Chapter 188: Jane: Tell Me Again, Why Did You Choose Haven?
"Haley, I'm your mom."
Mother Claire couldn't stand her daughter's expression of "I don't want to struggle anymore" at such a young age. What made her even crazier was that she was the mom, and Gloria was the "grandmother." Even if her daughter wanted to learn from someone, she should learn from her.
"Do you think I'm not good enough? Your dad and I aren't happy? You guys aren't happy?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
The eldest daughter, Haley, responded to her mother perfunctorily.
"Haley Dunphy!"
Claire bristled. "What do you mean by that?"
"No disrespect, Mom, you're truly wonderful. You and Dad are very happy, and we, your children, are also very happy."
Under her mother's fierce glare, Haley could only momentarily tear her eyes away from her phone and gaze earnestly at her mother. "But that's all. I still want to have my own career in the future. And Scarlett Maxa didn't invite you to her party, but she invited Gloria instead. So..."
She shrugged, giving a knowing look.
"..."
Housewife Claire choked.
In suburban America, not only does every school have its "Queen Bee," but every town or neighborhood also has its "Head Housewife."
Others must orbit around her to be considered significant in the local social hierarchy.
And Scarlett Maxa is the head of the Women's Committee in Haven, undeniably the town's leading housewife.
When such a person throws a party, those invited feel deeply honored, while those not invited feel, either actively or passively, inferior.
Claire Dunphy was one of those uninvited.
"Don't be sad, Mom,"
Alex, the middle daughter, said with a smile. "Do you know why she invited Gloria instead of you?"
"Why?"
Claire was so upset by her eldest daughter, Haley, that she almost lost her composure. She bit her nails and looked at her middle daughter, hoping to get some comfort from her, despite their usually strained relationship.
"Because you're her biggest threat,"
Alex adjusted her glasses, a detective-like gleam in her eyes.
"Oh, please!"
Haley, the eldest daughter, scoffed.
"Alex, tell me more,"
Mother Claire immediately perked up.
"Think about it. Who would you sneer at and attack with sarcasm, and who would you show generosity and kindness to?"
The middle daughter, Alex, looked around at everyone. "That's right! You only sneer and attack those who threaten you, but you don't hesitate to show generosity and kindness to those who are far inferior to you, to elevate yourself and demonstrate your moral superiority."
Seeing her mother thoughtful and her eldest sister, Haley, still unconvinced, Alex added, "Of course, during the brutal school years, there was no need for this pretense. It was more survival of the fittest, without even the sophistication to maintain appearances.
It's only when you enter the adult world, where various social forces intersect and a person can no longer act independently and must compromise and cooperate, that you actively or passively engage in this kind of social performance.
It's the same as how our country treats foreign countries.
We criticize and challenge world powers that threaten us whenever possible.
But for impoverished small countries like those in Africa, we may exploit them economically, but publicly we try to show friendship and provide aid whenever possible, positioning ourselves as benevolent."
"Well, we're being genuinely friendly, not pretending,"
Dad Phil said, somewhat defensively.
"Haha."
Alex, the middle daughter, chuckled at her father's persistent naiveté.
"..."
Dad Phil's face froze.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Haley, the eldest daughter, a complete airhead, could understand at first, but then the topic of countries and Africa got her completely confused.
It's well known that many Americans have poor geographic knowledge, lacking a clear understanding of the world, or even their own country.
Only mother Claire's face gradually lit up with a smile. "So, Scarlett Maxa is targeting me because I'm the biggest threat to her?"
"Of course!"
Alex, the middle daughter, nodded affirmatively. "Think about it, Mom. As your conflict with Mrs. Maxa becomes increasingly public, even though she's suppressing you overtly and covertly, even demanding the other housewives in town take sides, you've maintained good relationships with most of them and haven't been completely ostracized.
Why?
Because you're the epitome of the American housewife, the kind you could star in a TV show about. White, attractive, capable, and with three children.
Mrs. Maxa only has one son, and that alone is her biggest disadvantage. Having either no children, or two, three, or even more—that's the mainstream.
A less typical wife, facing a more typical wife—you say she sees you as the biggest threat and ostracizes you. Isn't that natural?"
"Not strange, not strange at all."
Mother Claire's smile spread widely.
For a rival, only a genuine threat can cause them to lose their composure, which in turn proves your strength and validates your position.
When your opponent looks down on you with pity, that's when you've proven you're weak and wrong.
"What nonsense!"
Eldest daughter Haley couldn't follow this line of thought at all. After a moment's confusion, she questioned, "Is Gloria less of a threat than Mom?"
