Reunion (a short story)

Reunion
By: Debra Burks

This story is fiction, however it is based on real life experience.

Eldora hated the thought of being alone, but with David constantly gone she either stayed by herself or called one of the girls to come and get her. David, her youngest son, lived with her. He was thirty-five or older, she couldn’t exactly remember. Since he had found a girl friend, he stayed gone more than he stayed home.

There was only one thing she hated worse than being alone, and that was being without her car. The kids had taken her car to fix it, but it doesn’t take two years to fix a car. Why was her faithful old ride still parked at Lonnie’s house? She didn’t like having to bum a ride everywhere she went. Couldn’t her kids understand that? She even had to hitch a ride to church, and she had been driving longer than most of her children were old.

Every time she went to prayer meeting she asked the folks to pray that her car would come home, but so far God had not heard their prayers. She reckoned they were all sinning, and that was why God played deaf. She smiled to herself as she thought about some of their dastardly deeds.

Shirley had taken her checkbook, so she couldn’t write a check for anything. Why had she taken it? Eldora could not understand. She had always been the one who had taken care of her families’ finances, but the kids had decided that she couldn’t do it right anymore. Some of them said she had Alzheimer’s disease. They thought she was crazy. She knew they were whispering behind their hands about her. Just wait till she went back to Lonnie’s, She’d figure out something to do about her car. Now, wouldn’t it be funny if she just drove it off. She would love to be a fly on the wall, and hear what they would say to that.

In the bedroom she brushed her grey hair up on top of her head, twisted it into a knot, and pinned it down securely. Lord have mercy, her face looked like it needed ironing there were so many wrinkles. She’d probably look a little better if she put her teeth in. She would get them from the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, she raked her brains trying to remember what she was there for, but it was no use.

Aggravated at herself, she headed toward her favorite easy chair. She would take a nap and rest her weary bones. When the phone rang she hastily lifted the receiver. This was, it seemed, her only connection to the outside world. “Hello!” the cadence of her voice was jolly, and she was happy to talk to anyone.

“Mamma, how are you doing?”Lonnie queried in a typical manner.Then before she could answer him, he asked,“Are you ready yet? Mary and I are on our way to get you.”

“Lord, Lonnie I forgot you were coming today, but I’ll be ready when you get here.” This might be the perfect opportunity to do something about her car.

“Ok mom, we’ll be there in about an hour,” he said. “See you then.” He hung up before she could say goodbye.

She’d better buzz around,or she wouldn’t be ready when they came. She was going on a trip! Just wait until she told Shirley she was leaving, it would sure aggravate her, but Shirley asked for it. She was always meddling in her business.

She would plan carefully. Roger, one of her sons, had given her money for her birthday. It was tucked securely inside her pocket book, and she had rolled it around the spare car key so the kids wouldn’t know she had the key or the money. She would use the money to buy gas to get home. Yes mam, she would make her own miracle happen. She would drive her car home! Those old busy-bodies at church would think that God had answered their prayers, but she would know better.

Well, here she was, all dressed up with her suitcase beside her chair. “Wonder where I’m going?” Eldora smiled at herself. She had spoken aloud as if talking to her friend Adlilne. Still, she wished she could remember who was coming after her.

She relaxed her short, plump frame in her choicest recliner until sleep claimed her confusion. The soft snores caused her lips to puff in and out, and her callused hands rested in her lap. The dress she wore had busy flowers printed on the bodice, and the elastic at the waist gave a hint to what at one time had been a great figure. Time had not been very kind to her. Brown age spots littered her hands and arms, her skin was paper thin, and she looked every day of her seventy-eight years.

A loud knocking at the door startled her awake, and she pushed heavily out of the chair. “I’m coming!” she yelled, and she wondered who had come today. She peeped out the curtain into the smiling face of her eldest son. My, he was handsome, at least in her eyes.

“We’re here to take you home with us.” With an infectious grin, Lonnie wrapped his long arm around her and hugged her close.

“So you’re the one I’m waiting on,” Eldora rejoiced. “I knew somebody was coming ‘cause I'm all packed up and ready to go."

The two hour drive to Lonnie’s seemed to take only minutes, and before her luggage was all unloaded,

Eldora was tucked into bed and fast asleep. As dawn peeked into her window, her eyes popped open and excitement fluttered in her breast. She dressed quietly, grabbed her purse, and tiptoed out the door. Once on the porch, she dug inside her purse for the hidden key. Then she crept around the corner of the house, her eyes hungrily seeking out her car. There it was! Her heart beat a loud tattoo inside her chest, and with hands that shook she opened the door and sank into the seat. It fit around her perfectly.

A smile lit her face; she turned the key in the ignition, and the car purred to life. With neat precision, she backed carefully down the drive and pulled into the lane, but something was wrong. The motion of the car was like an old man on a cane; it must be a flat tire. Now, what was she going to do? Her thoughts tumbled around in her mind as she sought for a way to fix the tire. She could go back and get Lonnie out of bed. No, that wouldn’t work. He would take her car again. She certainly didn’t want that to happen. She could probably fix the flat herself if she knew where the, where the… “Oh shoot! What is it called?” She questioned the air with aggravation. She knew it was something used to pick up the car, but the correct name ran like a fugitive from her memory.

At the end of the lane, her way to help became clear. Across the street there was a service station. Eldora knew she could use her birthday money and have… Now, what was she gonna have done? Maybe she would remember when she got to the station.

As she started across the street, the impatient sound of blowing horns made not the slightest impact on her. Breaks squealed and cars skidded to avoid crashing into her; their drivers were angry and frightened at the thought of the damage she might have caused. Without realizing that she was the cause of a near catastrophe, Eldora, with great calm, drove her limping car into the service bay.

The attendant on duty had watched the passage with amazement. With a worried expression on his face, he leaned down to the window and asked, “Mam, are you alright?”

“Of course I’m ok,” answered Eldora. “My car is the one with the problem.” With a trace of fear in her voice because she could not recall the problem she asked, “Can you fix it?”

“Certainly mam,” he answered. “We can fix that tire for you right away.”

She sighed with relief; this man knew what was wrong with her car. After satisfactory settlement of the bill, Eldora once more eased herself into the familiar surroundings of her faithful, old car. Ah, what a lovely feeling.

She felt a need for company, so she turned on the radio and mumbled to herself, “The kids are going to be furious with me.” Liking the sound of her own voice she continued, “I wish that I could see and hear what happens when they find me gone.” Her spoken thoughts brought a chuckle from deep down inside. The way home no longer mattered, and she randomly chose her direction as she drove off into the morning.