Chapter Two: Memories

Hello and welcome to the Hadley Legacy: Redux.
Last time, Nicole was struggling to raise Temperance as a single teenage mother, and Tempe became a child.

It was a little strange for mother and daughter to ride the bus together, but they were both doing pretty well in school.

They were made fun of a lot at school, though. Tempe hated it. Nicole just wanted to find someone to help her take care of her daughter. They were so poor they had to share a bed because they couldn't afford another one for Tempe.

The next day at breakfast...
"Mom, a couple of the kids at school have been calling you names."
"I know, Tempe, just ignore them."
"But why? They're saying you don't even know who my daddy is."

"That's not true. I know exactly who he is. Was."
"Who was he, Mommy? One of the boys in your class?"
"He was someone I knew... a long time ago. It feels like forever ago." Nicole sighed. "In our old neighborhood."
"Why did we have to leave the old neighborhood?"
"Well... it's a little fuzzy."
"Tell me anyway!"

"Well, there was this boy, his name was Ameen, and we fell in love."
"Yes?"

"But my father didn't like it. And then..." Nicole frowned. "I don't really remember."
"But Ameen was my daddy?"
"Yes."
"And we left because of your daddy?"

Nicole thought about the horror of the blue, how they had fled. She thought about how she had carried Tempe with her as they ran, and then her memory got fuzzy. She couldn't remember exactly how she had ended up in this new home.

"Mom?" Temperance pressed.
"Clean the dishes when you're done," Nicole said, and got up.

Tempe stuck her tongue out at her mother's back. For some reason, her mom never seemed to want to talk about their past, but Tempe was curious. She had been too young when they arrived to remember their life before.

But most of the time, their life was simple. Temperance painted for hours so she could sell her paintings for money, and Nicole played her guitar.

On the weekends, Nicole went to the park to earn some tips. Even so, money was tight.

There definitely wasn't enough money for a plumber, which Nicole thought was disgusting.

Even more frustrating, everything was in the same room, so if she wanted to watch TV or do a little laundry, it woke them both up.


While Nicole spent a lot of time working, Tempe was getting to know he classmates.

And soon, it was time for her to celebrate her birthday once again.