Mother’s Day Pt 1
7 year old Johnny and his 6 year old sister Jamie were having a great time playing in the warm spring sunshine in their large backyard. Trina, their mother, was inside straightening up the kitchen following breakfast.
Finally, Johnny ran into the kitchen. “Mommy, you wanna play with us?” he asked hopefully.
Trina looked up and smiled “I’m afraid not, hon. I’ve got to catch up on some reading and then pay some bills”
“Awwwwwww c’mon!” he implored.
“I’m sorry sweetie but when you get older you have responsibilities and playing just isn’t so much fun anymore” she explained.
“So you’re too ~old~ to play with us?” he asked sounding as if he was thinking about something a couple of steps further ahead.
“Well, now, you have to be 30 to be -old- and I’m not 30....yet...” she answered jokingly.
Johnny grabbed a plastic pitcher from the counter. “Can I borrow this?”
“I guess... but don’t break it!” his mother answered wondering what he was up to. She peered out the window and saw him run to his sister and they started talking. She shrugged and finished with the dishes.
In a few more moments Johnny returned with the pitcher filled. “Here mommy!” he said as he offered her the pitcher now filled with water.
She looked at him suspiciously. What was he up to she wondered?
“It’s for you, mommy... so you can play with us” he explained although his explanation made no sense to Trina.
“But? Uhhhh.... I don’t think I understand. I told you I don’t have time to play” she replied taking the pitcher from him.
“Nuh uh! You said you were too old to play!” he corrected.
“Well, ok... whatever... I still don’t follow???” she said.
“That’s water from the Fountain of Youth! Drink that and then you can play with us!”
“Ohhhhhhhhhh I seeeeeeee” she answered realizing that children surely can have some imagination! “Well, sometimes I hear the Fountain of Youth doesn’t work so this might not work”
Trina figured she had a few spare moments to humor her son.
“Really, Are you sure?” Johnny answered with disappoinment “Just try it, OK?”
“I’ll try it but don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work. Now, how much of this should I drink?” she asked. “I don’t want to drink too much!”
Trina grinned. It must be nice having that kind of imagination she thought.
“Just a full glass should do it” Johnny told her.
Trina poured the liquid into a glass and smiled at Johnny “Bottoms up!” She said and then quickly downed the glass of water.
Johnny watched intently. Outside, his sister was watching the door waiting to see what was happening.
Trina sat the glass down and smiled at Johnny. “Am I any younger?”
He looked disappointed.
“I told you it might not work.” she said.
“Maybe it takes a bit?” he said hopefully.
Trina’s expression changed “Mommy feel funny” she said haltingly as she put her thumb in her mouth. “I want my mommy”
“Mommy! Quit teasin’!” Johnny said “You’re not any younger!”
“Sorry, Johnny. I can’t put anything past you!” his mother said laughing. “Looks like the Fountain of Youth’s water just isn’t going to work on me, huh?”
Johnny was disappointed. He was sure it would work. “Maybe it’ll work kinda slow?” he said.
“Maybe.... Anyway... You best run on and check up on your sister. I’ve got things to do now. Your grandmother’s coming by later today and I want to be all caught up. Now, run along you little Ponce De Leon!” she said teasingly.
She sat down at the table and opened the paper for a quick read before tearing into a stack of bills. She could hear the kids talking in the distance.
----
“Did it work? Where is she?” Jamie asked her brother.
“I dunno.... I don’t think so...” he replied dejectedly
“Did she drink enough? Maybe you shoulda made her drink more???” Jamie asked.
“Nahhhh she drank plenty. She said the Fountain of Youth doesn’t always work”
“How’d she know about it? I thought you said it was a secret??”
“I dunno... but she sounded like she knew all about it......”
----
Trina adjusted in the chair and turned the pages of the paper. It seemed extra boring this morning. At least the entertainment section was interesting. She pushed her glasses back up on her nose. They kept sliding down. She turned the pages of the paper a little quicker and tapped her foot on the floor. Her heel slipped a little and she kicked her sandals aside. Her glasses slid down again. This time they about slid off. She pushed them back up and adjusted in the seat again. She had to use the table to push herself back in the seat because she couldn’t get much leverage from the floor.
