Astronaut.
you think you might cross over
It was a dull, grey day. The sky looked like a dirty ocean.
Jupiter’s house stood cast in a shadow of rain and absent sunshine. The sweet sound of a child’s laughter had long evaporated from the walls of every room. Jupiter lay in bed, as she did most days. The blankets were a silent tomb across her body, weighing down on her soul and trapping her in this lonely feeling.
This was the day that there was a knock on her door.
Her socks caught on the wooden floors as she dragged herself downstairs. She felt like a cat left out in the rain, even though she was drier than who would be at her door. The makeup she wore had begun to stain her face, so now she just didn’t wear any at all. Her eyelashes always stuck together with the sticky residue of half-dried tears. Her hair laid mangled, left stranded on her skinny shoulders. The deep blue-green of her aquamarine eyes looked leaden.
Her chipped fingernails scratched against the doorknob before she managed to turn it. She only let the wood come near her a few inches, enough so that she could peer out into the drizzling world.
Before her stood a doll-like woman. Her golden hair was fluffed and curled to revolve around her face like caramel cotton candy. Her eyes were piercing green, her lips a fierce shade of pink. Above her head was a pink parasol sewn with white lace. Jupiter looked over her strangely middle-aged features and quite womanly attire.
“Can I help you?” she whispered, barely audible above the soft ticking of the rain. She was sheltered behind the door like a frightened mouse.
The woman’s grin revealed sparkling white teeth. “Darling? Is that you, Jupiter Anne?”
Jupiter frowned and closed the door a little. “What do you want?”
“Why, honey, I’ve come to see you! What, you mean to tell me you don’t recognize your own mother?”
Her name was Marla Jay. She was a glamorous actress who was taking a break from the “hard life.” Jupiter had no idea what it was like, let Marla tell her. “I’ve never had more fun doing anything else. What about you? What are you doing for fun in this weird town? Didn’t you have a sister?” She looked around the house, touching the handle of her parasol between gloved digits. “Why is it so cold in here?”
Jupiter stirred her tea with marionette fingers, her wrist jerking with an invisible string. “Lora Joan is gone.”
Marla pouted her apple lips and furrowed her brow. “Where to, a vacation destination?” Her eyes twinkled with delight.
Her daughter scowled and continued to circle her spoon. “Something like that.”
“Oh, well I hope she’s having fun. Who is her father figure? Were you raising her yourself?”
“No,” she sighed, finally taking a drink of her refreshment. It soothed the discomfort that ruffled her feathers. “Mama and I raised her until four years ago.”
“What happened then?”
Jupiter shrugged and looked up to meet her eyes. “Mama died.”
Marla only raised her eyebrows. “Really. Well, I feel sorry for her. She was always giving to others, and never to herself.” She raised her small glass and sipped at the edge.
‘Are you insane?’ Jupiter wanted to scream in her face. Mama had been the angel on her Christmas tree, the sparkle in her eyes, the inspiration to be the best person she could be. This woman at her table now was Mama’s very own daughter, and she didn’t even care that she was dead! Disgust swelled in her throat and she had to leave the table. She couldn’t deal with this alien woman in her home. Her hands grabbed whatever was on the counter and shoved them in the sink full of soapy water. The bubbles popped and sizzled on her fingers as she scrubbed, trying to work out the anger boiling inside her.
“Do you still dance?”
Her eyes closed, and she sighed. “No.”
“Oh, why not?” Marla came to her side and peeled the gloves from her hands like an exoskeleton. “I started to paint, did you know that?” She ignored Jupiter’s tiny head-shake and continued. “Yes. I was walking through the store and there was some spilled paint on the floor. Well, I stepped in it and slipped. It was bright red, and I was wearing a blue dress, but it turned out quite interesting. I started painting the walls in my house in the same random fashion… throwing the colors on them and such.” She suddenly dipped her hands into the water beside Jupiter’s and started washing the dishes with her.
“Well, that’s nice,” Jupiter muttered under her breath, subtly stepping away from her mother. She wasn’t familiar or comfortable next to her. “Lora Joan did some drawings in her time.”
Marla’s eyes lit up. “She did? Can I see them?” Her hand slipped out of the water and grabbed a towel to dry. “Where’s her room? I want to see her things.”
Slightly confused, Jupiter dried her hands as well. “It’s upstairs. Follow me.”
“Oh… it’s pretty in here.” Her large, green eyes surveyed the room like a curious tree frog. Jupiter followed her closely as she moved, frightened she might touch something and knock it into oblivion. She hadn’t come to this room in a long time, and for a good reason. The place had become foreign without Lora Joan.
“Don’t touch that,” she gasped, reaching out to gently slap Marla’s hand away from the sea glass that rested on the perfectly fluffed pillow.
