Lexington Kentucky rain smacked the roof of the Oldsmobile and streamed down the windows like tears. Marjorie sat in the back seat with her younger sister, Lenette, crunched against her side, shivering from the cold. February could be brutal, especially for kids with asthma. Lenette clutched her stuffed monkey and pillow for security, but it was really Marjorie who gave her comfort, calming her with soft strokes on her arm. Soothing the five-year-old so the wheezing would stop.
Their parents argued in the front seat. It was midnight and the darkness hid their contorted faces. But Marjorie didn’t need to see anger to know what it looked like. The vision was embedded in her eight-year-old brain.
“LeRoy robbed us blind…just like I told you he would. If you only listened to me, we wouldn’t be facing bankruptcy. You always took his side instead of mine. I’m your wife, for God’s sakes. Why would you take the word of a half-assed payroll clerk who calls himself an accountant over mine?”
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear another word out of you or I’ll ….,” Leonard spat.
“Or you’ll what? Knock my teeth out? You already did that you ….”
“Please,” Marjorie snapped from the back seat. “You’re scaring her….the wheezing is getting worse.”
They listened. They always listened when Marjorie used that tone. She reserved it for important moments usually related to her sister.
Calm settled in the car. Even the storm outside seemed to subside.
“Look, Len, we’ve got to decide. We can’t just sit in this parking lot forever. The car is packed. We’ve got to leave before the lawyers close in on us. Where do we go? “
“There’s always Chicago. We can stay with mom and dad, Alice. You know how they love Marjorie. They’ll take us in until things get better.”
“But what about California? It would be a fresh start.”
Alice couldn’t face the mother-in-law again. The constant disapproval. Disappointment oozing and always directed at her. The fact Marjorie was favored over Lenette and the grandparents had no problem letting it show concerned her. But if she insisted on one choice, her husband would oppose.
Both parents turned to the back seat. “What do you think we should do, Marjorie? Where should we go? There’s Chicago or California. What do you think?”
Alice expected Marjorie to jump at the chance to be coddled by her grandparents. She knew she felt safe with them.
Marjorie always suspected, but now she knew for sure. These adults, her so-called parents, had no idea what they were doing. Terror crept up her spine at first but then she realized, in one shocking moment, the joy of power was hers. She grabbed it.
Marjorie loved her sister and she was absolutely sure she’d made the right choice. Main Street, USA.
She and Lenette spent their March birthdays happily at Disneyland. Admission was $5.00 plus the price of the ticket books. It was worth all the nickels she had earned from odd jobs and dollars saved from gifts. But the best part was witnessing Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella standing in front of the Castle, sparkling, all by themselves. No prince in sight.
— Mugsy
Their parents argued in the front seat. It was midnight and the darkness hid their contorted faces. But Marjorie didn’t need to see anger to know what it looked like. The vision was embedded in her eight-year-old brain.
“LeRoy robbed us blind…just like I told you he would. If you only listened to me, we wouldn’t be facing bankruptcy. You always took his side instead of mine. I’m your wife, for God’s sakes. Why would you take the word of a half-assed payroll clerk who calls himself an accountant over mine?”
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear another word out of you or I’ll ….,” Leonard spat.
“Or you’ll what? Knock my teeth out? You already did that you ….”
“Please,” Marjorie snapped from the back seat. “You’re scaring her….the wheezing is getting worse.”
They listened. They always listened when Marjorie used that tone. She reserved it for important moments usually related to her sister.
Calm settled in the car. Even the storm outside seemed to subside.
“Look, Len, we’ve got to decide. We can’t just sit in this parking lot forever. The car is packed. We’ve got to leave before the lawyers close in on us. Where do we go? “
“There’s always Chicago. We can stay with mom and dad, Alice. You know how they love Marjorie. They’ll take us in until things get better.”
“But what about California? It would be a fresh start.”
Alice couldn’t face the mother-in-law again. The constant disapproval. Disappointment oozing and always directed at her. The fact Marjorie was favored over Lenette and the grandparents had no problem letting it show concerned her. But if she insisted on one choice, her husband would oppose.
Both parents turned to the back seat. “What do you think we should do, Marjorie? Where should we go? There’s Chicago or California. What do you think?”
Alice expected Marjorie to jump at the chance to be coddled by her grandparents. She knew she felt safe with them.
Marjorie always suspected, but now she knew for sure. These adults, her so-called parents, had no idea what they were doing. Terror crept up her spine at first but then she realized, in one shocking moment, the joy of power was hers. She grabbed it.
Marjorie loved her sister and she was absolutely sure she’d made the right choice. Main Street, USA.
She and Lenette spent their March birthdays happily at Disneyland. Admission was $5.00 plus the price of the ticket books. It was worth all the nickels she had earned from odd jobs and dollars saved from gifts. But the best part was witnessing Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella standing in front of the Castle, sparkling, all by themselves. No prince in sight.
— Mugsy
Comments
Post a Comment