Episode 6 of Nurture/Destroy
Nurture/Destroy Episode 6
Lois was deep in a dream of darting along the irrigation pond with Daniel, laughing, chasing her. Daniel, freckles vivid on his cheeks pinked by summer sun on a redhead’s pale skin, blustered as he caught her. “Lo,” he whispered.
“Lo?” the voice repeated, harsher this time, but the calloused hand on her shoulder was gentle. “Hey, Sis, we’re sorry to waken you, but…”
Blinking, Lois returned reluctantly to room #231 in Sunny Valley. She sat up in her rocker. “Alf?”
Her gaze leaped from her oldest brother to his wife. Ada, known for her combativeness, looked suddenly all of her seventy-eight years. Her silver-streaked white hair, usually carefully if unattractively combed, flopped in strands. Her pale blue eyes were red-rimmed. Alf had chosen for his wife a woman so much like, not his mother (whose loving qualities he had buried along with the pain of losing her), but his sister, the boss of the family and the farm. Ada, nearly Lois’s peer in talkativeness, had recently become champion talker as Lois found she had little to say and no one to listen. But now both women sat silent.
Alf, father of and model for Silent Sam, found himself uncomfortably the one making explanations.
“Good gracious, Mister,” Ada finally lifted her blotchy face to snap, “stop mumbling and get to the point!”
With a tiny smile of relief, Alf went still.
“It’s Sam, my son, my only son!”
“Samuel’s hurt?” Lois demanded but Ada dissolved again into tears.
“He’s getting married,” the laconic Alf summed up.
“Well, that’s good news – isn’t it? Samuel’s never been interested before. Why aren’t you two thrilled?”
“Oh, you never understand!” Ada huffed, rising. “Come, Mister!” she commanded and rushed from the room.
Alf stood torn between explaining to his sister and following his distressed wife.
“Go to her, Alfred. You can call later and let me know.” Lois shooed him out. In his own good time, Alf was would deliver clear and distinct information.
Nodding in her rocker until her bird-call alarm chirped, Lois rose heavily to start her long shuffle to the dining room. Dinner bustled. Her tablemates chattered, and Lois, after picking at the dry, flaked pink mass that had been billed as Columbia River salmon, rose to shuffle back to her room.
Although she’d promised herself she’d tackle the gently-rising stairs at least once every day as long as she was able, Lois started toward the elevator. Lois Melissa was tired. Bone weary.
“Sign of depression,” she scolded herself, “and the Quacious family knows the remedy for that: good, honest work!”
She chuckled bitterly. She hadn’t been able to do anything constructive in months. “Piddling!” She bit at the word in disgust and started again toward the elevator, only to glimpse a straw purse with a woven puppy head being yanked onto the elevator just as the doors closed.
“Dratenflankle!” Lois cried, lurching forward. “That’s Roberta’s purse and I’m gonna find out who took it!”
Lois was deep in a dream of darting along the irrigation pond with Daniel, laughing, chasing her. Daniel, freckles vivid on his cheeks pinked by summer sun on a redhead’s pale skin, blustered as he caught her. “Lo,” he whispered.
“Lo?” the voice repeated, harsher this time, but the calloused hand on her shoulder was gentle. “Hey, Sis, we’re sorry to waken you, but…”
Blinking, Lois returned reluctantly to room #231 in Sunny Valley. She sat up in her rocker. “Alf?”
Her gaze leaped from her oldest brother to his wife. Ada, known for her combativeness, looked suddenly all of her seventy-eight years. Her silver-streaked white hair, usually carefully if unattractively combed, flopped in strands. Her pale blue eyes were red-rimmed. Alf had chosen for his wife a woman so much like, not his mother (whose loving qualities he had buried along with the pain of losing her), but his sister, the boss of the family and the farm. Ada, nearly Lois’s peer in talkativeness, had recently become champion talker as Lois found she had little to say and no one to listen. But now both women sat silent.
Alf, father of and model for Silent Sam, found himself uncomfortably the one making explanations.
“Good gracious, Mister,” Ada finally lifted her blotchy face to snap, “stop mumbling and get to the point!”
With a tiny smile of relief, Alf went still.
“It’s Sam, my son, my only son!”
“Samuel’s hurt?” Lois demanded but Ada dissolved again into tears.
“He’s getting married,” the laconic Alf summed up.
“Well, that’s good news – isn’t it? Samuel’s never been interested before. Why aren’t you two thrilled?”
“Oh, you never understand!” Ada huffed, rising. “Come, Mister!” she commanded and rushed from the room.
Alf stood torn between explaining to his sister and following his distressed wife.
“Go to her, Alfred. You can call later and let me know.” Lois shooed him out. In his own good time, Alf was would deliver clear and distinct information.
Nodding in her rocker until her bird-call alarm chirped, Lois rose heavily to start her long shuffle to the dining room. Dinner bustled. Her tablemates chattered, and Lois, after picking at the dry, flaked pink mass that had been billed as Columbia River salmon, rose to shuffle back to her room.
Although she’d promised herself she’d tackle the gently-rising stairs at least once every day as long as she was able, Lois started toward the elevator. Lois Melissa was tired. Bone weary.
“Sign of depression,” she scolded herself, “and the Quacious family knows the remedy for that: good, honest work!”
She chuckled bitterly. She hadn’t been able to do anything constructive in months. “Piddling!” She bit at the word in disgust and started again toward the elevator, only to glimpse a straw purse with a woven puppy head being yanked onto the elevator just as the doors closed.
“Dratenflankle!” Lois cried, lurching forward. “That’s Roberta’s purse and I’m gonna find out who took it!”
Labels: stolen puppy purse tears over wedding plans Lois nearly silent
posted by TAWK Press at 8:11 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home