Bow at Her Feet
o f T a r m a c & G o s s i p
......Nowhere, Arizona. Population 356, soon to be 357 if the newlywed Bremerheins down on Kestrel St. have their way. It is a typical small town, complete with the small town curse. Everyone knows everybody, and everybody knows everything about everyone. The word ‘secret’ is seldom used in these parts.
......I tuck my feet into my sandals and venture out my front door into the sweltering summer air and begin to walk down the sidewalk. It is so hot outside that the black tarmac is giving off filmy tendrils of heat, rippling the air above the road. The din emitting from the pool can be heard three blocks away. I pass the corner of Chickadee Avenue, where Jacob Silverstein and James Marley are reclining in wicker lounge chairs under an eye-searing orange and yellow umbrella. I smile and raise a hand in greeting as I pass. The two elderly gentlemen are sitting in their pressed khaki pants and identically garish Hawaiian shirts, lemonade glasses clutched in creased fingers. They both raise a hand in reply, and I continue on my way. I make it no more than a block and a half before I run into Jessica Isaacson, a some-time friend. Apparently, today is one of those times. I speed my pace up.
......“Shiloh! Shiloh, hold on a second!” She flags me down and I come to a halt, my brow furrowing. I have obviously seen her, I cannot just ignore her now. “Shiloh, did you hear?” A few light pants mix themselves into her breath as she catches up with me. She looks around furtively before leaning in and whispering in my ear. “Maria Fitzgerald lost it to Jimmy Landon in the school parking lot last night!” She whispers, seemingly excited about being able to share this juicy tidy-bit with me. See, there is a reason I do not like Jessica. She is gossip central. Not a thing happens around here that Jessica doesn’t know. And it doesn’t take long for everyone to know once Jessica knows. I sigh.
......“Jessica. Just leave the poor girl alone, it probably isn’t even true.” She looks deeply offended. Not at me telling her to let it be, but because I dare doubt the sanctity of her information. “Anyways, I have to go.” She raises an eyebrow and opens her mouth as if to stop me. The trick to escaping Jessica’s constricting clutches is giving her a piece of gossip that is juicy enough for her to mull over for enough time to pass to allow one to escape around a corner, but not to make it too juicy, so that she comes and pesters you for more information. Having her begin to consider me a good source of information is not the way I want my summer to start. “I told Ms. Maple that I would go down and help her at the flower shop today. The Baby’s Breath is coming in, and you know how horribly her poor skin reacts to Baby’s Breath. In fact, I better get going before she gets too anxious to wait for me and tries to get started making the bouquets by herself. Sarah Holstein’s wedding order is driving her insane. The woman wants so many flowers, I have no clue where Father McKinley is going to hold the service!” I offer a strained laugh. That should do the trick. She seems lost in thought, and (knowing Jessica) she is most likely trying to commit it to memory. I slip away and I am gone before she notices my absence.
......I tuck my feet into my sandals and venture out my front door into the sweltering summer air and begin to walk down the sidewalk. It is so hot outside that the black tarmac is giving off filmy tendrils of heat, rippling the air above the road. The din emitting from the pool can be heard three blocks away. I pass the corner of Chickadee Avenue, where Jacob Silverstein and James Marley are reclining in wicker lounge chairs under an eye-searing orange and yellow umbrella. I smile and raise a hand in greeting as I pass. The two elderly gentlemen are sitting in their pressed khaki pants and identically garish Hawaiian shirts, lemonade glasses clutched in creased fingers. They both raise a hand in reply, and I continue on my way. I make it no more than a block and a half before I run into Jessica Isaacson, a some-time friend. Apparently, today is one of those times. I speed my pace up.
......“Shiloh! Shiloh, hold on a second!” She flags me down and I come to a halt, my brow furrowing. I have obviously seen her, I cannot just ignore her now. “Shiloh, did you hear?” A few light pants mix themselves into her breath as she catches up with me. She looks around furtively before leaning in and whispering in my ear. “Maria Fitzgerald lost it to Jimmy Landon in the school parking lot last night!” She whispers, seemingly excited about being able to share this juicy tidy-bit with me. See, there is a reason I do not like Jessica. She is gossip central. Not a thing happens around here that Jessica doesn’t know. And it doesn’t take long for everyone to know once Jessica knows. I sigh.
......“Jessica. Just leave the poor girl alone, it probably isn’t even true.” She looks deeply offended. Not at me telling her to let it be, but because I dare doubt the sanctity of her information. “Anyways, I have to go.” She raises an eyebrow and opens her mouth as if to stop me. The trick to escaping Jessica’s constricting clutches is giving her a piece of gossip that is juicy enough for her to mull over for enough time to pass to allow one to escape around a corner, but not to make it too juicy, so that she comes and pesters you for more information. Having her begin to consider me a good source of information is not the way I want my summer to start. “I told Ms. Maple that I would go down and help her at the flower shop today. The Baby’s Breath is coming in, and you know how horribly her poor skin reacts to Baby’s Breath. In fact, I better get going before she gets too anxious to wait for me and tries to get started making the bouquets by herself. Sarah Holstein’s wedding order is driving her insane. The woman wants so many flowers, I have no clue where Father McKinley is going to hold the service!” I offer a strained laugh. That should do the trick. She seems lost in thought, and (knowing Jessica) she is most likely trying to commit it to memory. I slip away and I am gone before she notices my absence.
♠ ♠ ♠
Chapter two. :D Also, I was figuring out what the population should be, and even though 356 sounds like a lot, divide that up into families and think about how many kids there are. It's not really that many. The general 100 house subdivision (which is actually pretty small) would have (estimate only--I live in one, so I think I'm allowed to do that. (; ) about 210(ish) people in it, so it is a really small town. Just figured I'd mention that. :) Comments and subscriptions brighten my day exponentially. :)