The Bad Twin Read online

  The Bad Twin

  A NOVEL

  SHELIA GOSS

  Electronics Edition

  Copyright © 2012 Shelia M Goss

  Published by

  4AllSeasons Publishing

  [email protected]

  The Bad Twin Copyright © 2007, 2012 by Shelia M. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages to be included in a review.

  All characters, names, descriptions and traits are products of the author’s imagination. Similarities to actual people – living or dead – are purely coincidental.

  Cover design by: SG Creations

  PROLOGUE

  Two six-year-old girls, who look identical to each other, fought over a Barbie-sized doll. Rose Purdue, with a head full of ponytails and colorful butterfly hair bows, was dressed in a pink-laced dress. Violet Purdue was dressed identical to Rose, except she wore a purple dress. Rose managed to get the doll away from Violet, took a pair of scissors and cut the doll’s hair. Violet cried and ran looking for their mother.

  Rose, with tears flowing down her face, walked into the living room and stood next to a handsome brown-skinned six foot man, Louis Purdue. Louis picked her up and wiped the tears from her face and in a soothing voice asked, “What’s wrong with daddy’s little girl?”

  Rose sniffed a few times and batted her eyes at her father. “Violet cut my doll’s hair off.” Louis patted her on the back to soothe her.

  Louis responded, “Don’t cry. We’ll just have to get you a new one.”

  As Louis hugged her, a smirk swept across Rose’s face, Violet observed this interaction from the doorway. Rose stuck out her tongue at Violet and continued to bask in the comfort of her father’s arms.

  Violet turned to walk away and ran smack into their mom, Pearle, who was an older version of the twins with a Creole complexion. She was dressed in a floral housedress and apron.

  Pearle shook her head and looked down at Violet. “Violet, remember what mama told you a few weeks ago. Rose is just being Rose, so we have to overlook some things. Okay?”

  Violet, too young, to understand nodded her head in agreement.

  1

  VIOLET

  “How much do I love me, let me count the ways? I love that song. I know it sounds a little vain, but if you had to spend every day competing for your own identity because of your sister, you wouldn’t say that. Are you writing all of this down? Well, I hope when she reads this, she’s not too upset, but knowing Rose she will swear I only did this interview to embarrass her. Where do you want me to begin?”

  “First let’s start with the name Rose. Rose is such a pretty name representing a beautiful flower. Everyone sees Rose not only as this tall, beige beauty with hypnotizing sparkling eyes, but also as a woman with a heart of gold. Yes, Rose is physically attractive, but if you knew her true character, you would see her thorns. I’ll share with you several incidents to back up my statement.”

  “Many would be surprised that Rose and I have issues with one another, because she makes us seem so perfect. When your magazine called to set up this interview, I was hesitant about doing it, but then it dawned on me; it’s about time the public got an inside look at the real Rose.”

  “Anyway, back to what I was saying; our parents owned a landscaping company and named us Rose and Violet for their favorite flowers. Our parents were great parents, but growing up it seemed as if Rose was their favorite. Fortunately before our dad died, he and I were able to make amends concerning the special treatment Rose got.”

  “While growing up, Rose always came across as the good twin, and I was labeled the bad twin. She would do things and made sure I was to blame. I remember when we were around sixteen years old; she stole my Mom’s pearls, pearls that my grandmother gave her before she passed away. Rose wore the pearls to school and instead of returning them to my mom’s jewelry box; she casually brought up the subject of pearls over dinner one night. The next day, my mom realized her pearls were missing; she searched the house and guess where she found the missing pearls? Rose had hidden them under my pillows. Although I informed my Mom that it was Rose who took them, she wouldn’t hear of it. I was grounded for two weeks. I missed my junior prom because of Rose.”

  “I can’t count the times in which I got punished for some of the pranks she pulled. She would cheat on tests by trying to look on my paper, teachers would think we were in cahoots together, and we both would be punished. She would pretend to be me when she wanted to date more than one guy at a time, which caused my boyfriend and me to break up a few times.”

  The interviewer changed the cassette in her tape recorder when Violet stopped to take a sip of lemonade. A hazy look flashed across Violet’s face as she continued to tell her story.

  “I was married for seven years. I remember the day I met David. I was on my way up to a potential donor’s office. I worked at one of the community centers here in Los Angeles and my job was to raise money for the community center’s after school programs. I was so nervous about meeting this client. While on the elevator, I met this friendly guy. He stood over six feet tall with the sexiest grayest eyes I had ever seen. He had a milk chocolate smooth complexion, which somehow made me feen for a Hershey bar. Even in a suit he had a body like a Nubian prince. His smile brought me comfort as I waited for the elevator to stop on the fifteenth floor. When I exited, to my surprise he was right behind me. I was even more surprised when I found out he was the man I was scheduled to have my meeting with.

  After we laughed at the coincidence, he gladly signed over a nice check for the community center. As he walked me out, he asked if it would be okay if he called me and I said yes of course. At the time, I thought he meant call me at the center for business reasons. When he called me two days later, he asked me out on a date.