At this point, she glanced at her mom Claire's figure. "Are you sure?"
Dad Phil swallowed hard, unsure of how to respond. In his eyes, Gloria was far more threatening than his wife, Claire. He couldn't help but mutter, "And Mrs. Boland..."
"Please!"
Middle daughter Alex looked at her eldest sister like she was an idiot. "I already told you what Mom represents: a traditional white housewife.
As for Mrs. Boland, she certainly rivals Mom in many ways, but her figure was too striking. Even though her behavior was relatively conventional, she only slightly outshone Gloria in the way she intimidated the other housewives.
Her striking appearance made her different from the others, destined to garner little genuine affection and support. Just look at the fact that she spends most of her time with only her sister and one close friend.
Gloria, from Colombia, was seen by Mom as a gold digger. To the others, she was an outsider from a poor foreign country, using her attractive figure to steal their resources. She would never be the head of the housewives, and naturally, poses no threat to Mrs. Maxa. You either reject such a person, claiming they threaten everyone's marriages and families, or you embrace that threat, controlling it and winning the hearts and minds of the other housewives."
"Alex, don't say that. It sounds a bit racist,"
Mom Claire said, her words halfhearted.
"Fine, that's how it is."
The middle daughter, Alex, nodded and said, "No matter how you feel about Gloria in private, you must defend her in public and not allow anyone to discriminate against her openly. This way, she will be powerless to change the discrimination that has always existed in everyone's hearts, and she will not be able to threaten the leadership position, because she has nothing to complain about. Everyone cares about her and insists that no one is allowed to discriminate against her!"
"Alex, what's wrong with you?"
The eldest daughter, Haley, stared at her completely unfamiliar sister in astonishment.
In the past, her sister was also sharp-tongued, but she might not understand some academic references at first, though generally she understood what her sister meant.
But now, what is her sister saying all the time?
Although she doesn't quite understand, she feels shocked. She wants to mock her sister but feels that she can't grasp the main point. It's too uncomfortable.
"Nothing."
Seeing her eldest sister like this, the middle daughter, Alex, smiled slightly. "Dr. Wolfe told me not to deliberately fit in and become ordinary. I just realized it and gave up deliberately fitting in. This is the real me!"
"..."
The Dunphy family looked at each other in surprise, and each of them was stunned by their middle daughter's transformation.
Haley and Luke were still young and didn't quite understand, but Claire and Phil thought carefully about what Alex said, and found that apart from some uncomfortable truths, Alex's words went straight to the heart and were thought-provoking.
"Am I wrong?"
Alex, the middle daughter, looked around at her family.
"Haha."
Dad Phil could only smile awkwardly.
"You're right."
Mom Claire said seriously. "Don't say it again in public."
She felt that such words that exposed everyone's weaknesses in human nature would get censored on TV and social media!
"I understand,"
said the middle daughter, Alex, with a smile. "If it weren't for comforting Mom and making you understand the truth about the situation between you and Mrs. Maxa, I wouldn't have bothered bringing this up. It's pointless to say more. Those who understand will understand."
After a moment of stunned silence, the youngest son, Luke, went over and hugged his sister's leg.
"..."
Haley, the eldest sister, trying to emulate Gloria, was stunned but speechless. Not only was Luke the younger brother showing deference, but she, too, was overwhelmed by her younger sister's unbridled intelligence. Subconsciously, she felt that compared to her, who was planning to rely on her looks and figure to land a rich man, this younger sister might have a better chance of becoming the family breadwinner in the future. She couldn't mock her as freely as before.
Just then, the phone rang.
Faced with such a sharp analysis from her middle daughter, Claire, unsure whether to laugh or be disturbed, walked over to the phone with a look of confused amazement. "Gloria!"
she answered, glancing at everyone and saying in a sarcastic tone, "Why are you calling me now when you're not at Scarlett's party? What?! Say that again?"
"What's wrong?"
Phil, her husband, was surprised by his wife's sudden change in demeanor and tone.
"Gloria said something terrible happened at the party."
Claire said after hanging up the phone. "Scarlett is dead. She fell from the second floor and died."
"What?"
The Dunphy family, except Alex, cried out in unison.
"Drunk and fell?"
Phil instinctively voiced his guess.
"I don't know."
Claire was confused and instinctively looked at her middle daughter, Alex.
"Mom, if you want to go, go ahead,"
Alex said knowingly. "Death is the great equalizer. All the previous conflicts have vanished. Mrs. Maxa is your best friend now, and her unfortunate passing is the greatest pain in your heart. Besides, during this time of leadership vacuum, the Women's Committee of Haven needs someone to step up."
