Basement boogers

Esther stretched waking up from an amazing sleep. The lingering smell of Old Spice hung in the air. She smiled to herself burying her face in the pillow he had slept on. The flush of the commode caused her to jump followed by running water, she realized he was still there. He leaned up against the bathroom doorframe. “If you will go with me, I will look in the basement to see what we can find.”

“I would be delighted.”

“I’ll go change, just come over when you get ready.”

She smiled, “you got it.”

They went through the den down to the basement. He turned on the light and opened a couple small windows to let a little air into the space. He just stood in the middle of the room, “My uncle liked to tinker with models and he would let me help him.” Esther didn’t say a word. She just let him reminisce. He cleared his throat, “my aunt was a stickler for details. I’m sure the container would be labeled Christmas.” They didn’t find one box of Christmas things, they found ten.

“Wow!” Esther sneezed, “either this is a life time of stuff or she loved Christmas.”

“I don’t remember her loving Christmas per say. She had a tree but that’s all the decorations I remember.”

One box was every bit as tall as Oscar. “How much you wanna bet, that’s a tree?” Esther smiled.

“I’d say you’re right.” And indeed it was. It was a very old tree. “This tree is a good thirty years old.”

“Your hearts not in this is it?”

He sat on the steps. “No.” Rubbing his face with his hands, he continued. “It just seems like something I should do.”

She knelt in front of him, “I have a thought.” When he looked up, she was smiling. “Let’s forgo this idea for now. When I moved in with my grandparents, we started our own Christmas tradition. She always told me that she did it with her children when they were little. And the tree between the front door and your garage is perfect.”

“For?”

“Let’s string up some popcorn and candied cherries since cranberries are to expensive now; and make garlan for that tree?”

“I’ve watched people do that in movies.”

She smiled again, “it was great fun. Then again, I was a little kid.” She sneezed.

“Tomorrow, I’ll stop by the store and get the candy.”

She sneezed again. “I’ll have the popcorn ready.”

He smiled, “it’s a date.” She sneezed. “Are you okay?”

“It’s time for me to go. If we come back down here, remind me to wear a mask.”

The next evening when he got home from work, she had attempted to make chicken and dumplins .

“It smells great in here.” Oscar knocked as he walked in.

“If these aren’t any good, I have a pizza as a backup plan.” She smiled, “a white pizza.” She removed the cornbread from the oven. “Oh, before I forget.” She handed him back his key.

“No, keep it.” She was in shock and he noticed. “Please.” He smiled.

“Okay.” She flopped the cornbread on a plate.

He sniffed at the pot, “oh my.” She giggled. He took a spoon from the drawer and tasted.

She pouted, “and?”

He turned her face toward him then kissed her, “delicious, just like you.”

She blushed, “well you know.”

Truth or dare

Silent tears rolled down his face. She loved him too. Dear God was it true? They had known each other less than a month. Was it too soon to be spewing the L word? Out of loneliness, he had jumped too quickly before.

Should he tell her the truth? Should he tell her what really happened 10 years ago? He gave up. That’s what happened. He gave up. The beating they were dishing out became too much. He just wanted to die. ‘God, take me home.’ He pleaded night after night. But morning after morning, he woke up. Still feeling lost, alone, hurting (mentally and physically). He was too big of a coward to commit suicide. Didn’t want to pull someone else into a world of misery by stepping out in front of a train. From his friendship with Chet, he knew how finding a dead body made Chet feel. He couldn’t do that to another person.

God had a plan for him. Right? There was a reason he was still getting up every morning? There had to be. The last 50 years of his life wasn’t the pinnacle of his existence?

This was his cross to bear. His lot in life. How do you fight your parent? He was beat down with ‘honor thy parents so your days on this earth will be longer’. Don’t talk back to your elders. Don’t correct your elders, even if you know they are wrong. His mom had back handed him across the face off the porch one day. His Granny was telling one of the smaller grandchildren that God was the reason the sky was blue. While Oscar agreed with her, he started telling them about what his 6th grade science teacher had told the class that week in school about distance and light. Why the sky appears blue. He landed in the yard. In the mud. The adults didn’t even look at him. They just kept on talking. From that point on, he kept his head down and rarely spoke.

