BENEVOLENCE

JUNIPER VELAZQUEZ ISN’T big on celebrations. She thinks it too much for something so little. Like birthdays and graduations -- what’s the big deal? It’s just an excuse to get drunk and for your estranged uncle to inappropriately hug you for too long. Besides that, it’s pretty useless.

And this is one of the times she has proven herself right.

She has fought relentlessly about wearing the soft pink dress with the ugly peach tulle around her shoulders but yet here she is, standing at the altar like an over-decorated cupcake on her dad’s 3rd wedding. She knows being one of the bridesmaids isn’t her new 26-year-old stepmom’s idea because she’s standing with three other young ladies with plastic for faces who keeps calling her ‘babe’ and doesn’t even make the effort to talk to her.

Juniper looks and feels completely out of place. Like an unwanted zit.

The wedding is extravagant with sparkling lights hanging from the rafters of the greenhouse. Flowers occupied much of the walls, suffocating the whole room with the heavy scent of roses and petunias, which just collectively smells like dirt to Juniper. Her stepmom, Heidi now-Velazquez, has expensive tastes, she’ll give her that. Her dress is customised by Vera Wang and the sparkling white shoes on her feet are by Jimmy Choo. But it’s all a little on the gaudy side.

When the vows are exchanged and they seal it with a kiss, Juniper struggles to not make a face. She sighs internally and tries to focus on how happy her father looks, despite this being his 3rd marriage and another million dollars out of the window to achieve such a gaudy occasion. Her father is fifty but barely looks like it. She takes in his appearance; tanned olive skin, dark hair slicked back and his posture relaxed as he shows the guests his new wife, hand in hand as they descend from the altar.

You would think people would get tired of showing up at the same person’s wedding for the 3rd time.

The reception takes place in the vineyard that her father owns. Several hundred feet of string lights hang around the vineyard with long rectangular tables taking up most of the space. There’s a string quartet by the dancefloor with the main cellist playing Bach Cello Suite No. 1 as people start to settle into the reception. Flowers bloom around them, almost as if encasing the guests in a garden. There’s a table of champagne flutes with Dom Perignon waiting to be popped by the new bride and groom.

Juniper lets out a sigh, scanning the reception to see people pouring in, all dressed to the nines and a little too much for a wedding. That’s the thing about weddings and celebrations like these: it’s all about who has the better dress or whose suit is more expensive. The entirety of it all is depressing. She swipes a bottle of Dom Perignon off the table and thinks she isn’t going to be able to get through tonight being completely sober.

Her family on her father’s side is attending the wedding. Her cousins are floating around the vineyard, Snapchatting the whole scene and posting stories onto their Instagram accounts treating the event like some sort of spectacle. The Velazquez clan is huge and Juniper can’t even name a single soul in her entire family tree that she can tolerate just enough.

The whole night goes by quicker than she expects but that’s the alcohol in her system making it an easier ride. Juniper sits by one of the tables where the guests assigned to it had gotten up to dance the Macarena. There’s a pounding headache swarming her head and it isn’t the alcohol. She might have drunk a lot but she isn’t drunk. Tipsy? Sure. But bored? Absolutely.

“So, this is where the extra bottle of Dom Perignon went?” Her father says knowingly as he approaches his daughter with her hand supporting her head. She reminds him a lot of his late wife; the big stormy eyes that hold so much in them, her long wavy hair that she always refuses to tie up and that mouth that always sits in a frown.

Juniper grins at him sickly, “I’m sure the new Mrs Velazquez is okay with it. She seems used to taking things, I’m sure she won’t mind if I do the same with a bottle of champagne.”

There’s a look of annoyance on his face, something Juniper has grown to strive for, but it quickly dissipates as he holds his hand out for her. He promised himself that tonight wouldn’t be one of the nights he’d have to lecture his only daughter.

