Page 36 of Clash
The woman had us follow her onto her yard, leading us inside a bright blue house with a perfectly manicured lawn. Flowers of all kinds lined planters in front of her windows, and there was a rather large spring wreath hanging on her white front door made of various faux flowers that seemed to be plucked straight from her garden. It was quaint and beautiful.
Stepping inside, Bess led us into her living room, and it was like stepping into a time warp. Furniture and appliances from the 1950s were scattered throughout the open floor plan, and instead of a fancy modern TV, she had one of those giant boxy ones, complete with a rabbit-eared antenna.
The carpet was a shaggy off-white, but still looked like it came straight off a showroom floor. In the kitchen were large black and white tiles, mirroring a checkered board, matching her diner inspired kitchen perfectly.
“Wow! This place is amazing!”
“Thank you,” she said with a laugh. “I guess I never really gave up on the 1950s way of life. You’d be surprised how reliable the appliances back then were.”
She rummaged through a small green refrigerator and produced a clear jug of lemonade and a tray of ice. There were mint leaves bobbing inside of the jug, and fresh lemons as well as she placed it on a serving tray along with three small glasses.
“My mother always said that the best lemonade has a bit of a secret kick to it.” She poured us each a glass, then dropped a few ice cubes into each drink.
Her old bones creaked as she fell into a recliner covered in the prettiest red, brown, and orange Afghan I had ever seen, and laid her floppy hat on the side table beside her.
“So, Gina, tell me about yourself. I don’t really get out much nowadays, so getting to converse with you and your adorable son, has made my day today.”
I let out a long sigh, not really sure what I should say to her. It was hard to trust anyone nowadays, even friendly looking women like her.
“To be honest, Bess, there’s not much to tell.”
She stared at the two garbage bags on the ground and grimaced, realization of our plight hitting her. “Are you in trouble?”
My eyes cast down to the floor, and I swirl the ice in my drink, unable to make eye contact. “Yes,” I softly replied, guilt wearing me down. I took a brief pull from my glass, and the invigorating flavors of mint and lemon partied on my tongue.
“This is the best lemonade I’ve ever tasted.”
Bess’ smile was absolutely infectious, warming the wrinkles on her face until she looked a few years younger. “Thank you. Like I said, it was my mother’s secret recipe.”
Alex was quick to gulp down his drink, letting out a big satisfied sigh as he wiped the remaining liquid from his mouth. “Absolutely scrumptious.” It was one of his new words. If there was one thing Alex loved, it was saying big words that made him feel older.
“What kind of trouble are you in?”
“A police man took my mommy’s money,” Alex piped in. “He was really mean to our friend Clash. He kicked him a lot. He wasn’t very nice.”
Bessie’s head quirked in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s a long story… one I’m sure you don’t have time for. I got things handled, at least for tonight.”
It was a lie; a blatant one she saw right through. “I have all the time in the world. Why don’t you start with why a police man took your money?”
Sighing, and with my head bent in defeat, I looked at a worn part of the carpet and frowned. “I came to town not long ago, we’ve kinda been fending for ourselves since then. A man, Idon’t know if I would exactly call him nice, but I guess I should because of all the things he did for us the last few days, took us in and gave us a place to stay.”
“We were living in a box behind a gas station,” Alex said, his little impish face both sad and excited by the thought. “It was smelly. I don’t like garbage, but I do like bugs, and there were lots of bugs in the trashcan. Did you know that frogs will eat bugs, and alligators eat the frogs, and sometimes we will eat the alligators, making us the top of the food chain?”
Bessie’s smile faded. “Oh, honey, are you homeless?” She was ignoring Alex’s ramblings, but at this point, I kinda wish she didn’t, because all I see is that familiar piteous look in her eyes.
“For the moment,” I said reluctantly. “But I was working on getting to Las Vegas.”
“Why Vegas?”
“My sister lives there. She’s the only family I have anymore.”
“What about your husband?” She motioned to my ring finger that still had the marking of a ring on it.
“He’s mean, just like the police man. He hits my mommy. I love my daddy, but I don’t like it when he hits Mommy.”
Cold wet tears formed in the old woman’s eyes, her brittle lips puckering as she took a shaky drink from her glass. “My god! You poor woman.”
