Why is the Sky Sad?
Remember
It was raining when Maria MarKent pulled up the cobble stone driveway, the wipers violently swishing back and forth on the glass windshield of her car. She’d get a quick glance at the mansion, the green grass, blooming flowerbed before they were swallowed back up into the dark clouds, momentarily disappearing. It was a never-ending cycle that was hypnotizing to watch, swish, swish, swish… swish, swish, swish….
She sat in the idling car, hands folded on her lap, waiting for a break, waiting to run. The rain was pounding on her car, seeming to pick up speed with each minute. Like a hammer, it pounded, surrounding her with the noise of a thousand woodpeckers. She turned the knob, drowning the rain and inviting music to blast from the shaky speakers, a girl singing about her broken heart. Marie mouthed the words silently as her mind floated away.
Why is the sky sad?
Tears frosted in her eyes, Maria remembered. Back when he was so little and small, so curious, he’d ask. He’d stand on the tips of his toes, peering out the fogged window, watching, watching, waiting. The question seemed to be of much importance, like he was asking her the meaning of life. And as hard as she tried, her answers always seemed to disappoint.
Clasping the diamond jewel of her necklace, Maria took a shaky breath. She wished she could go back to those days, when her son always smiled, said he loved her. When he was a child, when he wasn’t so afraid there was no need to wear a mask, to be someone she wasn’t.
She knew she shouldn’t want to change him; she should love him with all her heart no matter what. A mother should always love her son. But it was exhausting- keeping up this charade. So Maria found herself wishing and when there was a break in the rain she stayed inside the car, backing away from her house and the troubles that lay within.
***
“Mom, what did you think of dad before you got married?”
James looked up at his mother, his beautiful mother, blessed with skin the color of gold, with eyes that were so dark, haunting and he waited. She was carefully cutting the corners of his sandwich, carefully folding the perfect mix of ingredients into a perfect square. Just the way he liked it. With his mother, everything was precise and pretty- which was why she was so good with advice.
She turned to face her son, smiling the smile of a thousand gods to her perfect baby boy.
“Girl troubles?”
He loved how his mother could read his mind, it was like she had a sixth sense or something. Sure he was only eight and had never been out of the country, but he knew his mom was the smartest mom in the whole wide world.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure Emma thinks I’m a loser.”
Maria began to hum along with the radio, her voice a few octaves too high.
“James, any girl would be lucky to have you. You are definitely not a loser, and if she can’t see that then I think she’s the loser.”
James sighed, wishing his mother would stay home over the weekend and not go off to some yoga retreat. He needed her.
“Yeah, but Dirk told her I look like Dracula- that vampire, you know? And I fainted in front of her.”
Maria’s smile slowly faded, her eyes frantic, her skin turning white. She closed her eyes, opening her mouth to get more air. For a second James thought she was going to faint- just like he had. He hoped she wouldn’t though, because only loser’s fainted. And his mommy wasn’t a loser.
“You told everyone you were just sick, no?”
“Yes, but Emma’s the one who found me. And now she thinks I’m a loser.” James relaxed as his mother went back to normal, glowing like a brand new star.
Grabbing her son’s sack lunch, Maria pursed her lips. Trying to remember Emma’s last name- and who her mother was- she grabbed her son’s hand and lead him to the driveway. In a black SUV, their driver waited, sleeping beneath his black sunglasses.
She kissed his forehead, staining it with lipstick and handed him his lunch.
“Be a good boy.” James nodded, treating it like a promise, “I’ll see you Monday, sweetie, I love you.”
***
Maria turned up the volume, drowning out the sounds of her tears with the voice of another. She sniffled, clutching her necklace to her chest. “I love you, I love you.”
She sat in the idling car, hands folded on her lap, waiting for a break, waiting to run. The rain was pounding on her car, seeming to pick up speed with each minute. Like a hammer, it pounded, surrounding her with the noise of a thousand woodpeckers. She turned the knob, drowning the rain and inviting music to blast from the shaky speakers, a girl singing about her broken heart. Marie mouthed the words silently as her mind floated away.
Why is the sky sad?
Tears frosted in her eyes, Maria remembered. Back when he was so little and small, so curious, he’d ask. He’d stand on the tips of his toes, peering out the fogged window, watching, watching, waiting. The question seemed to be of much importance, like he was asking her the meaning of life. And as hard as she tried, her answers always seemed to disappoint.
Clasping the diamond jewel of her necklace, Maria took a shaky breath. She wished she could go back to those days, when her son always smiled, said he loved her. When he was a child, when he wasn’t so afraid there was no need to wear a mask, to be someone she wasn’t.
She knew she shouldn’t want to change him; she should love him with all her heart no matter what. A mother should always love her son. But it was exhausting- keeping up this charade. So Maria found herself wishing and when there was a break in the rain she stayed inside the car, backing away from her house and the troubles that lay within.
***
“Mom, what did you think of dad before you got married?”
James looked up at his mother, his beautiful mother, blessed with skin the color of gold, with eyes that were so dark, haunting and he waited. She was carefully cutting the corners of his sandwich, carefully folding the perfect mix of ingredients into a perfect square. Just the way he liked it. With his mother, everything was precise and pretty- which was why she was so good with advice.
She turned to face her son, smiling the smile of a thousand gods to her perfect baby boy.
“Girl troubles?”
He loved how his mother could read his mind, it was like she had a sixth sense or something. Sure he was only eight and had never been out of the country, but he knew his mom was the smartest mom in the whole wide world.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure Emma thinks I’m a loser.”
Maria began to hum along with the radio, her voice a few octaves too high.
“James, any girl would be lucky to have you. You are definitely not a loser, and if she can’t see that then I think she’s the loser.”
James sighed, wishing his mother would stay home over the weekend and not go off to some yoga retreat. He needed her.
“Yeah, but Dirk told her I look like Dracula- that vampire, you know? And I fainted in front of her.”
Maria’s smile slowly faded, her eyes frantic, her skin turning white. She closed her eyes, opening her mouth to get more air. For a second James thought she was going to faint- just like he had. He hoped she wouldn’t though, because only loser’s fainted. And his mommy wasn’t a loser.
“You told everyone you were just sick, no?”
“Yes, but Emma’s the one who found me. And now she thinks I’m a loser.” James relaxed as his mother went back to normal, glowing like a brand new star.
Grabbing her son’s sack lunch, Maria pursed her lips. Trying to remember Emma’s last name- and who her mother was- she grabbed her son’s hand and lead him to the driveway. In a black SUV, their driver waited, sleeping beneath his black sunglasses.
She kissed his forehead, staining it with lipstick and handed him his lunch.
“Be a good boy.” James nodded, treating it like a promise, “I’ll see you Monday, sweetie, I love you.”
***
Maria turned up the volume, drowning out the sounds of her tears with the voice of another. She sniffled, clutching her necklace to her chest. “I love you, I love you.”
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New character, she's my favorite.So I don't really know about this story anymore. It seems like I'm trying to hard to be deep, when it's really not working....
Please, comments? Anyone? Anyone at all?