Esther hadn’t discovered the scar on his leg. He had gotten cut working with his dad. Probably should have gotten stitches. When he took the bandages off to check it, his mom punched him in the mouth for wasting good bandages. ‘You’re not even bleeding!’

His breathing increased as his stomach seized again. He jerked alerting Esther that he was not okay.

His family was jealous? Maybe Esther was right. Did it not dawn on them how much piss and fecal matter he had cleaned up over the course of his life? He wasn’t complaining. His uncle, aunt and in the end his dad; he couldn’t imagine them being alone in a home. But his aunt giving him the house. That was her choice. She could have sold it to him. She even told him, ‘my boy you earned this’.

“O,” she whispered.

He rolled over, burying his face in her shoulder sobbing.

Jealous family

Please be advised ADULT LANGUAGE!

She about jumped out of her skin when there was thunderous pounding at her front door. She found a furious Oscar waiting on the other side. He didn’t speak. He didn’t have to. It was written all over his face. He thrust his cell phone at her as he started pacing across her living room floor. On his phone was text after text from his mother; pictures of the evening that obviously his brother had taken.

The first picture was of him helping Esther out of her coat. The first glimpse he had gotten of her dress. The message under the picture was ‘WHORE, looks like a stupid fat Christmas Tree’. Next was a picture of them with Santa. ‘What grown adults have their pictures made with SANTA? Jesus is the reason for the season.’ Their first dance, ‘OH, so you think you can dance? Dancing is Satan’s instrument for temptation.’ Them just sitting at the table, Oscar had his arm around Esther and he looked so happy. ‘Maybe you have already had you a little taste of temptation?’ A picture of the state troopers, ‘my hard earned tax dollars at work!’ There had to be twenty five pictures of them throughout the evening and each picture had a nasty comment with it. When Esther looked up, Oscar was gone. But she knew where to find him.

He was standing on the back porch. She slid her arms around his waist and laid her head on his back. He put his hands over hers.

“How long has your family been jealous of you?”

“Jealous?!” He laughed.

“Honey, it’s obvious to me that they are insanely jealous of you.”

“Please explain that one to me.” She could feel his insides tighten.

“Okay, I will. Come with me.” They went back into the house and got her laptop. She had e-mailed all those pictures to herself. “I will say this,” as they waited for the pictures to load. “Your brother would make a fine photographer.”

Oscar raised an eyebrow, “how so?

“I’ll show you.”

The picture of them with Santa, “look at this picture and tell me what you see?”

“My brother being a son of a bitch asshole rat bastard jerk face dick wad cock sucking jerk,” he hissed.

She laughed, “aside from that.”

“What’s so funny?”

She couldn’t stop laughing, “I’m sorry.”

He finally smiled, “what?”

“Want to spew a few more cuss words together?”

Oscar blushed but was still smiling as he looked at the picture again.

Santa Claus had a big ole jolly grin on his face. Oscar was looking at Esther, and she at him. From the profile view, they were both smiling. The next picture she pulled up was the one where he had is arm around her sitting at the table. The smile on his face was undeniable. The next photo was the King and I dance. You could actually see Oscar’s teeth he was smiling so wide.

“Well,” she asked.

“You’re beautiful.” She noticed that he had his arms curled around his stomach. The smile was gone from his face.

“Thank you, but that’s not the answer I was looking for. Look at you. Look at that smile. When Otis followed us out and kicked snow on your shoes; that told me volumes. And these pictures; honey, they are so jealous of you they can’t stand it.”

“But I don’t understand there’s nothing special about me?”

She pulled up the picture of Oscar extending his hand to her when they were getting ready to dance, “really?”

“Then why make me so miserable?” He choked on the words.

“Because it works.” He just stared at her, not knowing what to say next. She slid her hand under his arms to where he was hurting, “it works.” He was about to throw up. But he knew she was right, it worked. He was always a mess inside. “May I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“In her head, does your mother have you married to Doris? Is that why in one photo she said that you were committing adultery? That she already has the two of you playing house and adding to that bigger family she wants?”

