the death of the old lady

the death of the old lady

A Story by gabe
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a family must face a hard reality

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The death of the old lady

This was a story about a small family. There was a single mother of three living in what could be considered poverty. She and her two youngest children lived on the second story of a very crummy apartment complex. There were approximately 20 units and some small businesses on the corners, downstairs. They were an average dysfunctional family and experienced average hard ships like every other family. There was the youngest, a cape wearing boy of about 9 or 10; the middlest the all too wise for age 15 or 16 year old (that sort of reminded me of Ellen page, or that girl from Saved!); and the oldest the street smart leather jacket earring wearing 20 something year old that just got out of the house and loves his mother but is always looking for that opportunity to be something more.

The mother was this tilde swindon character who always wore president wife or congress lady outfits that she couldn’t afford. Often her children would find her sitting in her library which was empty, except for a table, a chair, an old desk, a lamp, and an expensive rug. She also had a dog, some kind of poodle or rat looking dog. She was somewhat of a con and would always impart her wisdom on her children of how to get the most out of a situation when and where possible.

One day when the oldest child was visiting something occurred. He confessed to the family that things were tight and not everything was working out as best as he thought it was or at least wanted it to. He also confessed that he had a heartattack the week prior, which is a very odd thing for a man in his twentys. This information deeply bothered his mother. Later in the day the oldest son found his mother dead in her beloved empty library. The chair she spent most of her time in had fallen to the side and she lay next to it still angled as if sitting down only she was on the ground. The son walked in and understood the situation. He walked up to his mother crouched down and asked her why’d she die. Of course the dead mother did not respond. The son saw opportunity. A few moments later he went outside past the cape wearing youngest eating a bowl of cereal with a toy plane and found his younger sister on the patio smoking a cigarette. Once she realized that he was going to join her she tried to hide the cigarette, but it was too late he already noticed what had been happening. He asked her about the habit. She confessed she had been doing it for a couple of years and that it was no big deal. She admitted that it was their mother that encouraged it because it made the child look cooler and older and more in control and also it helps with appetite or stress. The son understood. He removed his own pack from his leather jacket and they both continued to smoke. The oldest son eventually broke the silence.

Mom’s dead you know, he said.

Ha, that would be the day, she replied.

I’m not joking, she’s actually dead.

What? Why?

I don’t know. She’s just dead. See for yourself.

She stared at him in disbelief, took another drag of her cigarette and opened the screen door, put her cigarette out in the coffee can designated for cigarette butts. The tiny dog came parading through the open door onto the patio to join the company. She went in. She came back 42 seconds later.

Holy s**t. Mom’s dead, she remarked.

I know, he said.

What are we going to do? She questioned.

Well we have to tell ‘wierdo,’ he’s going to find out soon enough, he explained.

You think I should?

I don’t know.

We’ll flip.

Ok.

He reached in his pocket and pulled out some change, dug around with his finger for a coin large enough to flip decently. He found a quarter. He flipped. She called.

Tails!

Haha! I win! He exclaimed.

Wait, she halted. If you win doesn’t that mean that you tell him?

S**t! Fine I’ll do it.

He knocked on the glass door which distracted the kid from his cereal. He waved happily. The older brother responded with the same gesture followed by the gesture that means come on outside I got something to tell you. The kid obliged. Once outside the older two sat him on the ground and chased the dog back inside and closed the door. He had two toys in his hand. The older brother tried to begin.

Listen, uhh, there’s something you got to know kid.

Ok.

Uhh, this is not easy kid, but you know, you got to know it. It’s something you know that isn’t easy to know, you know?

Ok.

He looked at his sister. He clearly couldn’t handle it. He began again.

Listen kid, you know the thing about knowing is that if you know that thing that you …

Mom’s dead, she interrupted.

Ok.

The older tried to reexplain.

No, kid. I don’t think you know what we’re saying.

Yeah I do, the younger responded.

What are we saying the girl asked.

Mom’s dead.

Yeah, but do you know what that means? The older asked

Uh-Huh.

Well what does it mean? The girl asked.

She’s dead.

Great, said the older. Turned to his sister. He’s not getting it.

She continued to clarify. Do you remember Mr. Wiggles?

Uh-huh.

Remember that time you picked him up to play with him but he didn’t move?

Uh-huh.

Well that’s like mom, right now. She said.

So, I can’t pick her up and play with her?

F***s sake. The older brother exclaimed, and continued to explain. Listen kid, mom aint going to be around no more. Whatever reason you want to believe for that to be the case is your deal. You’re going to have to deal with it just the way it is. It’s going to be us three from here on out. Now, just because she’s gone doesn’t mean she gotta stop giving to us. You know?