The woman ignored her and plucked it between her fingers. “Where did this come from?” she asked, peering through the thick green shard.
Jupiter took her wrist and closed her hand over the precious glass piece. “My Noah gave it to her when she was sick.”
“Your Noah?” Marla’s grin widened again to reveal her spotless teeth. “Is he your husband?”
With a shake of her head, she said, “No. I never married him.”
“Good. Marriage is bad news.” Her mother sat on the edge of Lora Joan’s empty bed and crossed her long legs. Jupiter saw her shiny black boots as they emerged from her skirts. The toes were pointed.
“No… he didn’t want to marry me.” A faint smile touched her lips. “He didn’t want me to hurt him if I left.”
Marla frowned deeply. “Well, you’re still here. Where is he?”
Jupiter laughed out loud. “He left me!”
“What an insensitive ass!”
Shocked, she looked back to her mother. “What do you mean?”
Her green eyes rolled. “He’s a hypocrite. You don’t need someone like that breaking your flow. You can do just fine without aman on your arm, dragging you down.” She sighed softly and ran her hand in a large circle on the bedspread, her eyes following the wrinkles as they appeared between her fingers. “Did you ever have any children, Jupiter?”
“I can’t.”
“What? Why not?” She patted her hand on the bed beside her and lifted her chin to look at her daughter, saying with her eyes, ‘Come sit.’
“I’m infertile. The doctors told me so.” Her eyes were downcast, staring at her intertwined hands.
Marla’s hand moved over hers, protecting them from her sad stare. Jupiter lifted her eyes. “Honey, I’m sorry.”
She could feel her bottom lip moving to form a pout. She bit it back into its place. “Do you like being a mother?” she whispered.
The woman’s hand squeezed hers. “I wasn’t a mother to you. I wish I had been… but I just wasn’t cut out to raise another human.” A smile warmed her flawless appearance. “And look at you. You’ve raised yourself to be a wonderful young woman. I think you have the whole world at your feet.”
“I don’t know…” Jupiter sighed, dropping her face.
Her mother’s hand cupped her chin and brought her eyes upward. “Baby, if you’re anything like me, you can get past everything life has to toss in your way.”
Her smile let free a tiny sigh. “Marla… Mom…” She corrected herself with only a trace of hesitation. “Lora Joan died a year ago.”
Jupiter’s house stood cast in a shadow of rain and absent sunshine. The sweet sound of a child’s laughter had long evaporated from the walls of every room. Jupiter lay in bed, as she did most days. The blankets were a silent tomb across her body, weighing down on her soul and trapping her in this lonely feeling.
This was the day that there was a knock on her door.
Her socks caught on the wooden floors as she dragged herself downstairs. She felt like a cat left out in the rain, even though she was drier than who would be at her door. The makeup she wore had begun to stain her face, so now she just didn’t wear any at all. Her eyelashes always stuck together with the sticky residue of half-dried tears. Her hair laid mangled, left stranded on her skinny shoulders. The deep blue-green of her aquamarine eyes looked leaden.
Her chipped fingernails scratched against the doorknob before she managed to turn it. She only let the wood come near her a few inches, enough so that she could peer out into the drizzling world.
Before her stood a doll-like woman. Her golden hair was fluffed and curled to revolve around her face like caramel cotton candy. Her eyes were piercing green, her lips a fierce shade of pink. Above her head was a pink parasol sewn with white lace. Jupiter looked over her strangely middle-aged features and quite womanly attire.
“Can I help you?” she whispered, barely audible above the soft ticking of the rain. She was sheltered behind the door like a frightened mouse.
The woman’s grin revealed sparkling white teeth. “Darling? Is that you, Jupiter Anne?”
Jupiter frowned and closed the door a little. “What do you want?”
“Why, honey, I’ve come to see you! What, you mean to tell me you don’t recognize your own mother?”
Her name was Marla Jay. She was a glamorous actress who was taking a break from the “hard life.” Jupiter had no idea what it was like, let Marla tell her. “I’ve never had more fun doing anything else. What about you? What are you doing for fun in this weird town? Didn’t you have a sister?” She looked around the house, touching the handle of her parasol between gloved digits. “Why is it so cold in here?”
Jupiter stirred her tea with marionette fingers, her wrist jerking with an invisible string. “Lora Joan is gone.”
Marla pouted her apple lips and furrowed her brow. “Where to, a vacation destination?” Her eyes twinkled with delight.
Her daughter scowled and continued to circle her spoon. “Something like that.”
“Oh, well I hope she’s having fun. Who is her father figure? Were you raising her yourself?”
“No,” she sighed, finally taking a drink of her refreshment. It soothed the discomfort that ruffled her feathers. “Mama and I raised her until four years ago.”
