“I don’t know what this is, if it’s not whipped cream.” I stuck my finger down to touch one of the peaks. Mother’s hand came out of no where, like it had so many times before and smacked mine.
Me and Ralphie both jumped back from the table. Her voice was deep and manly. We were normally startled by it even when we weren’t in trouble.
The same old cigarette hung from her mouth and moved up and down when she spoke. She quit smoking four months ago, said keeping it there took away the urge. Ralphie and I stepped backwards to escape her, anticipating at any moment she would hit one of us with that wooden spoon she had in her hands. The one she used to sculpt the mountains.
“You boys get outside!” She pointed towards the screen door. “You wanted help with this project for the science fair but you can’t keep your grubby paws off of stuff.” She took her apron off, showing all of her plaid shirt and gleefully spun around to the face the counter. It was then I noticed the bottle. “She’s back on the juice, brother.” I whispered to Ralphie.
She mustered up a good amount of spit from deep in her soul and let it fly into the aluminum sink. She had both arms propped up on the edge so she could watch the water wash it completely away. Her head hung there for a few minutes more – now looking at nothing.
She reached over and flipped through the dial of the old transistor radio, straightening the antenna to get a better sound. She sang along with Diana Ross and cried hysterically trying to quote the lyrics to “Come see about me.”
“Didn’t I tell y’all to get outside?” She screamed. “It’s your fault your Daddy left us in this old farmhouse in the first place.”
That was our queue to go. We ran as far as we could out into the corn fields, sitting quietly in the midst of the tall stalks.
“Oh boys.” Her voice drawn out to purposely increase our anxiety. We could hear her corn knife making a path for her through the thickness. I actually didn’t care if he killed us. I was tired of pretending Dad was Mom and that he didn’t kill her.
Leesa Writes 