Bacter Family Saga

Even after discussing matters with her cousin Cell, Legionella still didn’t know what to do about witnessing her father cheat on her mother. Xavier knew he had been caught by his daughter but he was too embarrassed to confront her about it. He did know that she hadn’t told Yersinia yet and he wanted to talk to her before she spoke to her mother. In an attempt to keep her quiet he bought her a car. Listeria didn’t understand why her sister got a new car so he promised her one when she turned sixteen as well. This seemed to keep her quiet, at least for the time being. Legionella knew why her father bought her the car and it felt like blood money but, being a slightly selfish teenager, she decided to keep it anyway. Besides, it was nice not having to ride the bus to school anymore.

After school one afternoon, Legionella called up her best friend, Tosha Go. She knew that Tosha’s parents had separated and she was pretty sure it was on account of an affair so she thought she would seek her advice.
“Tosh, I don’t know what to do. I feel so torn, like if I tell on him I’ll be betraying my father, but if I don’t, I’ll be betraying my mother. What am I supposed to do?”
“Geez, Ella, that is tough. I mean, my dad cheated on my mom and all but I never saw him do it.”
“What would you have done if you had seen him?”
“I dunno. It’s kinda like one of those things you have to have happen to you to really know what you would do, ya know?”
“Well, what do you think I should do?”
“Maybe talk to your dad first. Who knows? You might have misuderstood what you saw.”
“There was no misunderstanding about it. Besides, he makes me sick to even look at him now.”
“Well, maybe your dad will come clean.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
But Legionella wasn’t so sure about that. The way her dad was acting really seemed like he wasn’t about to let on the truth.

But as luck would have it, for Legionella at least, she would never have to tell her mom what she witnessed. Marylena came home from work with Xavier a few days later. Yersinia was helping Listeria with her homework and Marylena and Xavier snuck into the bedroom. They cuddled up on the bed and one thing led to another and well…you know.

It just so happened that Yersinia wandered into the bedroom to grab one of her old textbooks to help Listeria about the time that Xavier and Marylena were wrapping things up. Yersinia stood gaping at first, unable to believe what she was seeing. She never expected to find her husband, her previously loyal and loving husband, in such a compromising position. And who was that woman he was with? She let out a shriek and the couple immediately flew apart. Xavier jumped out of the bed, “Yersi, its not what you think.”
“ITS NOT WHAT I THINK?” Yersina shouted, “What do you think I am thinking?” And she ran over to Xavier and slapped him across the face.
Marylena timidly collect her clothes and said, “I think I better go,” before creeping out of the room.

A shouting match ensued:
“Yersi, listen to me!”
“There is nothing that you can say to me Xavier.”
“Yersi, I love you.”
“You love me? How could you? Is this how you show me your love? It sure is a funny way of showing it.”
“It was a mistake. I made a mistake.”
“Who is she?”
“Marylena Hamilton. She was on my coaching staff. She came over to help me, um, celebrate getting into the Hall of Fame,”
“Nice way to celebrate. So tell me, what she good?”
Xavier froze. He knew that there was no answer to this question that would please Yersinia. He would say nothing.
But Yersinia would have nothing of that, “Tell me. Was she good?”
“I’m not answering that question Yersinia.”
“How could you do this to me? And it our bed too.” Yersinia started to cry and left the room. Xavier sank down onto the bed, knowing he had made the biggest mistake of his life. Legionella and Listeria both could hear and the two sisters sat huddled together, silently praying that their parents wouldn’t get a divorce.

Yersina and Xavier didn’t get a divorce but maybe it would have been better if they had. They continued living together. Yersinia had taken to sleeping in her brother Bacillus’s old room. She didn’t want to sleep in the same bed in which Xavier had betrayed her.

Even though their parents stayed together, Legionella and Listeria knew it was probably a poor choice. Both girls started to withdraw. They had always had good relationships with their parents, but those relationships were fizzling. Yersinia hardly spoke and Xavier was too ashamed to confront them. Legionella had started going out at night to clubs. It was there that she met Gordon. Gordon was older that Legionella but she didn’t care. She was just glad to have someone to talk to and to make her feel loved again. One afternoon, Gordon stopped by the house. Legionella didn’t know about her mother’s past. So she thought nothing of it when she introduced Gordon to her mother.

Yersinia was distressed. She could hardly believe her eyes when Legionella introduced her new “friend” to her. After all these years, how could it be? She had heard he had died in prison, how could he be standing before her? It seemed to Yersinia that her past was coming back to haunt her. She had to get away. So she took a walk to the back of the property where the mysterious plant of her father’s grew. She knew better than to go back there but she was so upset. If Yersinia had stopped and listened to her daughter a bit more she would have found out that the name of her friend was Gordon King Junior and that he had never known his father and that he hated that he looked like a man who had harmed his mother in such a way. (Simmer’s Note: So it really is the original Gordon King. I wanted to score the burglar point but didn’t want it to be with the Gordon King character I had created for this story so he will now become the first Gordon King’s son.) If she had stopped to listen maybe she wouldn’t have taken that walk that day.

If she has listened maybe she wouldn’t have tried to reach for that piece of cake the plant dangled in front of her.

If only she had listened.