaydence was still laughing, Skylar walked in and she was forced to smile.

Kaydence is an amazing little girl.  At the age of seven, she told me in confidence that her dad had cheated on her mom with her nanny and that she herself had caught them together.   At that young age she realized that even though she loves her parents, what they did was wrong.  My brother Bassy is at least as responsible for what's happened to her as her mother Madison is.  He was handed this incredible little girl on a fucking silver platter and he managed to screw it up.  I cannot believe how badly my brother screwed this up.  Kaydence is having to play catchup with her same-age peers.  And that dismays me more than anything.   

What also dismays me is that once again, I'm cleaning up his mess.  I've been doing it my whole life.

I actually think Kaydence would benefit from counseling.  I think she needs someone to talk to about what happened in her life and help her sort through it. 

 

She's definitely got issues, there's no question about it.  I saw her kicking a flamingo down at the festival.  But overall, I'm surprised she's as well adjusted as she is, given all that's happened to her, and none of it was within her control.

I'm calling Sierra's therapist in the morning.