Lucile was a saint. She raised 4 kids, cared for 3 elderly people (2 and a half she hated), housed 2 cats and tolerated a dog. All 4 kids plays instruments, Steven, the oldest played the electric guitar, Rebecca the clarinet, Daniel, the bassoon and baritone sax, and Rachel would go on to play the French horn and trumpet. The age difference between the youngest and the oldest was 16 years. When all four kids and all 3 adults were in the house, noise was constant, pinging around every floor of the house, as soon as one stopped another would begin. A clarinet squeaked. The tv turned on. The cat yelled. A match lit in the basement ( great grandma smoked, which Lucile disapproved of). A bassoon honked. A baseball bat cracked outside. Someone began yelling. A knock on the door (get that, Rebecca!). A plate crashed (so sorry mom I'll clean it up!). An electric guitar thundered (Turn that down Steven!). Another match in the basement. The dog barked. Someone was running up and down the 3rd floor staircase. The baby was crying. The garage opened (Lucile! I'm home!) Toys smashed. The telephone rang. (Rachel sweetie don't answer that!) Dinner sizzled in pans. Three of the siblings were arguing, the fourth was on her way up to check it out. The cats were squaring up. More knocking on the door. The phone rang again. The tv clicked on. Downstairs, the older folks were arguing loudly. A third match lit. Stomping upstairs. The evening news chimed. The dog barked. The doorbell rang. The phone rang. Silverware clattered onto the table. Rachel was crying again and Daniel was yelling at her to stop. The phone. Another bark. The cat screeched. Gunshots on tv. More yelling. Now a clarinet had started again. A squeak, a laugh, a scream. Stomping again. Water filled glasses, ice clicking the sides. A door slammed. More running. A crash from the basement. A yell of "Steven I'll kill you!" Pop songs on the radio. Toys falling from the staircase. A book slamming shut. A toddler babbling about something or another. A dog barked. The phone rang. (Someone get that for the love of God!)
"DINNER!" Lucile's voice pierced through it all.
Doors opened, feet thundered on stairs. Shuffling. The easy chair was kicked in. Chairs scraped as they were pulled out and inched in by 8 different people. Lucile sat quietly, watching the chaos. "Smells great mom!" "Dan's on my foot" "who was at the door?" "This looks good Lucile but I asked for meatloaf" "I love it, honey it looks great" "ahbbahhahk"
Lucile took the hands of her husband and eldest daughter.
"Shall we pray?"
YOU ARE READING
On An Unrelated Note: Short Stories
Short StoryThis is a compilation of many short stories. Some are a paragraph. Some are three pages. Some are longer. Some are in third person, some are in first. But each chapter is a new character and a new story, and each chapter tells of something to make y...
