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The Punishment of a Long Life – 6

Rebecca and Maxie moved to a brand new housing development.   There were many going up, ear marked for returning veterans of the War.  The rents were cheap, the flats were modern.   Rebecca had never lived in such a place before.

In tandem, her younger sister, Dottie married.  She and her new husband moved  into the apartment they vacated.

To live in  a new building in the new neighbourhood, with new people, was no problem for Maxie.   He  made friends   easily, and as many of the other husbands  had fought in the war,   there  was  a lot to talk about.   It took Rebecca time to adjust.

She never was  friendly or outgoing or had interests,  she just  knew how to hold her face, what not to say,  her tone of voice, so that everyone would believe that she was  nice and polite and quiet.

Beyond her sister, no one knew Rebecca.

It was three years after the birth of Miriam that Rebecca gave birth to Harriet.   For some reason Rebecca liked Harriet much more than Miriam.

It is so odd to look back sixty years, and remember how she felt about her daughters when they were children.

Rebecca could sit here and  list the reasons why she liked one child so much more than another.  But some of the reasons had long since withered and proven to be false.

The tears began again.

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Written by jaylar