Under the Table

A Story by Merrioh

Under the Table

Haydon walks by the white picket fence to the gate, pushing it open, sighing as he looks up to the house- there was still much to be done. The shutters all were all hanging, nearly fallen, and the siding was well-worn - in desperate need of paint. Vicious b***h, the midnight furred, Husky-Lab guard dog, smiled at him. He stalks up and drops down beside her, balling his fists and squeezing them till his palms bleed. Vicious b***h smirks, “ What’s all that?

“She just- she upsets me…why doesn’t she just go and marry Icarus? She spends all day with him-”

“What’s it matter to you?”

“I was just curious- I mean, why would I care?” long pause and a distraught look at Vicious, “Don’t answer that. Don’t need your opinion.”

She sweeps the step with her tail, “He’s married.”

“Really!?” He fidgets with the creases in his pant-legs, “I- that…that’s interesting.” Silence.

Vicious puts her ears back and grins, nosing at his shoulder, “Why don’t you marry her?”

“Why would I marry her?! She doesn’t know me- or even like me.”

Vicious eases herself down onto the porch, sighing through a snarky smile. “Well obviously love hasn’t exactly worked out for her- if ya know what I mean.” Haydon eyes her, still fidgeting, as she mutters, “Might do her some good. Didn’t you ever wonder why more arranged marriages work out than ones for love?”

“That is a dumb idea.” Vicious puts her head down, wagging her tail.

Haydon rolls his eyes as he stands, opening the door and leaning on it before he walks in. He goes off to the kitchen spying Celes, rail-thin and crimson-haired- a tree-hugger in all respects, sitting just as she had been when he left her that morning. They had argued, and he left. It was a stupid argument about Icarus and her activities during the day. “Hey,” she barely lifts her clouded eyes, “I’m going to see Gran. Maybe take Halla if she wants to go…” still no response from the cream-skinned red-head.

He falters and tags on, “If she doesn’t want to go, I’ll leave her here with you.” He walks down the short hall, wallpaper effectively faded, to find Halla’s room- it used to be his before Celes moved in. Halla was much like her mother, almost a carbon copy, but their personalities were what separated them. Celes wasn’t much for the optimist view of existence these days, while it was all her daughter could spew forth in praises of the world. The little girl, just old enough to be in school, was busied with her stuffed polar bear, momentarily ignoring him. “Halla, I’m going to Gran’s. You want to come, or stay with your mother?”

“I wanna go with you.” Her clouded blue gaze locks with his, pleading.

Haydon smiles, “We can pick up ice cream on the way back.” She follows after him back towards the kitchen, dragging her stuffed bear along. “Celes, we’ll be back soon,” the woman remains staring at the table, ignoring him. When they get outside he looks back at Vicious, “Don’t let Celes make anything for dinner. I’m gonna pick some stuff up.”

“Why? What are you making?” sprawled out on her side, she doesn’t even attempt to peer at him.

“Casserole, does it matter?”

Vicious purrs, “You know what they say about casseroles...” her tail was thumping again.

Haydon shakes his head, cheeks red from ear to ear, “You just shouldn’t think. I don’t want any more of your advice.” He walks off with Halla, obliviously playing with her polar bear, and singing some French song Vicious taught her.

They walk through numerous rundown neighborhoods- some even worse than their own- until they reach Nurseie’s house, a good friend of Haydon’s Gran. Gran was ill constantly and had to be looked after just as thoroughly- Haydon couldn’t be there at all times due to overwhelming hours of work, but he had promised Nursie that he would stop by while she was out gardening. When they reached her house he leads Halla over to some toys that were for Nursie’s grandson. They become playmates for her polar bear.

He watches her for a few seconds to assure she’s occupied, then turns and walks down the flowery, patterned hallway to the room Gran was in. He helps her change and sits her in her favorite rocking chair- moving on to the task of stripping her bed and putting the blankets and clothes in the wash. This all takes about thirty minutes, including the walk from the house. After all the tedious, but necessary, work is finished he goes to retrieve Halla.

Hoisting her up onto his shoulders he strides off to the grocery store; she bounces her bear on his head most of the way there, and then continues this activity once through the automatic doors. Glancing at his watch, he rushes them through the store in record time- just three minutes. Just a little ways down the street was an ice cream shop; here he buys her a small superman ice cream cone- made her favorite by the multiple colors. By the time they get home it’s just about dinner time.

He preps the chicken casserole, making sure to bake it in the oven. He loved the aroma of home cooked meals, mouth watering as they were. While the casserole’s cooking he sets the table around Celes, who still hadn’t moved. He used Gran’s special china and silverware from the cabinet- it didn’t make sense that they had these dishes just sitting on a shelf. He even put up candles on the table one for each of them. He lit all three and dimmed the lights.

He walks over to the door opening it he leans out and tosses a steak at Vicious, “I don’t want to hear anything from you so chew on this for a while.” Walking back inside he sits at the table which is awkwardly quiet. Halla, face plants into her food. He fidgets with a little square box in his pocket. “I’m sorry about yelling at you about your activities of last night. It’s just that I was worried is all.”

“Why did you make dinner? What you don’t like my food?”

“I’m just tired of your cooking. I mean I just thought that it shouldn’t always be the women’s job to cook. I just wanted to give you a uh… break.”

“Oh…”

Haydon looks down, as he accidently drops the little square box under the table. “Would you like something to drink? How about you, Halla?”

“No thank you.”

Halla smiles, “Milk please.”

Haydon stands walking over to the fridge grabbing the milk and a glass setting it on the table next to Halla. He kneels down on one knee to tie his shoe. “I have a uh question for you.”

“I’m listening”

Losing his cool, “How do you like the casserole?”

“It’s fine.”

He gets up and sits down awkwardly in silence. He glimpses the box under the table and he slips under the table grabbing the little box, staring at it. Sitting there wondering how to approach her with the question. Celes scoots back a little and crosses her leg, “What are you doing under there?”

“Under here? I uh…I lost something and had to get it. I mean dropped something” He hands Halla one of her toys. “Here is the toy you lost and were looking for.” He breaths in slowly, prepping himself for this defining moment. He slides his hand up from under the table with the box presented to Celes.

“What’s this for?” She opens it, looking at the thin silver band.

“I love Halla.” She attempts to peer at him under the table as he starts up again, “I want to be the one she looks up to…read to her at night- I want to be her father. I care about you both and-” he falters for a moment, “will you marry me?”

She plucks the ring from the box, sighing, simply gazing at the silvery-white band. Celes draws the silence a moment longer, face etched out into the blank contemplation of mothers, “Sure…why not.”

-Geneva Willis and

Myranda Catalano

2010

© 2012 Merrioh

Author's Note

Ignore grammar problems and how it spaces things. A collaboration piece between My best friend and I. Her account is under the name Shaibelle if you wish to read some of her pieces she has done on her own.