"How's yer mom?"
"Not good. She's taking it really hard. It's been days, and she's still so depressed. I don't know what do do. The stove still doesn't work, and now the computer is broken and I can't do my homework. And people have been calling and calling about the retirement party."
Amber tried not to cry, she knew her dad hated it when she cried, but she couldn't help herself. Sure enough, she could see the disapproving glance starting on his face, and that only made her cry harder.
"How many times have a told you, only losers cry. You don't want to be a loser, do ya? Now stop it, and come help me get this stuff from my truck. I got something for yer mom."
"Hey doll, I brought you something. You gotta get up if you wanna see it."
"A new stove? Thanks, Sin. Where did you get it? It looks expensive."
"Don't worry about it. It fell off a truck. It's s'posed to be fireproof, so ya don't try to kill yerself again. And I installed a smoke alarm, too , just in case."
Garnet managed to drag herself to her retirement party, and she was glad she did. It was good to get out of the house. There was a huge crowd, and many testimonials to her work over the years. It seemed the whole town was there. She scanned the crowd for Sinbad, but he didn't show. Too many of Twinbrook's finest in attendance, most likely.
It seemed strange to think she wouldn't be solving cases anymore, but she had to admit she was getting a little too old to be digging around in people's trash cans. She looked forward to relaxing, collecting her pension, and maybe playing a little chess.
Amber excelled in school. She worked especially hard at her art classes. Garnet bought her a drafting board so she could work on her architectual designs at home. She got a part-time job at the spa, and wanted to use her money to redecorate her room.
"Just don't throw anything away, Sweetie. We might need it someday."
Her mom was such a pack rat.
"Wow, Amber, you have quite a sense of style. It's very.... red."
"Well, red is my favorite color, mom. And don't you agree it's better than the 'builder white' that you still have on the walls in the rest of the house?"
Garnet had to agree it was, even though she favored pinks and purples.
After that, Garnet gave her a budget so she could design herself an art studio. It, also, turned out very red. But Amber was pleased. She loved to spend time alone in her studio.
Now that Garnet was retired, that meant she and Sinbad were spending more time together. And that, inevitably, led to more arguments.
"I don't understand why you put up with it, mom."
"Sure we have our differences, Amber, sweetie, but the making up makes it all worthwhile."
Maybe it didn't faze her mom, but Amber couldn't deal with her dad's temper.
"Sorry, daddy... " and then of course, the tears would start, and the word she dreaded hearing
"Loser"
But then the next day, he would show up with a trinket of some sort, as if he was trying to apologize without actually saying the words.
Besides her art classes, the other bright spot in Amber's life was her best friend Kayla. They had met in art class, and immediately hit it off. They hung out together every day after school that Amber didn't have to work. Sometimes Kayla came home with Amber, but usually they went to Kayla's house.
"Your dad scares me, Amber!"
As her teenage years passed, Amber began spending more and more time at Kayla's. If she saw her dad's pick-up parked out front, she'd just drive right on by. She knew that her mom and dad were either arguing or "making up." She didn't want to be there for either one, and there wasn't a whole lot of middle ground.
So they'd hand out by Kayla's pool and talk about boys. At least Kayla did.
"So Rob and I are going to get married as soon as we graduate. I want lots of kids! When are you going to find a boyfriend, Amb?"
"Never! Boys will only break your heart. I'm not getting married ever."
"You just need to meet the right guy - hey, my brother has a friend...."
"NO!.. oh, sorry Kay, I didn't mean to yell. It's just I'm not ready to think about boys yet."
"We need to get our homework done anyway. We can talk about it again later."
Amber was a stickler for homework, and always worked hard at school. Also, it was a good excuse for not talking about boys.
Amber's eighteenth birthday arrived, and Amber's best and only friend was there, along with her mom and dad, or course.
Amber was a bit worried that her dad would say something to scare Kayla, and she was relieved when he behaved himself. When the cake was finished, he had an announcement.
"Close your eyes, Amber, I have a surprise for you."
So Amber covered her eyes, and her dad took her hand and led her out to the driveway.
When she opened her eyes, there was a little red sportscar in the driveway!
"Happy Birthday, Amber!"
"Thank you daddy! I love it! My favorite color, too!"
She hugged him tight, but inside she was thinking that if he thought he could buy her love like he did when she was six, he didn't know her very well.
As Amber accepted the keys to her new car, Garnet thought back on her life. She knew the time she had left was short, but now Amber was grown and could carry on in her place. She had done everything in life she could have hoped for - a fulfulling career, a new home, and a beautiful daughter. She did worry a bit about her collection of stuff in the basement. She hoped Amber wouldn't throw it all away when she was gone.
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