My father had remarried after years of being alone.
Precilla was her name and she had long silky black hair that could have rivalled the women in the commercials. Her nails were meticulously manicured and painted in red and when I say she had an hourglass figure I mean that in the literal sense.
At 18 I would be leaving for college...or that was the plan until that night I was caught in her web. It was a quarter past midnight when I woke in a cold sweat. The house was chilly for early August. Even at this hour it shouldn't have dropped below 70, yet, as I padded down the hallway I could see puffs of breath in front of my face as I passed each moonlit window.
Ahead of me was the dinning room and I could see a warm glow of light peeking from beneath the door. It was strange to think that anyone would be up and about, let alone be in the dining room. Gently I pushed the door barely paying attention to the whine the hinges made. My eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing. Red, it was as if the room had just been painted the color of her nail polish.
She sat gracefully, fork and knife in hand and a napkin across her lap. The candles flames flickered casting shadows across her face as she raised each bite up to her lips but I couldn't look away. It was like my feet had been cemented to the floor. I was a fly that had landed on her web.
That night I lost a father, but don't feel bad he wasn't a good man. She taught me many things once she completed her meal. The first was how to not be weak. Secondly, she taught me how to use my charm, and lastly, she taught me how to spin my web.
It has been years since I lost her. The constant moving and changing our names was tiring, but I loved her.
I don't know why I am telling you all this. After all the honeymoon phase has just begun and I have a voracious appetite. Don't worry though, I will be the best mother to your daughter and teach her all the things my mother taught me.
