“Under the ‘B”, 15!”
The man behind the counter yelled into the microphone, making Sally Hunter jump in her seat.
She was thinking about everything that had happened in the last two weeks and not concentrating on the Bingo game.
The picture was still fresh in her mind, of Mom answering the early-morning phone call, on that terrible day. Her mother turned white, sat down hard on the kitchen step-stool, and started to cry.
Sally couldn’t ever remember seeing Mom cry. It felt like the world was about to end.
Nana Loomis was calling to say that Grandpa had died. She needed Mom and Sally’s help, so they went to the Loomis family home at Northwood, 60 miles away, where they cleaned and dusted and laid tables for the big funeral reception there.
After a couple of days, the three of them came back to the Hunter home, in Kingsdale.
“Nana is coming to live with us from now on, darling,” Mom told Sally, on the bus. “Our family will be a little larger now. Won’t that be fun?”
Sally’s heart sank. Nobody had asked her opinion. It didn’t sound like fun at all.
“Under the ‘N’, 35!”
She jumped again, then fumbled for the green plastic chip to mark the number.
“Sally! Pay attention!”
Nana was snapping at her. She was doing a lot of that since they got back from the funeral trip. And Mom was letting her.
It had always been she and Mom, for as long as Sally could remember. Daddy was just a name. He had died a long time ago, before she was born. She didn’t like Nana suddenly barging in and changing everything.
She found it hard to concentrate on her card. She looked up and saw Mom and Nana whispering and looking at her.
When the game ended, they both beckoned to her. Now what? What had they decided for her this time? She got up and slowly walked over to them.
“I want you to switch places with me and sit near your grandmother,” Mom said.
“Why?” Sally had purposely chosen a place further along the counter, to be by herself.
“Well, you’re not watching your cards properly. Nana will help you play.”
“I don’t need any help!”
“Bingo games cost money, my girl. Your mother is trying to win, and she needs to stop worrying about you. Your daydreaming isn’t helping at all!”
Why was Nana picking on her? She looked hopefully at Mom for some support, but she was busy eyeing the prizes. Why was Mom letting Nana tell her what to do? Why didn’t she defend her? Didn’t she love her anymore?
“Come on, child. Sit next to me before the next game starts. Joan, use Sally’s card.”
After a last, wistful look at the shining collection of prizes, especially a hair dryer, Mom came back and sat down in Sally’s place.
Sitting next to Nana, Sally suddenly realized that her new seat was a lot better than the old one. Right in front of her, high up on a peg, was the largest orange bear she had ever seen.
“Wow! If I win, I’m getting the bear!”
“We’ll see,” said Nana.
What was wrong with Mom and Nana? They didn’t seem very happy playing this game. It felt more like a chore. Adults were so hard to understand!
Not long after the game began, Mom suddenly shrieked “Bingo!” Sally was excited. Her card had won, so she could get the bear.
Mom jumped up from her seat and ran up to the bingo caller. His assistant checked the numbers.
“Good Bingo!”
Sally expected Mom to come over and ask her which prize she wanted. But without hesitation, she screamed, “I’ll take the hair dryer!”
How could she?
“Mom! I wanted the bear! It was my card, not yours!” Several people stared at her, as her voice rose and grew shrill.
“I’m sorry, dear, but we need a hair dryer much more than we need another teddy bear. Besides, aren’t you too old for toys, now?”
“It’s not a toy! It’s to put on my bed. All my friends have them. And Nana said I could get it!”
“No, I didn’t, my girl, I said ‘we’ll see’. The household needs a hair dryer much more than that ridiculous bear! Besides, I counted 25 stuffed toys in your bedroom, just yesterday.”
“It’s not a ridiculous bear, it’s beautiful and I want it!” She began to cry. She knew deep down that Mom and Nana were probably right, but she couldn’t help it.
“It’s not fair,” she wailed, as Mom collected her prize and they left the fair. She sobbed all the way home, not caring about the people looking at her on the bus and on the street. That night, she refused to eat supper.