“I wondered about that. It confused me.” He ran his fingers through his hair before trying to lean back on the couch. But wasn’t able to.

She sat the laptop on the coffee table. “Oscar, honey, don’t let your family destroy you.”

He just shook his head. It was now almost morning. She stood extending her hand to him. He took it. At first he couldn’t get up. He was in too much pain. After several minutes, he was able to stand. She could lead him anywhere she wanted. To his delight she led him to bed. The warmth of her arms carried him to sleep.

“O,”

He moaned more than spoke.

“I love you too.”

She held him even tighter.

Dancing shoes

‘Shall we dance’ started playing. There were a few couples on the floor. Oscar stood. “Shall we dance?”

She was floored. “I can’t dance to this song.”

He smiled a smile bigger than she had ever seen. “I’ll guide you.”

“Okay.” They took their stance body to body. So this is what Deborah Kerr felt as she was being swept off her feet? Oscar was so graceful as he moved across the gym floor. Who would have thought he was so talented? And they really did dance the way they danced in the King and I.

Someone shouted over the music, “Go Mr. P.”

Esther had forgotten that anyone else was in the world. When the music stopped, the whole gym erupted in applause.

“That was amazing.” She held her chest, out of breath.

“I love you.” He kissed the top of her hand.

Bell was shocked. “Oscar, you’ve been holding out on us. I had no idea you could dance like that.”

He just smiled. “I haven’t had anyone to dance with.” He kissed the top of Esther’s hand again.

Around midnight, the crowd was starting to get louder and wilder so they decided to go home.

As they were walking to the jeep, a voice called from behind them, “well I be gol danged.”  

“What Otis?” They stopped walking and just waited. Oscar held on to Esther for dear life.

Otis staggered in front of them. “Wheeee doggie. What was dat? Sum fine foot work.” He kicked snow on Oscar’s shoe.

“May I help you?” He held Esther tighter still.

“Nah, just wannen to see more fancy foot work.” He kicked more snow on his shoes. “See what maws money paid fur.”

“Mom didn’t pay for my education. It was all grants and loans.”

Oat staggered back and forth, “you callin’ maw a lar?”

“If she did, I know nothing about it.”

Chet showed up just in time patting Oscar on the shoulder. “Nice work.” He smiled.

Otis cussed under his breath and walked off.

The ride home was quiet. Neither of them said a word. Oscar opened the door for her, took her coat and hung it up. She got a Coke Zero out of the fridge. “Okay, let’s talk about the elephant in the room.” He took his coat off and hung it next to hers. “Would you like something to drink?” She kicked her shoes off and they lay by the coat rack.

“Whatever you’re drinking?” He replied.

She handed him a Coke Zero as he sat down on the couch with her.

“I’m not real sure there’s anything to talk about.” He sighed.

“Then why are you being so quiet?”

“I guess I’m a little floored that’s all. I have no issue with women being in dangerous jobs. But I’m just not used to the concept. We have a hand full of women volunteer fire fighters; we’ve had one female deputy. I’ve seen one female state trooper, though I’m sure there are more. It’s just different for me.”

“But you have no issue with it?”

“No, none. It’s just different that’s all.” He stared at his pop can for a moment. “I can’t imagine those soft hands of yours that have caressed me, holding a gun. Or breaking bones.”

She smiled, “I don’t think I’ve ever broken a bone.”

“So tell me about those guys.”

“Daniel Jones, the one that asked me ‘what I was doing back in Kentucky?’ We went to college together. He was my best friend, study partner and then ended up being my cop partner. Chaz Buchanan, the biggest of them, is just a big ole teddy bear. We met on a stake out. Phillip Davis taught me how to dance. Everyone called him the Dancin’ Lawman. And Martin Suzza is Phillip’s best friend. We all just clicked.” She smiled. Missing the backyard BBQ’s, late night stake outs and just the camaraderie with friends.

“Why did they call you Trick Pony?”

She smiled a wicked grin, “I’ll show you some day.”

It was about three when Oscar went home. Esther had gotten ready for bed. This had been a wonderful evening overall.