“Come on, mija,” he says, “Let’s do a father-daughter dance. You wouldn’t have a quinceñeara so it’s the least we can do for your tías.”

Juniper lets out a defeated sigh and takes his hand hesitantly. She isn’t the world’s best daughter and figures this is the least she can do after terrorising most of her high school career and forcing her dad to pick up after her mess time after time. Juniper likes to think she’s sorry for all the chaos and the disasters that rummage through their lives like a hurricane but the thing is, she doesn’t feel an ounce of guilt whenever she looks at her dad and his new wife.

Nevertheless, though, dancing with her dad is the least she can do.

She gets up from the chair as her father leads her to the dancefloor. He places his hand on her back gently and walks her over to the centre. Her father, Remi Velazquez, has always been a busy man and he always felt guilty about having little to no time to spend with his only child. But it puts food on the table, funds the multiple private schools Juniper has been hopping from one to the other as well as funding his new young wife’s wild shopping tendencies. Despite his daughter getting into trouble frequently, he has always loved her regardless of the constant calls coming from the school telling him about Juniper’s latest shenanigans.

It’s like he subscribed to an unwanted amount of notifications of his daughter getting into trouble in real-time.

The dance floor is winding down a little now after the chaotic bunch of old people trying to keep up with the Macarena. The DJ slows down the song as the string quartet takes over with a cover of The Beatles’ I Will, signalling people on the dancefloor to pair themselves to dance together.

The song is one of her dad’s favourites and she is reminded of how she used to dance with her dad in the kitchen of their old house. It was before her dad’s career took off as a real estate developer. She used to stand on his feet and he’d dance with her with songs playing from the stereo in the kitchen. Juniper remembers how small the kitchen in their old house and how they always danced by the window with her mom standing by the sink, watching at them lovingly. She hasn’t thought about the old days as often because it often brought her tears about a simpler time where she felt like she finally belongs and things made sense.

They sway to the song for a while, until a squeaky, pitchy voice approaches them like a noisy siren.

“Honey, there you are!” Heidi comes over to them, holding her dress up so she wouldn’t step on it and trip, breaking her fake nose. Her shrill voice forces Juniper and her father to step apart from each other, resembling their distance once again. Heidi is oblivious to the frown on Juniper’s face and adds, “You have to come and see my cousins from Jersey! They’ve been saying how they couldn’t get a hold on you the whole day.”

“Sorry, June,” Her father says, nudging her cheek with his knuckles softly with a smile, “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Juniper watches her father walk away with urgency in his step with Heidi next to her. She sighs fondly and looks at Juniper, standing with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Heidi asks.

She smiles at her painfully, “I don’t know. The last wedding had better music.” Juniper eyes Heidi from head to toe, “And better fashion taste.”

Heidi immediately frowns, consciously running her hand over the bodice of her dress, “I’m trying to be nice to you, you know.”

Juniper snorts, “Don’t bother. I’d give this thing a whole year before Dad decides you’re getting old. There’s no point in whatever you’re trying to develop with me. It’s better that way, Heidi.”

Juniper has gone through the motions of watching her dad bringing home a young, college drop-out from time to time and guessing whether or not he’d stick to one and put a ring on it. She doesn’t care about it, at least that’s what she tells herself, but she sure does have fun in testing her new stepmoms, past and future.

Heidi’s right eye twitches slightly before she regains her composure and says, “Check yourself before you to speak to me, Juniper. Your father and I are married now. I expect you to be respectful at the least.”

“You’re old enough to be my sister,” Juniper tells her and her voice comes out venomous that Heidi steps back a bit, “When you were born, my dad was already working. A little bit of a perspective for you, step-mommy dearest.”

