Tipping the Scales

Tipping the Scales, Chapter 10

"Jackson, may I borrow your car?" Odelia asked.

The rest of the family was clustered around the big screen TV in the family room, watching Wheel of Fortune together. Courtney had even put her phone in her pocket.

"Fat chance, fat ass," Brian said.

"If there's anything you need, it's exercise, and you want to drive four blocks to the grocery store? I've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life," Melanie added.

"Jackson, I asked you a question."

Two vehicles sitting in the garage, but was she ever allowed to use one? No. If her feet couldn't take her where she wanted to go and carry her back again, she could just plain forget about going. It was ridiculous.

It was hard to remember the last time she'd been allowed to drive one of their precious vehicles. Was it six—no, eight months ago, when she'd demanded they allow her to attend a James Taylor concert in Fort Wayne.

It had been wonderful... If she hadn't had the car, she was pretty sure she could have floated home, she was that happy.

Until the next morning when Melanie had complained that there was a tear in the leather of her driver's seat, a tear she swore up and down hadn't been there before said seat had been asked to bear Odelia's wide load. Yeah, that was the last time.

"How can he need to buy a vowel?" Jackson said. "Where do they get these people?"

"Jackson!"

Resentfully, her brother turned his head far enough away from the television screen to look at her. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Can't you see Wheel is on?"

With a sigh, Odelia walked out of the family room into the living room.

The living room, though not actually used for anything except looking nice, was the hub of the house.

It was a large space with a vaulted ceiling. The foyer and the picture window occupied its north wall. On the east, where Odelia currently stood, were two archways; one opened onto the family room, and the other onto the hall leading to Odelia's room and its accompanying bathroom. On the south wall was a single archway, that of the hall leading to the master-bedroom suite on one side and the two children's rooms on the other, which connected to one another by the shared bathroom between them. On the west wall was a second twin set of archways; one opened onto the dining room, and the other onto the kitchen, which was connected in turn to the dining room by swinging doors.

Odelia headed across the living room toward, into, and through the kitchen, exiting it by the back door that led to the garage. Once there, she collected her little red wagon from its resting place beside the door to the laundry room.

It was humiliating to have to walk through the neighborhood dragging that little red wagon. If she wasn't still so fat, she could ride a bicycle. Swooping down the street, the wind ruffling her hair... That would be almost as nice as driving.

But she shouldn't complain. It was amazing just to be able to walk again, to feel the cracks in the concrete sidewalk through the soles of her loafers and smell the tar on the railway ties as the wagon rattled over the crossing.

As always, she left the wagon on the sidewalk in front of Kaiser's, replacing it with a cart as soon as she entered.

Musak played softly as nozzles on automatic timers misted the produce. Spinach and carrots and snow peas and celery... It all looked so good.