  We were inseparable. My parents loved him, and even Rose liked him and she normally didn’t like any of the guys I dated. She would always find something wrong with them.

  We married and were happily married up until that ill-fated day I decided to play hooky from work. I had it all planned out. I would go home, take a nice long bubble bath, cook David’s favorite dinner, chicken Alfredo, and put on our favorite Nina Simone CD. I had no idea I was going to be the one surprised. When I pulled up into our driveway, David’s car was home; he normally worked until seven. I called out his name a few times. When he didn’t respond, I ran up the stairs. As I got closer to our bedroom, I heard strange sounds. When I opened the door, I got a picture perfect view of him and Rose together wrapped around my favorite burgundy satin sheets.”

  The interviewer had a shocked look on her face.

  “Don’t be shocked. I am used to her antics, because she’s always been underhanded. I have to say out of all the things she’s done, that one hurt me the most. Yes, how could you deliberately sleep with your sister’s husband? She knew exactly what she was doing. She would stop by his office, posing as me, and seduce him.

  According to David, this went on a couple of times before he realized it wasn’t me, but by then, he had gotten too caught up in it and continued their little affair. When I caught them together, I almost lost it, but something inside of me made me walk away. I haven’t laid eyes on either one of them since my divorce. I found out they were getting married when sweet little Rose sent me an invitation to the wedding. What nerve! She’s a bold one, that’s for sure!

  It took me at least a year before I could hold a conversation with her on the phone. The only reason why I communicate with her at all is because I promised
my mom. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be talking to her.

  I really don’t have too many nice things to say about Ms. Thing. I guess this is not what you expected for your Sisters in Hollywood issue. I’m sure Rose will be surprised with this interview, but she’ll probably find a way to weasel her way out of this story, she always bounces back.

  To conclude our interview, I will say I will probably always love Rose, but I just can’t trust her. I don’t want her anywhere near me. My friend, Janice, is more of a sister to me than my own twin.”

  The interviewer for Noir Magazine turned off the tape recorder and her face showed she was utterly surprised with what Violet had revealed. Violet could only think that she had opened her eyes to the real Rose Purdue. As the interviewer prepared to leave, she turned around and asked Violet one last question. “Do you think you’ll ever be able to forgive your sister?”

  As she walked the interviewer to the door, Violet responded, “You asked a million dollar question. Maybe one day, but not today.”

  2

  ROSE

  Where is the mail? Noir magazine told my agent I should get my complimentary copy today. I haven’t talked to Violet since the magazine called me about doing their Sisters in Hollywood interview. I was hoping Violet would have called to let me know how things went on her end. But oh no, she couldn’t do that. I’m glad she decided to do the interview though. Maybe this will help ease the tension between us.

  I really do love my sister, but she’s just too… what’s the word, “Ms Goody two-shoes.” If I admitted it to myself, I might be a little jealous of her. It seems she’s so much smarter than I am. She has the nerve to question why I do what I do. If I didn’t, I would just disappear into the background. I can’t have that. I think I’m good at competing for and getting good acting roles, because I had to compete for our parent’s attention.

  I do regret the last thing I did to my poor sister, but I just couldn’t help it. No one told David to be so sexy and wealthy. I always wondered what he saw in my boring sister. I’m the adventurous one, and she is the boring bookworm. I felt like he needed a woman with a little passion. I didn’t mean for it to get to the point of marriage; but when she divorced him, I couldn’t let another woman get a hold of him.

  Besides, after my mom lectured me about betraying Violet, I had to show her I really did love him. But, I sort of went about it the wrong way; I faked a pregnancy. Several months after we were married, David found out that I wasn’t really pregnant and he was livid. I asked him why he stayed in the marriage, if he didn’t love me. He had the nerve to tell me he felt like our marriage was his sentence for breaking my sister’s heart. I probably should divorce him, but I can’t come away looking like a failure.

  Rose located the magazine and threw the rest of the mail on the kitchen counter. She smiled as she admired the cover of her and Violet during happier times. She was too excited to sit, so she stood as she thumbed through the magazine to find the article. Her smile began to fade when she noticed the title to the section about her and Violet - Roses are Thorns. The more she read, the more her blood pressure escalated. She took a sip of water and almost choked when she read the part about how she slept with David.

  ***

  I can’t believe Violet told them all of this. How could she violate our family secrets? How could she do this to me? If she didn’t have anything nice to say, she should have declined the interview.

  In the past, we have had our issues, but she’s always had my back in public. What in the world has gotten into her? Doesn’t she know the public is fickle and they only need one piece of dirt to turn on you? Now I have to figure out a way to recover from the backlash this is sure to cause. She better hope this doesn’t cause me to lose out on this movie deal I’m negotiating or she will have hell to pay.

  ***

  She threw the magazine on the counter feeling disgusted. “David! David! Can you believe the trash Violet said about me in this article?”

