Still Brie Newman's POV....

There were only two people in my whole miserable existence that I could count as friends.
One was dead and the other I had lost touch with.
The first was my former stepmother, Sasha.
Lovingly, she had drawn me out of my shell and made me feel important.
When Dad was married to her, she invited my brother Stuart and I over often.
She tried hard to make us both feel welcome in their new home.


Sasha was big on family being together on holidays. She also enjoyed cooking.
Indulgently, Dad gave in to all of her demands.
They were so much in love in the beginning.
Even when Dad was too busy to see me on our scheduled visitations, Sasha never failed to show up.
She never acted put out that she was stuck with me. We always had such fun together.
It was the only time in my life I felt loved and wanted.






Stuart was both my parent’s favorite.
Stuart kept their attention by being a total jerk most of the time.
They used to think everything he did was brilliant and never reprimanded him.
Stuart hated Sasha because she was the only one that would tell him off when he acted like an ass.
He was always rude and disrespectful to her. He made fun of her accent and mimicked her.
He called her really nasty names and did all he could to annoy her into slapping him.
I was secretly pleased that Sasha didn’t think Stuart was all that special.
She gave up trying to be nice to him after awhile.
Sasha tried to warn Dad that if something wasn’t done to reign him in that he’d end up in prison.
Dad and Mom both laughed her off.
It’s little wonder Stuart is such a mess now.




I was devastated when Sasha left Dad.
She just disappeared for a year until Dad tracked her down.
They got back together, but it wasn’t the same.
One of the first things Dad did was refuse to let her see me.
I really hated him for that.
My mother got real enjoyment out of seeing her rival so disgraced.
I saw Sasha only once before she died.....

Coming Next: Brie recalls last memory of Sasha.