"Mom, I'll go with you."
Haley's eyes lit up. "Maybe it's murder. In that case, Detective Chuck will probably come too. Awesome!"
"Haley!"
Phil couldn't stand Haley's excitement.
"What's wrong?"
Haley didn't care, not even thinking she'd done anything wrong, completely lost in the joy of maybe seeing a celebrity.
"You can't go to a place like that where someone's died,"
Claire said, quickly getting ready and denying her daughter Haley's request to go.
"Please! I'm 15!"
Haley yelled in frustration. Seeing her mother showed no sign of changing her mind, she couldn't help but look at her younger sister. "Alex, what do you say? Want to come?"
"No,"
Alex shook her head. "Mom's right. We're minors. It's not appropriate for that kind of scene."
"See? That's a good kid from the Dunphy family."
Claire kissed her middle daughter with great satisfaction. She glared at her eldest daughter, Haley, and told her husband, Phil, to watch the kids. She hurried off to the Maxa house.
"What's wrong with you?"
Haley watched her mother leave and confronted her younger sister. "Didn't you say Detective Chuck is your idol? Don't you want to meet him?"
"My idol is mathematician Dr. Chuck Wolfe."
Alex shrugged. "Being a fan should be rational. Setting up role models is for your own growth, not for blindly chasing trivial celebrity encounters!"
"..."
Haley was completely stumped.
The Hillside Villa
Chuck picked Jane up at the airport and returned to the villa, where he showed her to the guest room. "You'll stay here temporarily. If you're comfortable with this job, I'll rent you your own place."
"Okay."
Jane put down her luggage and surveyed the room before her gaze finally fell on Chuck. Unable to resist, she moved to embrace him.
"Shower first!"
Chuck reached out and stopped Jane's arm, offering a blunt reminder.
"Okay."
Jane, somewhat disappointed, but knowing Chuck's standards, obediently went to clean up.
After going through the standard protocol, the thought flashed through her mind, "This arrangement is so much better. I should have listened to my aunt and quit my job to come here sooner." Jane fell into a deep sleep in the guest room.
An unknown amount of time passed before Chuck woke her. Still feeling somewhat exhausted, she struggled to lift her eyelids, murmuring with a hint of complaint, "I want to sleep. I can't get up."
"There's a case!"
Chuck stated matter-of-factly. "You're an assistant detective, and you need to come with me."
"What case?"
Her FBI training kicked in, jolting her out of her drowsiness, and she opened her eyes.
"A housewife in town fell from the second floor at a party and died."
Chuck gestured for her to get up and briefly explained. "The police discovered the cause of death wasn't the fall, but poisoning. It's a homicide, and they've asked me to consult."
"I'll be ready right away!"
Jane quickly got up, got dressed, and followed Chuck to the crime scene.
It was a rather luxurious house.
The police had cordoned off the area, and inside, gathered all the town's prominent housewives. Jane was shocked to find that besides Beth Boland, the woman her aunt had sent pictures of, who had given her a strong sense of intimidation, there was also another woman with a breathtakingly striking figure.
And it wasn't just her imagination. The whispered comments of the police officers beside her proved it wasn't just her observation.
"Holy shit! Mrs. Boland and Mrs. Pritchett are both here! Lucky day."
"Who would you pick?"
"I'd pick Mrs. Boland."
"I'd pick Mrs. Pritchett."
"Hehehe."
A knowing laugh, a laugh that all men understand, echoed.
"Hey! This is a crime scene!"
A disgruntled middle-aged man's voice rang out. "Show some respect!"
"Yes, Detective Rostenkowski,"
the officers quickly dropped their grins and replied in unison.
Jane looked in the direction of the voice and saw a tall, bald, white detective frowning and reprimanding the patrol officers before walking inside.
"What's wrong with him? What's wrong with guys talking about this?"
"You don't even know? Never say this in front of Detective Rostenkowski again, or you'll regret it sooner or later."
"Why?"
"Detective Rostenkowski has a daughter. Although she's still young, she's developed early and is quite... well-endowed..."
"Not only that, he has a niece whose figure can rival Mrs. Boland and Mrs. Pritchett's. You said this in front of him in that tone—no wonder he's uncomfortable."
"Oh, I see..."
Jane overheard all of this. She couldn't help but look at Chuck beside her, and subconsciously blurted out: "Tell me again, why did you choose Haven?"
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/Soulforger (50+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01