The Feud: Cathy's Story

 This picks up Cathy's story again from Grandma's Broken Leg.  What I'm posting is just first draft stuff.

Cathy thought they would go home after they left Uncle Bill and Aunt Ruth.  They were all still in their bathing suits.  Cathy’s was dry by now and the sand caught inside itched.  Still, she was happy to see that they were going to see Aunt Dodie and Uncle Jim instead.  She loved playing with her cousins.

Once they arrived, Aunt Dodie told them through Dottie that it was too hot to go outside.  The children decided to play Parcheesi while the adults signed back and forth.  Cathy knew her parents were telling her aunt and uncle all about what happened to Grandma.  She could tell by their shocked expressions and Aunt Dodie’s moan.  The conversation continued while the children played.

The sounds of angry hands coming together made Cathy look up.  Mama and Aunt Dodie were both red-in-the-face and it was their hands making loud angry noises as they signed.  Their voices were flat but very breathy and angry sounding.  Cathy saw the other three children were watching now too and she asked Dottie, “What’s the matter?”

Dottie watched the conversation for a few minutes and then answered, “It’s about who will take care of Grandma during the week.  Your mom wants to split up the week but my mom says she can’t until the weekends cuz we have school.”

“But Mikey and I have school too,” Cathy pointed out.  She didn’t understand.

After another moment, Dodie said, “My mom says it’s cuz Jimmy is just starting first grade.”

Cathy frowned, puzzled.  So?  Mikey was just starting kindergarten.

Daddy and Uncle Jimmy weren’t signing much.  They would exchange glances and shrug now and then.

Mama stood up.  She was signing very fast now and was clearly outraged.  Daddy stood up, too, and began signing quietly to her.  He was trying to calm Mama down, Cathy realized.

“What is it?”  Cathy asked Dottie again.  Jimmy and Mikey watched, wide-eyed.

“I think they’re going to do it my mom’s way, but your mom doesn’t like it,” Dottie explained.  “Uncle Mike is saying that he’ll take care of you and Mikey until it’s time for him to work.  And now my mom is saying she’ll come over and fix you dinner Monday through Friday, and then my dad will come over to watch you guys until Uncle Mike gets home.”

It sounded quite complicated.

Mama was already heading out the front door.  Daddy gestured to Cathy and Mikey to get up.  “Time to go home,” he said to them.

But Mama was still very angry.  Cathy felt afraid.  Mama was scary when she got that angry. 

 

When Grandma came home from the hospital, Mama packed up right away to go spend the work week with her.  Cathy cried because Mama wouldn’t let her come along to see Grandma.  Aunt Dodie came over with Dottie and Jimmy because Daddy had already left for work.  Cathy was comforted by the presence of her cousins.

For about a month, life took on a very different routine.  Daddy would get Cathy and Mikey up to have breakfast and get ready for school.  He made bag lunches for them while they dressed.  Cathy was quite pleased at first to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and banana every day.  What a treat!  After a week and a half, though, she began to grow very tired of it.  Mama gave them ham and cheese or bologna and cheese during the week too.  Cathy didn’t complain to Daddy, though, because she didn’t want to make trouble.

One Friday night, Mama came home exhausted.  She signed with Uncle Jim and then went into her bedroom and shut the door.  Cathy asked Dottie what had happened.  “Aunt Maggie doesn’t feel very well and so she asked my father to stay until Uncle Mike gets home,” Dottie explained.

The children sat down to watch television.  Soon Daddy arrived home and instead of leaving, Uncle Jim stayed to “talk”.  That pleased the children to no end: now they could stay up late.  Dottie changed the channels on the TV until she found a late-night scary film called “The House On Haunted Hill.”

“No, it has ghosts,” Cathy objected.  She didn’t like scary things.  The wicked witch and her monkeys always made her cover her eyes when The Wizard Of Oz came on once or twice a year.  She didn’t even like the ghosts in Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol.

“Ghosts are fun,” Dottie said firmly and Jimmy agreed.  “Let’s vote.”  Dottie and Jimmy immediately voted for the movie. 

Jimmy turned to Mikey and demanded: “Are you a sissy?”  Mikey shook his head ‘no’ and raised his hand.  Three to one, Cathy was outvoted.

It wasn’t long before Cathy was terrified of the movie goings-on.  She asked Dottie to put something else on the TV but her cousin refused.  Cathy could’ve changed the channel herself but whenever the children were together, Dottie was the boss.  She was the eldest and the bossiest.