Several hours later, alone in her room, Sally lay wide awake. She was too upset to sleep. Nana just plainly hated her. She was always telling her off for something. And Mom didn’t love her anymore, either. Was she going to leave her like Daddy had? The thought was too terrible to think about.
From downstairs, she could hear voices. Mom and Nana were probably planning how to make her feel more miserable tomorrow. She got out of bed and opened the door a crack, to see if she could hear anything.
“ . . . don’t know if I did the right thing today, Mother. I’ve never seen Sally so upset before. Maybe I should have let her have the bear.”
“Nonsense, dear. She’ll get over it. You really have to start thinking about yourself a bit more. You need dry hair in the morning, and the child needs dry hair before she goes to bed. Besides, she should learn to appreciate how much you sacrifice for her. Why don’t you tell her about our financial problems? About how neither of our husbands has left us with anything?”
“She’s still only a baby, Mother. I can’t worry her about that. It’s not her fault we’re so poor.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, Joan, that child is growing up. She’s almost a teenager. You’ll have to start treating her like an adult very soon. Have you told her about your new job yet?”
“No, Mother. I was waiting for the right moment. I didn’t want to upset her today even more. She doesn’t seem to like you much, and I’m afraid she won’t be happy staying with you while I’m at work.”
“You can’t keep it a secret forever. You start in just a few days!”
“I know. I promise I’ll tell her tomorrow.”
“Well, mind you do. She’ll get used to me, in time. She’ll realize that I really love her. Children are very adaptable when they have to be.”
“I suppose so. I just hope it all works out, or I may have to quit the job.”
Sally closed the door softly and sat on the floor in stunned silence. They were poor! Mom never talked about money, but certain things began to make sense. They never went out to restaurants or movies, and she and Mom always took the bus. Sally thought that Mom preferred to do things that way, but now she wasn’t so sure.
Even today, Nana had paid for their admission to the fair and Mom didn’t object. It must have been a sacrifice for her to come up with the money. No wonder she had been so cross during the Bingo! And now, Nana was sticking up for her. She never expected that from her grumpy old grandmother.
Sally began to feel guilty about her behaviour today. Nana must be lonely without Grandpa. And she was probably forced to move in with them. That would be scary, too. Why couldn’t adults be honest about these things? She could understand their problems, if they told her.
She started to think about the oatmeal that Nana was now making every morning, since they had all come home. It wasn’t as bad as she first thought, and she had to admit that the oatmeal cookies were delicious, as well as the scalloped potatoes and homemade beans. Mom never had time to make anything like that.
Sally couldn’t let Mom quit a new job that was going to help them pay the bills! She had to convince her that she and Nana were going to be okay; that they were all going to be okay.
After a bit of thinking, she had an idea. It was something she would do tomorrow morning, to make up for everything.
About 6 a.m., when everyone was still asleep, Sally crept downstairs. She found an apron to wear over her pyjamas and set to work. She found the recipe book Mom always used and began carefully mixing all the ingredients.
At 7:30, she heard movement upstairs and hurriedly laid the kitchen table, so she would be ready.
“What are you up to, child?” said Nana, as she shuffled into the room.
“I thought I’d help by making the oatmeal this morning, Nana.” It was the first time she had used that name for her grandmother.
“Why, that’s very thoughtful, child.” Nana seemed to choke a little when she spoke. She had to clear her throat a few times.
A few minutes later, Sally was serving oatmeal to Nana and Mom. It didn’t taste the same as Nana’s, somehow, but nobody seemed to mind.
“What a help you are, darling,” said Mom. “What made you decide to do this?”
“I wanted both of you to know that, from now on, I’m going to help run the family. It’s nice to have you here, Nana.”
“Well, it’s nice to be here, child.” Nana couldn’t stop smiling.
“And Mom, . . .” she began.
“Yes, dear?”
“Good luck in your new job.”
- Pandora Ballard, Coquitlam resident, a founding member of the Tri-City Wordsmiths
You can find Pandora Ballard on Facebook or you can email her at [email protected].
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