“Okay, fine, here it goes.” Heidi clears her throat and takes a step closer to Juniper. She’s taller than Juniper, especially with the heels and it gives her a sense of leverage but it doesn’t scare her. Juniper stares back at Heidi’s face caked in makeup, fumigating with heavy perfume with her platinum blonde hair spilling down her back like a violent waterfall. “I’m Mrs Velazquez now. I’m your father’s wife, your new stepmother. I own part of this beautiful vineyard now too and that gorgeous house of ours. If you think you can get rid of me that easily with your self-righteous attitude and snarky personality, think again. We’re family now. A little bit of a perspective for you, stepdaughter dearest.”

Juniper can feel her blood boil at the cocky grin on her face. She doesn’t say anything. She wants to. She wants to tear all her extensions out and pour a glass of champagne all over her dress but she keeps her mouth shut as Heidi steps back with a victorious smile before walking off. Besides, if she let her anger get to her, it’ll end like the last wedding where Juniper had cut her ex-stepmom’s hair with a cake knife and then proceeded to rip the dress apart.

But still, Juniper certainly does not appreciate the words that came out of her mouth.

Whenever she gets angry, Juniper retaliates and she’s good at it. When she found out about the engagement a year ago, she took one of her dad’s cars on a joyride and spent his credit card to buy everything she wanted and could buy that day. Then, she threw multiple parties in the house after Heidi redecorated. Paintings were splattered with vodka, the carpets were puked on and crystal vases were thrown out of the balcony to see who could throw the farthest.

Those weren’t the wildest things Juniper had done to get reactions out of her father and to spite any potential future stepmoms. She didn’t even do these things because her dad took her car keys off her or took her credit card away. Sometimes she did these things because she couldn’t figure out what other things that would make her feel alive.

But right now, she’s going to do something just for Heidi.

She takes out her phone and gets on her Snapchat, where she has enough followers to fill up the entire reception with the right amount of rowdy teenagers.

“Hey, whores!” Juniper films herself on her front camera, giving her audience her best award-winning smile that always meant bad news, “I’m at the Velazquez Vineyard and I’m bored out of my mind. So, I’m throwing an impromptu party at the vineyard. Come join!”

And she posts it onto her public story. All she has to do now is sit and wait for the chaos to start.

She sits by the bar and sips on champagne coolly. In the matter of half an hour, people from school start to pour in at the front entrance. The security is ambushed and dishevelled as teens jump the barrier, crashing right into the reception. A smile begins to appear on Juniper’s face as she catches the grim look on her dad’s face as well as Heidi with the chaos starting to unfold itself before them. Heidi looks across the area, her icy blue eyes landing on Juniper in a cold glare.

“Welcome to the family.” Juniper mouths before she gets swarmed with some people from school, greeting her.

It’s chaotic when the crowd of teenagers flood the reception. The music has been taken over as security struggles to kick them all out, letting loud upbeat music invade the perimeter. The bar has been jumped by a couple of jocks from the school’s team, taking bottles of liquor off the illuminated shelves before running off with it, popping two bottles of champagne and raining it over the guests. The wedding guests are appalled as the surroundings increasingly become suffocating. The dance floor is packed with teenagers drinking straight from the bottle as they start to dance along to the loud music.

In the distance, Heidi is screaming at the teens as well as yelling at the security to call backup. Her dad is ripping apart two teenagers that are attacking the dessert table. Both of them had underestimated Juniper and decided to trust their guts to have minimal security.

Juniper confidently makes her way up to the stage as her friends chant her name. She grabs the microphone as two guys hold back the designated DJ of the night.

“I just want to say a little something,” She says as the crowd cheers, “To my new, lovely stepmother.”

She looks straight at Heidi and her father who’s been yelling at security to get a hold of the situation. He’s glaring at her now, hands on his waist and giving her the exact same look he’s been giving her for the past five years. The look of pure disappointment.

“Bienvenido a la familia, puta.” Juniper smiles widely as the wedding guests let out a gasp. Her father is now making a beeline towards her, pushing kids out of his way. Quickly, she looks back at the crowd, “Let’s get this party finally started!”