Finally, Cathy could stand no more.  She went in to tell Daddy but he and Uncle Jimmy were too busy signing, so she had to tap Daddy’s shoulder several times.  When Daddy looked at her at last, he noticed the kitchen clock and said peremptorily, “So late, go to bed.”

“I’m afraid, I’m afraid,” Cathy objected.  Going to bed now was the last thing she wanted.  After all, she had a wolf in her closet and obviously Daddy was too busy to check it for her.  Daddy asked why and she pointed to the living room.  “The movie.  I’m scared.”

Daddy shook his head and said, “Don’t be silly.  Late now, go to bed.”  He called to Mikey to go to bed too.

Cathy tiptoed through the living room with Mikey.  He went into his room and she continued down the hall, terrified.  Her parents’ bedroom was directly across the hall from hers and she had an idea.   She opened the door to her parents’ bedroom and went in, turning on the light.  Mama was curled up, sleeping, and Cathy had to shake her several times to awaken her.

Mama finally roused and started to sit up.  “What?”

“I’m scared, I’m scared,” Cathy mouthed back slowly.

“Tell Daddy.  I’m sick.”  Mama began to reach for the lamp, but Cathy tapped her.  Now Mama sat up, looking pale and annoyed.

“The movie.  The TV.”

Mama grabbed her bathrobe and rushed out of the bedroom and into the living room.  Dottie and Jimmy looked up, startled.  Mama rushed through the living room and into the dining room, where Daddy and Uncle Jim were sitting.

Mama was yelling.  “Get out, get out, get out!”   She was yelling at a very startled Uncle Jim.  Daddy got up and signed to Mama.

Mama was still yelling as she signed back.  “Why do you let them watch a scary movie?”

Daddy and Uncle Jimmy only looked at her in confusion.  She was pointing to the door and continued to sign so furiously that her hands smacked loudly and cracked.

Cathy looked at Dottie, who was wide-eyed.  Dottie said, “Your mom says my parents are using her instead of taking fair turns.  And she says my dad is stupid for letting us watch a scary movie.”  Uncle Jimmy was signing something back, which Dottie interpreted as “But he didn’t know.”

Now Daddy was also trying to explain to Mama but she was shaking and jumping up and down, pointing to the door.  “Get out, get out, get out!” she screamed again.

Cathy ran from the living room, terrified.  She jumped into her bed and pulled the covers over her head.  She could hear Mama and Daddy arguing.  Their hands were so loud when they were angry.  She began to cry.  She wished she hadn’t woken Mama.  Now she would be in trouble!  Finally, she cried herself out and fell asleep.

 

Cathy was sure Mama would be very angry with her, but she wasn’t.  Something was wrong with Mama, though.  She continued to feel sick and stayed in bed.  Daddy would go in to take care of her, bringing her meals and tea or water.  He would sit on the edge of the bed and sign with her.  Mama cried and cried.

Cathy and Mikey only knew that Mama wasn’t feeling well.  Daddy took them to the park for a few hours and made all their meals during that weekend.  On Monday, Mama didn’t go back to Grandma’s.  There seemed to be a new arrangement: Daddy went to take care of Grandma during the day until he had to leave for work.  After his shift was over, Uncle Jimmy went to stay overnight.  Aunt Dodie continued the weekends.

Mama did get up that week to get Cathy and Mikey ready for school.  It was a relief not to have peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches every day, but Cathy was worried.  The following weekend, Daddy took Cathy and Mikey to the park again while Mama stayed home and rested.

Cathy knew a few basic signs because she’d seen them used so frequently.  She signed a simple question: “What’s wrong with Mama?”

Daddy answered with his voice.  “She had bad dream.”

Bad dream?  This was even more confusing and worrisome because Cathy didn’t have the vocabulary to ask why it was a bad dream and why Mama got sick about it.  She just nodded her head.

Just before the third weekend came, Mama seemed in a good mood so Cathy used her lips to ask about seeing Dottie and Jimmy.  She missed them.  But Mama looked suddenly annoyed.  Her lips pressed together, she shook her head no.  The little girl didn’t want to press Mama any further and asked Daddy.  And Daddy said, “Mama, Aunt Do have big fight.  Not talking.”

It wasn’t over then.  Now Cathy really wished she hadn’t wakened Mama.  She wondered what that bad dream had been about.  She wouldn’t find out until she was older.