Friday, June 24, 2011

The Glimmering by Vicki Grove

Years and years ago, 1987 to be exact, I was sitting in a waiting room somewhere and picked up a magazine to read during "my wait". I liked this article enough to copy it and save it all these years and would now like to share it with you.

"Look, Susie, something's out there! Maybe treasure, maybe diamonds or something!"
Hearing Kathy's words and smiling to myself, I opened the kitchen door and looked out to see my two girls as I knew I'd find them. Kathy was dancing up and down with excitement, and her older sister, Susan, was standing nearby, shaking her head in mild exasperation, beginning her usual admonishment.
"Kathy, grow up. There's no treasure on our old dirt road. There never has been, there never will be. Some feed sack or something just blew off a truck." "But it's shining!" "It's not shining, silly. The wind is just catching it and blowing it a little. It's just a dirty, old feed sack." "But it's glimmering!"
This was so typical, Kathy, ever the dreamer, and Susan, ever the realist. Stifling my growing amusement, I leaned further out the door to call them.
"Why don't you two take a walk down the road and see what it is, just to settle things?" I suggested.
"Why do that? It's just an old feed .." "Susan," I interrupted, "please? Just humor your sister and your mother."
With an elaborate sigh, Susan shrugged her shoulders and began plodding purposefully down the road with her sister fairly dancing and skipping at her heels, barely tethered to the earth.
I watched them move away, filled with love and wonder that two children of mine could be so different.
The phone broke my revery, pulling me back inside the house. "Hello, Jane? Hi, it's Emma. Did I catch you at a bad time?" "Oh, hi Emma. No. No, not at all, " I said watching the girls through the window now. They had reached the mysterious object in the road which, evidently, was, as Susan had vehemently predicted, a dirty, old feed sack. I saw Susan pick it up gingerly and then trow it into the ditch.
 "I was here in the kitchen, planning lunch and watching the kids play out back. What can I do for you?"
"Funny you should ask that." Emma said, and something about the tone of her voice put me on guard. Emma volunteered for several projects around the community and worked hard at recruiting other workers. I felt my shoulders tighten and wished I hadn't told her so blithely that I wasn't doing anything.

to be continued.....

No comments:

Post a Comment