Juniper takes a stage dive as the music resumes. She’s being carried into the air as her father swims through the crowd and onto the stage. He snatches the microphone off of the two boys and rips the cord out of the DJ set, letting the speakers screech for a moment, making everyone stop and hold their ears shut. Juniper is dropped to the floor, her eyes meeting the angry gaze that’s being sent her away from the stage.

“I’ve already called the cops so if you all want to get home in one piece, I suggest you all leave now!” He yells and his voice resonates through the vineyard in fury, making everyone wince.

As the crowd of delinquents file out of the dancefloor with the music cut off, while booing, Juniper is left standing in the middle of the dancefloor, staring back at her father. She knows, just by looking at him, a million and one punishments are coming her way tonight. She’s going to get grounded, her credit card and car get taken off of her once again and maybe this time, he’ll take her phone away from two weeks.

Nothing she hasn’t gone through.

__________________

“You have some nerve, Juniper.” Her dad seethes from the front seat. He’s clutching onto the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles are so white. “I was willing to forget about all the goddamn shenanigans you have pulled over the years and start fresh for us. I’m almost at my wits end with you, mija. I mean, what would your-”

She knows exactly what he’s going to say next so she stares back at him through the rearview mirror, “Don’t you dare bring her into this conversation.” Juniper scoffs and adds to challenge him, “What would mom think of you, huh? Running around, snatching up college dropouts to be your wife and keep you company in your lonely life. Yeah, I bet she’s so fucking proud of you, dad!”

They’re driving on the dirt road out of the vineyard until he presses onto the breaks in one swift motion that the car lurches forward, almost making Heidi lunge her head onto the dashboard. She hasn’t said anything when they went into the car and she knows she doesn’t have a say when it comes to an argument between her husband and her stepdaughter.

Her father looks over his shoulder with the look of pain and disdain swarming his dark eyes. She can see how his ego shrivels pathetically in his eyes and she can tell her words left wounds on him. He looks like he wants to break down and cry but Juniper knows he could never cry. Not even on the day his wife died.

“Everything that I have done, Juniper,” he starts slowly, fuming with his chest heaving heavily. His tone is low and each syllable seems to be a struggle for him to say, “Has always been for you.”

She stares back at him and the silence resides between them again. The angry look in his eyes softens slightly but Juniper is relentless as she holds her glare in anger. He sighs, opening his mouth a little, too hesitant to say anything.

“You’ve done amazing so far, dad -- fucking fantastic,” Juniper hisses before her dad turns to the front again, driving towards home.

During the drive, there’s only silence inside the Range Rover. The radio isn’t even on. Juniper sits silently in the back, itching to run off somewhere else but here. She wants to change into a shirt, a pair of shorts and put on a pair of sneakers and just run. Heidi sits at the front with Remi, casually stealing gazes at Juniper through the headrest, silently checking on her now-stepdaughter.

As the car drives up the driveway of their house, Juniper starts to see a brand new Porsche sitting on the side with a big velvet bow on the roof coming into her vision. Heidi is sitting straight up now, looking at it in awe. Juniper’s dad pulls the car over and lets out a deflated sigh.

“I thought tonight would’ve ended differently,” He starts as they all look at the car, “And we’d make this one big surprise when we get home but that doesn’t matter.”

Juniper rolls her eyes, flicking her hair over her shoulder, “It’s a total eyesore.”

“But whose is it?” Heidi asks, looking over at her new husband expectedly.

He reaches over the console and holds her knee with a weak smile, “It’s yours, honey.”

Heidi screams in excitement, almost blowing Juniper’s eardrums. They both hop out of the car and scurry towards the Porsche. Juniper reluctantly follows suit and stands by the Range Rover, leaning her hip against the front of the car as she watches Heidi circling her new ride like a hyena to a prey. She sure sounds like one too.

Juniper only stands idly by. Her last stepmom was gifted a car and it was a Porsche too.