A familiar voice
whispered from beyond the mist, “Lucy, we’re waiting. Where are you?” In spite of all caution, I walked toward the
voice. I felt compelled to find its
source. As I grew closer, a sharp yank
pulled me away.
“Lucinda
Washington, are you daydreaming again?
Girl, get your lazy butt over here and help us carry trays to the
truck! Don’t you roll your eyes at
me! You’re supposed to be helping, and
you know we’re on a tight schedule. I
swear! Sometimes that girl is more of a
nuisance than a help!”
I
kicked a table leg while Mama shot me a frown.
I helped out a lot and she knew it! Why, I wondered, wouldn’t they all just leave
me alone? “Yeah, yeah”, I grumbled “I’m working, but I don’t know why I have to
be a slave around here!”
I
meant to keep that remark under my breath, but I guess I didn’t.
“What
did you say girl?” Aunt Tessa shouted.
“Nothing,
Auntie.”
“It
had better be nothing!”
I
saw Mama shake her head.
Around
me I heard the noise of bustling; clattering trays, Auntie’s shouted orders,
the hurried clicking of feet and of course, gleeful laughter from the brats, my
twin cousins. I began hauling heavy
trays of food from the kitchen to the company truck in the driveway. I wanted to voice more of my objections to
everyone, but one look at Mama told me to keep my mouth shut. I knew better than to cause trouble.
In the kitchen Auntie Tess’s voice kept me focused
on the task at hand. Her shouts reminded
me of a coxswain on a rowing team. She kept the pace moving forward with her
sharp calls. “Hove this. Take that. Be careful with the desserts. Hustle, hustle
hustle!”
As
I worked, I glared at my twin cousins, Todd and Jeffry, who were playing catch
with napkins in the dining room. Why
didn’t they get in trouble? My family
expected me to work hard; no complaining and no praise given, but not those
“precious” boys. The Brats were six and
a half years old, too young to help according to my aunt. I knew they could have helped if only someone
made them do it, the little demons!
During one trip
outside, Todd stuck out his foot just as I was passing. I’m sure he did it on purpose, but no else
besides Jeffry saw him.
I did a great
imitation of a tightrope walker trying to keep from falling.
“Lucy! What are you doing?” shouted my aunt who saw
me trying to prevent the tray from dropping.
“Please pay attention to what you’re doing, and be more careful. A lot of time and money went into that
food!” I just nodded and saw from the
corner of my eye that Mama was rolling her eyes.
Meanwhile,
Jeff and Todd fell over with laughter in the dining room. It’s interesting that no one but me ever
noticed their awful pranks. “One day”, I
thought, “I’ll get even with them!” Conjuring
up tortures to inflict on them gave me a source of amusement. I envisioned
slimy ropes binding my little cousins as I placed spitting toads and poisonous
snakes on their helpless bodies. My
private fantasy so tickled me I almost didn’t hear Jeffry, one of the twins,
shout as if in pain. When Auntie Tess
asked what happened he simply replied, “Nothing,” but I noticed that both Jeffry
and Todd stared at me wide eyed. I glared
back and continued working.
It was November; a
busy time for Aunt Tess’s catering business what with the beginning of holiday
parties and all. Aunt Tessa needed all
the help she could get to meet her deadlines.
That’s why the family had to assist the hired help. Uncle Joe, a traveling salesman, spent too
much time on the road to help Auntie with her business or with the boys. So, when Mama and I came to live with them,
we helped my aunt as much as she helped us.
I didn’t always mind, but I wished we didn’t always need to be at her
beck and call.
Lately, I had been
spending a lot of time in my own thoughts and day dreams. I knew this worried Mama. I eavesdropped as she discussed her concerns
with Auntie Tess and Uncle Joe. Why
couldn’t she mind her own business I asked myself? I knew she meant well, but she always shared
my personal life with the rest of the world.
Besides, daydreaming never hurt anyone.
Nothing much in the real world interested me anyway. Hurricane Katrina left Mama and me homeless
and cost my beloved Granny her life. My aunt’s
and uncle’s generosity was all that kept us from living in the streets. If only they didn’t need to remind me of that
so often! Who wouldn’t want to run away
from my troubles?
When the truck was
finally loaded, Mama went with Auntie and the hired help to serve the food at
some party in town. I finally had time
to myself. Of course, I needed to keep
an eye on Jeffry and Todd, but I saw them engrossed in a video game and knew I
had time for myself.
I walked upstairs
to the small spare room that Mama and I shared and sank into the bed. My eyes closed before I could kick off my
shoes. Reality merged into a dream-scape. I saw
Granny as she looked before the storm. I
watched her while she cooked my favorite gumbo.
I smelled the heavy spices and the fishy odor of crawdads mixed with the
faint aroma of lavender, Granny’s favorite scent. She
hummed as she often did while she stirred the large iron pot. I called to her. She looked at me and smiled. “Have a taste, my darling,” she offered,
extending a large spoon laden with a pungent mixture of pure Heaven! I reached for the spoon while looking at
Granny’s smiling face and saw it change.
Something about her eyes shifted.
She looked at me and whispered, “Are you ready yet?”
“Ready for what?”I
sputtered. She looked at me or rather,
through me, and smiled. “Granny,” I
began, but stopped. I saw her fade
away. “Wait, don’t go!” I begged, but
she was gone; replaced by a silvery mist.
I heard a humming akin to the sound of electricity buzzing through wires
as I drifted into a deep sleep.
My sleep abruptly
ended when a thunderous crashing sound rattled through my slumber. I jumped out of bed and raced downstairs. I
felt the blood drain from my face and had to struggle to stay conscious as I
beheld the scene before me. The living
room looked like a battlefield. Shelves
of the bookcase, books and shattered glass lay scattered all over the living
room. The skeleton of the bookcase
leaned against the couch. Jeffery’s leg
bled onto the white carpet while he sat dazed amidst the rubble. Todd huddled in the corner crying.
As luck would have
it, just then Mama and Aunt Tess walked into the house. After the hysteria subsided the ladies tended
to the twins. Apparently, the boys
decided to to fly across the room like Superman from the top of the book
case. I started picking up glass and stacking
books waiting for the scolding that would assuredly follow. When the boys and women all calmed down, all
eyes turned towards me.
“What were you
thinking young lady leaving these babies alone?
We asked you to watch them. Is
this how you show responsibility? What
is the matter with you?”
I ran upstairs and
slammed the door.
Later, Mama came
in. Without speaking, she sat on my bed
and put her arms around me. We both
sobbed together for a long time. “It’s
going to get better, baby. I promise.”
Hi Fran (or do you prefer Frances?),
ReplyDeleteI think your writing is very good. The proper use of English alone puts you ahead of 90% of the blogs I check out. I love the name of this post. When is Chapter 2 coming?
Okay, I'm going to review chapter 2 and post it.
Delete