Her glasses slid down her nose again and this time she left them there. She could read the paper better looking over the top of the glasses rather than looking thru them! Not only that, but for some reason today’s newspaper was using a lot of big words making it hard to read whether the words were in focus or not. Trina was happy that she was reading the comics section because even though she couldn’t read all the words she could still look at the pictures. As time went on she slowly realized that she couldn’t read any of the words they were using today but the pictures were still funny anyway!
----
Johnny decided he would check and see if the Fountain of Youth waters had worked afterall.
He opened the door and saw a little five year old girl setting at the table, swinging her bare feet and giggling happily at the funny papers!
“Mom? It worked!”
Trina turned around to see Johnny staring in amazement. She was now a five year old with long blond hair wearing a pink tanktop that was big enough to be a dress and an oversized pair of shorts. Her glasses dangled on the end of her nose threatening to fall off at any moment.
“Nuh uh!” she said “Your dumb ol’ water didn’t work on me!”
Johnny blinked and saw nothing to make him think that the water hadn’t worked.
“Yes it did!” He said “You’re a little girl now! I think you drank too much... You’re younger than Jamie!”
“I ain’t ~little~” she protested.
“Now you can play with us” he said.
Trina twisted her finger on her chin as if deep in thought “I got stuff I’m ‘sposed to do.... but I forgot what it is....” she said in her child’s voice. Playing sure seemed like a good option. Trina kept trying to think about what she was supposed to do but it kept seeming less and less important.
Finally, she hopped down from her chair. Her shorts fell to the floor but her tank top now sufficed as a dress.
She looked UP at her son. Suddenly, she realized things had changed but the intoxification of the water was reducing her cares about the changes. She was bubbling with energy. Nothing hurt! She barely had any cares in the world.
The water kept working its magic. Youth was intoxicating her more and more. It was clouding her memory.... her judgement... her emotions...
“Mommy’s aren’t ‘sposed to play...” she said as she suddenly found an issue that didn’t sit right in her regressed mind.
“That’s why you drank the water... so you COULD play. Remember?” Johnny explained.
Trina tried to remember... Was that why she drank the water? She couldn’t remember! Why did she drink the water? Did it even matter now? All she could focus on was playing with her brother and sister.... And then she realized they weren’t her brother and sister! Was she forgetting how to be a mommy she wondered? Had she really been a mommy? Did she want to be a mommy?
“What’s wrong, mommy?” Johnny asked seeing the blank look on his 5 year old mother’s face.
The regressing waters still did their work on her. Mommy? It felt strange to be called mommy! How could she be a mommy she wondered.... she hadn’t even started first grade! Maybe the water was changing her mind she wondered? She didn’t want that did she? Maybe that was the problem... maybe she wasn’t REALLY a little girl! A sliver of memory started to come into focus. She tried to remember exactly what had happened.
“C’mon... you’re a little girl... Jamie’s waiting to play with you!” Johnny said as he took her hand.
He broke her train of thought. What did he say? I’m a little girl? What was I trying to think about she wondered? I’m a little girl?.... a little girl?.... a little girl.... a little girl! She couldn’t wait to start playing with Johnny and Jamie!
Her five year old personality took over. She giggled happily as she skipped thru the yard.
Jamie saw the two children headed her way.
“Yayyyyyyyy!!! It worked!” Jamie said.
“I toldya!” Johnny said beaming.
The children played happily the rest of the morning. Trina was as carefree as any five year old child. They played in the sand, and the pool, and the swings.... on and on they went.
And then they heard a voice.
“Trina? Kids? TRINA???? KIDS???”
It was Grandma!
“Uh oh! SHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I forgot grandma is coming over!” he whispered.
“What’s wrong?” little Trina asked.
“We can’t let Grandma see you like this!” he said.
“Like what?” Trina asked
“Like a kid!” Johnny explained.
“But I am a kid?” she replied.
“You are now but I mean before”
“Before what?” Little Trina asked.
Johnny was confused. “You two stay here and I’m gonna go talk to grandma. Don’t come in unless I tell you to!” he ordered the two little girls.
---
“Hi Grandma!” he said as he entered the house....
To be continued?