“What happened then?”
Jupiter shrugged and looked up to meet her eyes. “Mama died.”
Marla only raised her eyebrows. “Really. Well, I feel sorry for her. She was always giving to others, and never to herself.” She raised her small glass and sipped at the edge.
‘Are you insane?’ Jupiter wanted to scream in her face. Mama had been the angel on her Christmas tree, the sparkle in her eyes, the inspiration to be the best person she could be. This woman at her table now was Mama’s very own daughter, and she didn’t even care that she was dead! Disgust swelled in her throat and she had to leave the table. She couldn’t deal with this alien woman in her home. Her hands grabbed whatever was on the counter and shoved them in the sink full of soapy water. The bubbles popped and sizzled on her fingers as she scrubbed, trying to work out the anger boiling inside her.
“Do you still dance?”
Her eyes closed, and she sighed. “No.”
“Oh, why not?” Marla came to her side and peeled the gloves from her hands like an exoskeleton. “I started to paint, did you know that?” She ignored Jupiter’s tiny head-shake and continued. “Yes. I was walking through the store and there was some spilled paint on the floor. Well, I stepped in it and slipped. It was bright red, and I was wearing a blue dress, but it turned out quite interesting. I started painting the walls in my house in the same random fashion… throwing the colors on them and such.” She suddenly dipped her hands into the water beside Jupiter’s and started washing the dishes with her.
“Well, that’s nice,” Jupiter muttered under her breath, subtly stepping away from her mother. She wasn’t familiar or comfortable next to her. “Lora Joan did some drawings in her time.”
Marla’s eyes lit up. “She did? Can I see them?” Her hand slipped out of the water and grabbed a towel to dry. “Where’s her room? I want to see her things.”
Slightly confused, Jupiter dried her hands as well. “It’s upstairs. Follow me.”
“Oh… it’s pretty in here.” Her large, green eyes surveyed the room like a curious tree frog. Jupiter followed her closely as she moved, frightened she might touch something and knock it into oblivion. She hadn’t come to this room in a long time, and for a good reason. The place had become foreign without Lora Joan.
“Don’t touch that,” she gasped, reaching out to gently slap Marla’s hand away from the sea glass that rested on the perfectly fluffed pillow.
The woman ignored her and plucked it between her fingers. “Where did this come from?” she asked, peering through the thick green shard.
Jupiter took her wrist and closed her hand over the precious glass piece. “My Noah gave it to her when she was sick.”
“Your Noah?” Marla’s grin widened again to reveal her spotless teeth. “Is he your husband?”
With a shake of her head, she said, “No. I never married him.”
“Good. Marriage is bad news.” Her mother sat on the edge of Lora Joan’s empty bed and crossed her long legs. Jupiter saw her shiny black boots as they emerged from her skirts. The toes were pointed.
“No… he didn’t want to marry me.” A faint smile touched her lips. “He didn’t want me to hurt him if I left.”
Marla frowned deeply. “Well, you’re still here. Where is he?”
Jupiter laughed out loud. “He left me!”
“What an insensitive ass!”
Shocked, she looked back to her mother. “What do you mean?”
Her green eyes rolled. “He’s a hypocrite. You don’t need someone like that breaking your flow. You can do just fine without aman on your arm, dragging you down.” She sighed softly and ran her hand in a large circle on the bedspread, her eyes following the wrinkles as they appeared between her fingers. “Did you ever have any children, Jupiter?”
“I can’t.”
“What? Why not?” She patted her hand on the bed beside her and lifted her chin to look at her daughter, saying with her eyes, ‘Come sit.’
“I’m infertile. The doctors told me so.” Her eyes were downcast, staring at her intertwined hands.
Marla’s hand moved over hers, protecting them from her sad stare. Jupiter lifted her eyes. “Honey, I’m sorry.”
She could feel her bottom lip moving to form a pout. She bit it back into its place. “Do you like being a mother?” she whispered.
The woman’s hand squeezed hers. “I wasn’t a mother to you. I wish I had been… but I just wasn’t cut out to raise another human.” A smile warmed her flawless appearance. “And look at you. You’ve raised yourself to be a wonderful young woman. I think you have the whole world at your feet.”
“I don’t know…” Jupiter sighed, dropping her face.
Her mother’s hand cupped her chin and brought her eyes upward. “Baby, if you’re anything like me, you can get past everything life has to toss in your way.”
Her smile let free a tiny sigh. “Marla… Mom…” She corrected herself with only a trace of hesitation. “Lora Joan died a year ago.”
♠ ♠ ♠
There will be thirty-four chapters.
It will most likely be done within... a month. ^_^ WOOOO.
Love! Comment! Share!