December 31st
Happy christmas and New Year to me. My mom has volunteered me to be a candy striper at the children’s hospital, says it’ll look good on my college application and will give me some time to look for a real job. Who said I was going to college? Who said I was looking for a job? That’s what a man’s for, work to bring in the bacon for his family. I can’t wait until Randy and I can elope in Virginia and live in a small country house with acres and acres of land for our four small children to play on. Mom doesn’t know anything about the up and coming jobs. Who says they’ll be hiring women anyway? Randy says as soon as he saves up enough money he’ll take me away from here. I wish we could go now, away from our parents, away from all this responsibility, so we can just be in love. Guess I’ll have to keep dreaming until that day comes, but mom sure isn’t making it easy. Just because I’m a teenager doesn’t mean I can’t make important decisions on my own. Parents, gah, they are so… aggravating!
I walked in on Elizabeth reading my diary. Some how I felt as though she was spying on me, so I made it a point to be as loud as I could dropping my gardening gloves and potatoes, praying I didn’t bruise them, on to the table. She quickly shut the diary and stuffed it into the couch cushions. I chuckled, I was letting her read it; she shouldn’t have to feel like a thief.
“Elizabeth, I told you, you are allowed to read that boring diary, so get it out of the couch cushions before it gets ruined. If you’re hungry there is plenty of food in the fridge, help yourself to anything you like.”
She blushed, slowly collecting my diary from the couch. Going upstairs to wash up from gardening, I could feel the arthritis throbbing in my joints. My knuckles were so swollen that I could barely make a fist, and my knees could barely bend a fraction of what they use to. Looking in to the bathroom mirror, I pulled at the wrinkles around my sapphire eyes until I could find the eye from my youth, smooth and innocent of aging. I took a wash cloth and dampened the sweat from my neck. No business in thinking about the yesteryears, you can’t go back. My gray and silver hair turn black as coal once the water touched it. I used my vanilla soap to wash my hands, and left the bathroom after I pulled my shoulder length hair into a bun. When I came downstairs Elizabeth was quietly nibbling on a banana.
“Grandma, is there a library around here? Or maybe a store like Target or Old Navy?” Her amber eyes shone just like her grandfathers.
“The library is right inside of town, a half mile from here, and we don’t have any fancy stores, but there is a mini-mart if you happen to need anything.” I caught her grimace, maybe we should have a family bonding moment. “We could hike to the clearing if you would like?”
“Um… no thanks, Grandma. I’m going to go to the library. I’ll be back in a couple of hours, if that’s okay?”
“Oh, yeah. I’ll have lunch ready by the time you come back.” I sighed relief, knowing full well my aching body had, had enough for the day.
I smiled as Elizabeth clutched my dirty, old diary under her arm and ducked out the door.
Elizabeth
I had to find a place to read Grandma’s diary in private. It felt wrong to read her personal thoughts while she was right in the room, and I had to find out who this Randy guy was. Maybe my grandma isn’t such a lame after all, or maybe if I had a life I wouldn’t be walking to the library, reading my grandma’s diary; I would have a romance of my own, and I would be hopelessly in love instead of trying to catch the attention of my needy parents and my lonely, worn grandma.
The library was a small, one story, stone building. When I walked in it smelled like desperation and nasty feet. This place hadn’t been used in a long time. The tired librarian smiled briefly at me before she went back to her People magazine. I ventured back to a snug corner with a beanbag chair. Making myself comfy, I propped the diary on my knees. I cracked it open just as I heard a booming voice come from the front.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Gladness. Here are my books; I think I’ll be taking a look at the repair section today. My dad has seemed to break the kitchen sink.”
I peered over the edge of the book and watched as a tall, meaty boy walked along the aisles. A trickle of sweat creped along the insides of my hands. He stalled looking over the section of books for one just right, but instead of pulling a book from the shelf, he started walking towards me! Quickly, I flipped a page in the diary to make myself look busy.
“Must be new in town, my name’s Richard. What’s yours?”
I slowly gazed up at him. He wasn’t even looking at me, but at the wall of books to my left. Should I even answer?
“M-m-m-my name is um… my name is Elizabeth,” I whispered, barely audible.
“Like the queen of England, beautiful.” He turned to me and stuck out his hand.
I stood up to shake his hand, and the diary leaped from my lap. I bent to grab it up, but he had already snatched for me.
“Thank you.” I was definitely blushing.
“You’re welcome. What brings you to Pitcher?”
“I’m umm… I’m visiting my grandmother.”
Richard smiled, “Maybe I'll see you around town. Have a good day, Elizabeth.” He kissed my outreached hand, walked over to the repair section, took a book, and walked back to the front of the library.
I couldn’t catch my breath. Did that just happen? Maybe I should keep my own diary. To remember Richard, yeah Richard.
Gender:
Points: 368
Reviews: 456