  David’s eyes shot up from reading the paper with a look of disgust on his face. “Rose, what did you expect?”

  Rose stood with her hands on her hip and a frown on her face. “You always take up for her. I should have known you wouldn’t understand. Your perfect little Violet mentioned your name in her interview. Now what do you think of her now?”

  David continued to read the newspaper. He didn’t look up as he responded, “Whatever Violet said is more than likely the truth. I accept it, and so should you.”

  Rose couldn’t stand it. “Can you try to show sympathy for me once in your life?”

  David put the paper down and stood face to face with Rose. “I have all the sympathy in the world, but for Violet.” He walked around Rose and out the door.

  Rose yelled, “David! Don’t walk away from me. You always do this. Why do you even stay?”

  David didn’t come back. Rose sat down at the kitchen table feeling empty. She picked up the article again and began to fume over what Violet had revealed. Instead of facing the truth and consequences of her previous actions, she decided to lash out at Violet. She picked up the phone and dialed her number. Violet’s answering machine picked up on the third ring. “Violet. I know you’re there. Pick up the phone. Okay. Now you want to play the disappearing game. Well, I got the little article you did. If my reputation is ruined because of what you said, you will have hell to pay. How could you do this to me?”

  The answering machine clicked off, but Rose called right back. “I don’t appreciate your answering machine hanging up on me either. You need to get with the program and get voice mail, like the rest of us. Call me as soon as you get this message.” Rose slammed the phone down.

  “How in the world could she do this to me! She knows how hard I’ve worked to maintain my image. She has me over here stressing. I need a massage or something. I feel a migraine coming on.”

  3

  VIOLET

  Rose had the nerve to call and leave me a nasty message. Now she knows how it feels to be betrayed by someone who supposedly loves you. Do I regret revealing our issues to the reporter? Maybe. I probably should have kept some of the information to myself, but I feel so much better. It was like years of frustration were released when I gave the interview.

  In her message, she mentioned she would make me pay for what I said. She must have forgotten about the years of heartache she caused me. I only spoke the truth, but I can’t say that about her. She’s lied on me, to me, and about me, all of our lives.

  I sat down to read the article after receiving her message. The interviewer was careful with her words, to avoid slander charges. Her chosen title impressed me and now I have a new theme song, “Roses are Thorns, Violets are True.”

  ***

  Violet’s phone rang. Her mom’s number flashed across on the caller ID so she answered. “Hi Mom.” Violet sat on the bed prepared for a long lecture about keeping family business within the family.

  “I was calling to see how one of my favorite girls was doing. If you called me or came down to Louisiana to see me more often, I wouldn’t have to wonder.”

  “Mom. I’m doing fine as usual. Don’t worry about me,” Violet responded.

  Pearle updated Violet on what was going on in Shreveport. Before they finished talking, Pearle’s phone beeped. “Hold on dear.”

  Violet held on and wondered why Pearle was taking so long. She stretched out across the bed and waited. If it had been anyone else on the phone, other than her mama, she would have hung up five minutes before. She hated being put on hold for long periods of time. She had few pet peeves, but this was one of them. She started to doze off, when she heard Pearle yelling, “Violet! How could you?”

  Violet sat up fully prepared for the backlash. “Mom. I was told the interview was her idea in the first place.” She continued on, playing the dumb role, and said, “I assumed she would want me to tell the truth.”

  Pearle scolded her to a point where she felt regret for doing the interview. “Violet, I expect th
at type of behavior from Rose, but never from you. You have always been the sensible one. You were wrong dear and you should apologize to your sister.”

  Violet began to feel numb. “Whatever you say Mom.”

  “Violet don’t get smart with me. When will you girls start acting like sisters?”

  Violet not wanting to tell Pearle off, tried to end the conversation. “I think I hear someone at my front door. Mom, love you. Got to go.” She hung the phone up and continued to lie across her bed.

  ***

  My mom knows how to make me feel like a little girl. She has me feeling bad for what I said. She’s probably right, but I don’t feel like being the sensible twin right now.

  4

  ROSE

  Shortly after Noir Magazine’s Sisters in Hollywood issue hit the stands, Rose’s phone constantly rang off the hook. David was tired of the phone calls and decided to check into a hotel so he could get some peace and quiet. Rose allowed all of her calls to be picked up by her voice mail and Tina, her personal assistant, spent many hours clearing out the messages.

  Tina stated, “Rose, I think you need to call your agent. Carmen has left at least ten messages.”

  Rose, carrying a frozen raspberry margarita in one hand, and her cell phone in the other, went out on her patio and looked out towards the ocean. This was the one place she felt relaxed. She purchased the house because of its location and the ocean with its clear, blue-green water, rushing up to the sandy shore provided a breath-taking view. There was something calming about the tranquil waters. Being in the limelight was beginning to stress her out more and more. She took a sip from her margarita, sat in her reclining patio chair, leaned back and made her dreaded phone call.