[IN PROGRESS]
Martha and James are soulmates trapped together in a never-ending reincarnation loop. Not a bad way to spend eternity, but they wanted more. They wanted a child. Serafina is born and Martha and James are elated to love and raise her a...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
June 28, 2002 |31|
"Again! Again!" James shouted as he held Serafina's hand.
"Okay, but this is the last one," Serafina said. "Ready, Mom?"
"Yeah, but seriously, the last one." Martha tightened her grip on Serafina's other hand as the three walked through Memorial Park in Old Pasadena. "Three... Two... One..."
"Wheeeee!" all three of them cried as Martha and James swung Serafina up in front of them and then back to the ground.
"Alright... Alright..." Serafina panted. "So fun... But if we do that again, my al pastor is going to be al over the sidewalk."
"Okay. I get it," James said. "Does that mean you're too full for ice cream?"
"Ha! Good one, Dad."
The day had been uncommonly gorgeous – its clear blue sky graced with dollops of puffy clouds. It was hot, but Martha, James, and Serafina had lived through hotter.
They'd started the morning at the Rose Bowl flea market where they found a pair of Mexican sundresses for Serafina and a used violin, trumpet, and concertina with which the three of them could share and jam. Afterward, they made a stop in North Pasadena at the best taco stand this side of the Baja Peninsula. Then, to let their lunch digest, they'd decided to make the long walk down to Old Pasadena for ice cream.
This particular ice cream shop had been a favorite of Martha and her father's in all of her childhoods and somewhere she'd always imagined taking Serafina. So here we are... Just as I planned... Martha was making an effort to appreciate moments of normalcy in her new reality. It appeared to be paying off as she had gone a full thirty-six hours since her last panic attack. Amazing. Throw me a parade.
As they traveled through the park, Morton Bay Fig and Japanese Maple trees provided intermittent shade. The walkway wound around the lawn seating of the Levitt Pavilion – a restored WPA era gold bandshell stage. There was no performance scheduled so the stage was empty but for a pair of toddlers racing across its length while the lawn was scattered with people lunching or relaxing on blankets.
The park came to an end and Serafina, Martha, and James crossed the street to a commercial block where they passed a travel agency with posters of the Eiffel Tower and a tropical sunset on its window, then a record store full of mostly CDs, and then a deli with a water bowl beside its door for passing dogs.
"Hold on," Serafina said, studying the water bowl curiously. Then they heard laughter. Serafina followed the noise up to an alleyway just beyond the deli. "Oh, you son of a bitch," they said then flinched to their parents. "Sorry."
"No worries. Something wrong?" James asked cautiously as he and Martha caught up to them. Then they saw what had caught Serafina's attention – three boys halfway up the alleyway had taken the dog food bowl from the deli's doorstep and with it, were harassing someone on the ground.
