Birthday Present
This is where I start my novel:
The grass was wet on her feet as she ran towards the clothesline in the backyard. It was long enough to caress the empty space between her toes because, of course, it needed to be mowed by her stepfather. What was the point on mowing it if it was going to continue to rain in the afternoons? She knew how he felt about mowing the small but tall lawn. Right now, this girl’s only care in the world was to be the winner of this foot race. Her giggles echoed in the fresh air as she was in the lead. Behind her , her mother was going to catch up with her quickly. Although she was not that far in the rear , Ariel could still hear her mother singing behind her.
“You are sixteen, going on seventeen” This song from Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” was a frequent sound in and around the house. Her Mom always put on records of the soundtrack. Ariel loved to sing “Raindrops on Roses” the most. If she could get to the clothes pole first, then maybe they could sing her favorite song together,
“Raindrops on Roses, Whiskers on Kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.” She knew every word by heart. She began to lead up to the chorus when her mother shouted
“I win! I win!.”
Mother had snuck up from around the side and reached it first, as she always seemed to do. Her mother always let her think that she was going to beat her there, and then won it herself. But the girl didn’t care. She was with her mother. Her mother was with her.
Ariel as disappointed to lose yet another race to the clothesline, however she knew tomorrow she would have a rematch.
They finished hanging the shirts and shorts that her mother had washed in the washing machine and let the rest of the Florida sunshine dry them and fill them with a scent that could be smelled after they were brought indoors to wear the next day. They made it inside and Ariel began playing in her room.
She loved to read and had a vast book collection that she could get caught up in without even realizing how much time she was actually looking at her books. Although she couldn’t yet tell time by a clock, she could tell what hour it was by the goings on in the house. Ariel was a very bright young girl. Everyone that knew her recognized her intelligence. And, although she was an energetic, and sometimes stubborn girl, people knew that she would go far in life.
Some time had gone by and Ariel was finished reading her books in her room. She felt her radio in her hands and considered turning it on. But she quickly decided to exit her room and go talk to her mother in the living room.
But, her mother wasn’t in the living room. Upon searching the house, Ariel found the door to the bathroom shut. She knocked on the door,
“Mama!,” she cried.
There was no answer. She knocked again.
“Mama, are you in there?”
Her mother replied with a “I’ll be right out, I’m using the bathroom” type of reply. The tone in her voice was off a bit. The shut door between them had never been an obstacle before in Ariel’s life. Without knowing it, Ariel sensed something was wrong. This shut door was a bad sign. Her Mama needed her.
At the time Ariel didn’t know what to do. Being six is not without logic. She ran outside of the front door. She cornered the side of the house and darted up to the window of the Master bathroom. Looking to her side to make sure, she thought to herself that the first window was the kitchen. Yes, this was Mama’s bathroom window. She was too short to reach the tall window. Jumping up in the air to knock. She jumped and knocked. She jumped three times and knocked three times. There was no answer. Since there was no reply outside, she would go check the inside door again.
What was Mama doing? Ariel dashed back into the house. Ecept now, her mother
was sitting on the couch in the living room now. The TV. was on at almost full blast. Ariel touched the volume button and it went lower.
“Where were you?” she asked her mother.
“In the bathroom.”
“What were you doing?”
And this is when the moment happened. This moment would affect other aspects of her life that she wouldn’t even understand totally until she was much older. With all the sincerity in the world that she had, her mother replied,
“I was making you a birthday present!.”
Ariel was aware that her birthday was coming up soon. Like any kid, she loved family and presents. However, the feeling that something was just not right cultivated in her being. Her mother was hiding something. To her core, Ariel felt the caution of uncertainty. But, an impressive birthday present was always something to look forward to. And, at six years old, it didn’t take much to get her to think about something other than the bathroom episode. She had forgotten all about it while planning her party with her mother.
The grass was wet on her feet as she ran towards the clothesline in the backyard. It was long enough to caress the empty space between her toes because, of course, it needed to be mowed by her stepfather. What was the point on mowing it if it was going to continue to rain in the afternoons? She knew how he felt about mowing the small but tall lawn. Right now, this girl’s only care in the world was to be the winner of this foot race. Her giggles echoed in the fresh air as she was in the lead. Behind her , her mother was going to catch up with her quickly. Although she was not that far in the rear , Ariel could still hear her mother singing behind her.
“You are sixteen, going on seventeen” This song from Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” was a frequent sound in and around the house. Her Mom always put on records of the soundtrack. Ariel loved to sing “Raindrops on Roses” the most. If she could get to the clothes pole first, then maybe they could sing her favorite song together,
“Raindrops on Roses, Whiskers on Kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.” She knew every word by heart. She began to lead up to the chorus when her mother shouted
“I win! I win!.”
Mother had snuck up from around the side and reached it first, as she always seemed to do. Her mother always let her think that she was going to beat her there, and then won it herself. But the girl didn’t care. She was with her mother. Her mother was with her.
Ariel as disappointed to lose yet another race to the clothesline, however she knew tomorrow she would have a rematch.
They finished hanging the shirts and shorts that her mother had washed in the washing machine and let the rest of the Florida sunshine dry them and fill them with a scent that could be smelled after they were brought indoors to wear the next day. They made it inside and Ariel began playing in her room.
She loved to read and had a vast book collection that she could get caught up in without even realizing how much time she was actually looking at her books. Although she couldn’t yet tell time by a clock, she could tell what hour it was by the goings on in the house. Ariel was a very bright young girl. Everyone that knew her recognized her intelligence. And, although she was an energetic, and sometimes stubborn girl, people knew that she would go far in life.
Some time had gone by and Ariel was finished reading her books in her room. She felt her radio in her hands and considered turning it on. But she quickly decided to exit her room and go talk to her mother in the living room.
But, her mother wasn’t in the living room. Upon searching the house, Ariel found the door to the bathroom shut. She knocked on the door,
“Mama!,” she cried.
There was no answer. She knocked again.
“Mama, are you in there?”
Her mother replied with a “I’ll be right out, I’m using the bathroom” type of reply. The tone in her voice was off a bit. The shut door between them had never been an obstacle before in Ariel’s life. Without knowing it, Ariel sensed something was wrong. This shut door was a bad sign. Her Mama needed her.
At the time Ariel didn’t know what to do. Being six is not without logic. She ran outside of the front door. She cornered the side of the house and darted up to the window of the Master bathroom. Looking to her side to make sure, she thought to herself that the first window was the kitchen. Yes, this was Mama’s bathroom window. She was too short to reach the tall window. Jumping up in the air to knock. She jumped and knocked. She jumped three times and knocked three times. There was no answer. Since there was no reply outside, she would go check the inside door again.
What was Mama doing? Ariel dashed back into the house. Ecept now, her mother
was sitting on the couch in the living room now. The TV. was on at almost full blast. Ariel touched the volume button and it went lower.“Where were you?” she asked her mother.
“In the bathroom.”
“What were you doing?”
And this is when the moment happened. This moment would affect other aspects of her life that she wouldn’t even understand totally until she was much older. With all the sincerity in the world that she had, her mother replied,
“I was making you a birthday present!.”
Ariel was aware that her birthday was coming up soon. Like any kid, she loved family and presents. However, the feeling that something was just not right cultivated in her being. Her mother was hiding something. To her core, Ariel felt the caution of uncertainty. But, an impressive birthday present was always something to look forward to. And, at six years old, it didn’t take much to get her to think about something other than the bathroom episode. She had forgotten all about it while planning her party with her mother.