The sister looked at him puzzled.

Now, He continued, I look at this situation and I think, what do we got. I tell you what we got. We got three classy kids like ourselves in a hell of a pickle. We aint got no money and now we aint got no mother. But I was thinking hundreds of mothers probably die every day. Hell probably thousands of mothers all over the place just dying. Leaving their poor children behind. We aint no different. We aint no special case. I mean sure its sad and all. But aint no one out there that want to look at a sad case. And if there is there sure aint no one that want to keep looking. So what are we going to do.

What are you saying? The daughter asked.

I’m saying. We got ourselves a situation here. Yeah, its bad. And you know I loved that lady. But what did she teach us all these years. You know?

How to smoke? The daughter puzzled.

How to make spaghetti! The younger one yelled.

Yeah, that too. But what I’ms saying is that she also taught us how to make the best of a situation. And we gots ourselves a situation here.

Mom’s dead. The daughter admitted.

Yeah, she’s dead. She’s gone. She aint coming back. That’s the fact. Those are the cards we have been dealt here today. We should play them.

What are you suggesting? She wondered.

I’ms saying we need to bring attention to this situation. All the attention we can as quick as we can.

I think I know what you’re saying, she responded. You want people to look at our situation and maybe one of them will help out.

I think you knows what I’ve been saying. He confirmed. Mom’s dead, let’s make the most of it.

They wondered back into the room where their mother continued to be dead. They stared at her with their heads cocked, wondering how she died that way. She was perfectly dressed, her hat was still on her head, and she was even wearing her purse. The daughter looked at her closely. She touched her forehead gently, caressed her lips, and then sat back with her arms on her knees.

Hey mom! How’s it feel to be dead!

They looked at each other and laughed.

Probably not good. The older responded

They continued to laugh. The older broke the laughter.

So I was thinking we can start with locals. He explained. You know get their sympathy in a form of monetary donations.

The daughter agreed.

She went down to see Ms. Jong at the Laundromat folding service.

Hey Ms Jong, how’s it going, listen my mom just died and she told me that you had some debts that you hadn’t really paid off or whatever so im just here to get that money you know so we can bury her and everything it’s probably going to be pretty expensive

No, I no owe her anything. You crazy girl

Well, it’s just that my mom is dead and you know we are living by ourselves now and I don’t think that everyone would like to hear about how you wouldn’t pay the money you owe to the children of a dead mother and what not so you have to think about exactly what you do.

Oh I see what you do. You come and shake me down. Shake me down with your dead momma.

Well, it’s just that you know I am in mourning and all because my mom is dead so I really need that money that you owed her apparently it was like 2000 dollars. So go ahead and give it up Asian lady.

I no give you 2000 dollar I give you 20 dollar.

Well I hate to tell the news cameras what happened here but I guess they probably would be asking us questions and the whole family remembers the time that our generous and now dead mother would help you out with 2000 dollar im sure it would not make for a very positive angle for you ms jong but I’m sure it would make for great press for the business.

Oh you shake me down you shake me down.

Well i’d hate for you to call it that or you know whatever

Ok I give you 1000 dollar nothing more. Just leave me alone.

Well I remember it being 2000 dollar with interest which is growing anyways. So I’ll take your 1000 dollar but I’ll be back next week for 1500 more. Because of the interest and the sorrow and everything I know you understand.

I understand you shake me down.

Well, I really wouldn’t call it that.

You shake me down, other neighborhood bully shake me down, and what left for ms jong? Ms jong get 5 dollar a day. Ms jong cant pay bill. Ms jong have to go back to china town. Ms jong would like to show you something.

Well, I really hope Ms. Jong would like to show me the other 1000, but what the heck you’ve been nice enough.

Ms. Jong took the daughter to her tiny apartment. It was so tiny with a tiny triangle window and one of those roofs that angles and makes the room smaller as you go further in. the door couldn’t even open without hitting the bed where Ms. Jong slept on with her three tiny children. They weren’t even her children they were her nieces and nephews she had decided to take care of because this was a better life than that of any other. The daughter realized what was happening. The apartment was bare. Ms jong was in worse poverty. And here she was with the 1000 dollars that she didn’t even deserve. She couldn’t do it. She threw the money on the bed and said she was sorry and ran away. She couldn’t do it.

© 2017 gabe


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Added on November 6, 2017
Last Updated on November 6, 2017

Author

gabe
gabe

Writing
Sandy Sandy

A Story by gabe