Trish wasn’t Abby’s cousin, but she’d grown up calling her a cousin, since their mothers were as close as sisters. They did practically everything together. After Abby’s parents divorced, Abby and her mother, Marion, were absorbed into Trish’s family. Trish’s mother, Galena, was an American who’d married a German engineer, Peter, who loved camping and drinking beer in country pubs. So Abby was taken on many trips to the Shenandoah or the Catskills or New Hampshire with Peter and Trish, while Marion and Galena stayed behind to have a ‘girl’s weekend’ as her mother described it.
Abby was not an enthusiastic camper but that was fine since she adored Trish and whenever they came back from these trips her mother seemed so restored. Almost as happy and carefree as before the divorce. Trish and Abby often schemed to find her mother a new husband, or at least a boyfriend. Abby wasn’t wild about the idea of having a step-father, but she could see how hard it was for her mother to scrimp everything month to pay rent and feed them both, even with frequent dinners over at Trish’s house. A step-father might make her mother happy again, and at least they wouldn’t feel so broke all the time.
When Trish and Abby were fifteen they went on another camping trip, this time to the Adirondacks. They were getting too old for roasting marshmallows and getting nature lessons from Peter, but they were happy enough to giggle all night in their tent, talking about boys and their future glamorous lives. Trish was going to be an actress, and Abby a famous artist. Or maybe film director.
The usual traditional when they returned back to Westchester was to first drop off Abby but when Peter called Marion to arrange the drop off they were told to go straight home.
Marion was standing in the driveway, looking distraught. Apparently it had not been a refreshing girl’s weekend.
“Galena has left and won’t be coming back .” Marion told them, tears running down her face. “She and Werner left for Berlin yesterday.”
“Werner!” Trish and Peter both exclaimed.
They went inside and Marion told them the whole story. Galena had been having an affair with Peter’s best friend, Werner, for years. The ‘girls weekends’ had been a ruse for Galena to spend time with him. Finally Galena and Werner had made a decision to run away together, since they didn’t want to face Peter about their terrible betrayal.
Galena had left notes for Peter and Trish about how hard this decision had been and that she loved them both but was too miserable to go on living a lie.
Trish and Abby talked obsessively about Galena’s abandonment. Trish had noticed warning signs like Galena taking every phone call in her bedroom and giving away clothes. But Galena had always been hands-off mother, rarely touching her daughter or initiating conversation. No one had noticed how desperately unhappy she was. She’d been good at playing a part. Until she didn’t want to play it any more.
Two months went by. Galena didn’t call.
— Von
Abby was not an enthusiastic camper but that was fine since she adored Trish and whenever they came back from these trips her mother seemed so restored. Almost as happy and carefree as before the divorce. Trish and Abby often schemed to find her mother a new husband, or at least a boyfriend. Abby wasn’t wild about the idea of having a step-father, but she could see how hard it was for her mother to scrimp everything month to pay rent and feed them both, even with frequent dinners over at Trish’s house. A step-father might make her mother happy again, and at least they wouldn’t feel so broke all the time.
When Trish and Abby were fifteen they went on another camping trip, this time to the Adirondacks. They were getting too old for roasting marshmallows and getting nature lessons from Peter, but they were happy enough to giggle all night in their tent, talking about boys and their future glamorous lives. Trish was going to be an actress, and Abby a famous artist. Or maybe film director.
The usual traditional when they returned back to Westchester was to first drop off Abby but when Peter called Marion to arrange the drop off they were told to go straight home.
Marion was standing in the driveway, looking distraught. Apparently it had not been a refreshing girl’s weekend.
“Galena has left and won’t be coming back .” Marion told them, tears running down her face. “She and Werner left for Berlin yesterday.”
“Werner!” Trish and Peter both exclaimed.
They went inside and Marion told them the whole story. Galena had been having an affair with Peter’s best friend, Werner, for years. The ‘girls weekends’ had been a ruse for Galena to spend time with him. Finally Galena and Werner had made a decision to run away together, since they didn’t want to face Peter about their terrible betrayal.
Galena had left notes for Peter and Trish about how hard this decision had been and that she loved them both but was too miserable to go on living a lie.
Trish and Abby talked obsessively about Galena’s abandonment. Trish had noticed warning signs like Galena taking every phone call in her bedroom and giving away clothes. But Galena had always been hands-off mother, rarely touching her daughter or initiating conversation. No one had noticed how desperately unhappy she was. She’d been good at playing a part. Until she didn’t want to play it any more.
Two months went by. Galena didn’t call.
— Von
Example of great Flash Fiction I loved the line, "Galena didn't call."
ReplyDeleteMore backstory... this is very interesting. Will Galena have something to do with... the money that Abby's aunt left? Or... anyway, a good read!
ReplyDelete