Mary #1

If anyone does Saturday Centus you might somewhat remember this story started as a centus.  In  June of 2010, I wrote a few chapters on Mary and then stopped.  I had so much to write about her, writing weekly for centus wasn't enough.  I then wrote and wrote until I had over 30,000 words so far.  In writing it though as I got further and further my original premise somehow got blown out of the water, ha, ha. I stopped writing her story in March of 2011.   I still haven't quite figured out how I'm going to work this out but I thought I would put out what I have so far.   Please remember this is a really rough draft and when I wrote it, I had no chapters.  Before I decided to put this on the blog I had to go back and figure out where I could make them.  I would suggest this is a terrible way of doing it lol. 

1

Mary’s parents were gone and it was time to start thinking about selling the farm.  Mary looked out of her high rise New York apartment at the hot, steamy concrete.   Memories flooded back from her childhood of Ma’s apple pies cooling in the pie safe and laundry fluttering in the breeze.  She remembered climbing the huge oak tree and swinging on the old wooden swing.  For a moment, she had visions of not selling the homestead and just moving back.  Then reality set in.  He still lived in town.  She knew she was afraid of him but what she thought happened was it true or had she imagined it?

She already talked to her boss and was taking a leave of absence to go back to clear things out.  Her brothers never could understand why she didn’t come back.  Why would they, she thought.  I never told anyone what happened.

The next day she put her bags in the car and started driving to the family home.  She felt nervous but at peace with going. She should be there before dark.   No one knew she was coming but she would call her brothers and let them know when she was there.   Ma and Pa had died months ago.  It was time to start sorting through their things and make some decisions. 

When she got off the freeway, she noticed how much the area had changed.  It wasn’t such a small place anymore.  There were chain stores and restaurants everywhere. A lot of the farmland had been turned into housing.   While driving past the high school she went to, she could see that they had built an addition on.   Everyone wants to live in a small country town but don’t realize once they all come it is never the quaint place it used to be. 

She pulled into the driveway and looked at her childhood home. It was just as she remembered.  

As her thoughts wandered she heard “Mar, are you all right?”  It was her brother Johnny. 

 From the other side of the car she heard “Look at what the cat dragged back” in a chilly tone.   

 “Why didn’t you tell anyone you were coming?” Johnny said ignoring Jimmy. 

 “I didn’t want anyone to know.”  

 “Why did you decide to come now?” Jimmy asked.  

 “I thought I would come and start cleaning out the house.  You know we’re going to have to start getting it ready if we want to sell it.  Look I’d rather nobody know I’m here for now because I’ve got a lot of stuff to go through.” 

 “That’s fine Mary but eventually we all need to talk to clear some things up” Jimmy said.   

Changing the subject Johnny said, “We were just heading out anyhow.  Call us when you settle in.” 

 “Okay brothers.  Thanks.” 

As the two brothers left, Mary got out of the car and walked to the house.  She got as far as the living room and fell to her knees and wept. 

As he was driving home, Johnny was so happy that Mary had come home but he knew Mary probably blamed herself for their parent’s deaths.  If only, she would have traveled this past Christmas home instead of them traveling to see her.  If only, that truck driver hadn’t fallen asleep.  If only, we all had gone and decided to drive the accident probably wouldn’t have happened. If only, if only, he thought. 

 Johnny made a sharp turn into the gift shop parking lot.   He went in and looked around and found the perfect gift for her.  He wanted her to know that he supported her and was happy to see her.  He wrote a note, put it in the box and drove back to the farm.  He could hear Mary crying.  He wondered why Mary didn’t want anyone to know she was here.  He put the box on the rocker on the front porch and then left her with her grief for now.

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