RAZOR Blade SMILES (chapter 3) NOTE: I know I have many mistakes and a lot needs revise so far, but going to keep going and bounce back occasionally to revise things. There was an old croak pot out on the back porch. A huge one, used for fermenting pickles or something. Adam would frequently walk up to it and beat his head on the rim. God only knows why! Guess it was to prove he was hard headed or something. Or maybe he was dropped on his head when he was born, and just a thing of habit. Anyway, everyone always got a kick out of it. Summer was almost over, that meant they were doomed to another school year. The farmhouse was positioned over a half a mile from the road. That required them to day after day make that long, tiresome walk. Cindy always would race Adam home, and as she left him behind, He would just give up. Then about an hour later he would arrive at home. He was persistently distracted by everything he came across. It wouldn’t matter what it was. If there was a Beetle, grasshopper, or just smashing hedge tree balls, He had to play with it! There is one thing that you should know. Grandpa had his own way of punishing Adam and Cindy if they disobeyed him or if they broke any rules. There was a strap that was used to sharpen razors, threatening in plain sight on the wall beside the living room door. It was called, guess what? “Razor Strap” Seems appropriate! It was a constant reminder of what was to come if you didn’t behave. Grandma didn’t approve of it, but she didn’t have much say in the matter. Today, they were all going into town to get school supplies, and clothes for the new school year. Adam was playing in the big pile of sand in one corner of the yard. He never got the toys he really wanted to play with. Grandpa always bought him cast steel farm toys, or a red flyer wagon, and also a bike. That was about the limit of his toys. He loved those toys, but he dreamed of having an electric train, and an electric racecar track. He was always denied them. He would a lot of time playing with the tractors, disc, hay baler, wagons, etc. Pretending to be a sandbox farmer. He had a few plastic animals until he lost most of them, then he resorted to using marbles as animals. Cindy was swinging on the rope swing, hanging from the gigantic oak tree. Cindy tried to get Adam to play house with her earlier, but he wasn’t interested. He would normally like to play house with her. He would go to the chicken house and get some eggs, and he would make homemade mud pies, made with real eggs. Adam thought of himself, quite a master chef, when it came to making mud pies and cakes. The day was very peaceful, with a soothingly, calming wind coming in from the northwest. Still Cindy seemed aware of the coming of the fall months. If was just the way the clouds seemed to hover closer to the earth, as their appearance changed increasingly to a wintry type of cloud. Winter clouds appeared to reside much closer to the ground, structured with more of a rippling effect. “Cindy, Adam, time to come in now and eat.” Echoed grandma’s voice, “We have to hurry so we can go into town”. Cindy and Adam, both looked at each other in surprise for a moment. Grandma always rang the cast iron bell on the back porch when it was time to eat. Cindy leaped from the swing, and started to race Adam to the house. Adam grabbed her and showed her out of the way and raced to the porch. He had outdone her this time, she thought to herself. But she knew there would be a time later for retaliation. Adam held the screen door tight, to prevent Cindy from entering. “Stop it, or I will tell”, Cindy cried. That always worked, the last thing he wanted was Grandpa to get upset. Adam turned and ran inside the kitchen and began to pump water into the basin to wash. Cindy joined in as they pushed and shoved play foolishly while attempt to clean their hands. “Behave kids, and find your place at the table”, Grandma sternly shouted. The best thing about Grandma was her fantastic meals. She worked long and hard for every meal she created. And if you consider what she had to work with, that was a miracle by itself. They would smell the satisfying aroma fragmenting the air outside for hours it seemed. Grandpa was already at the table with his oversized napkin stuffed inside the top of his blue faded bib overalls. He had his usual wide smile, exposing his phony loosely fitted dentures. He would always try to amuse children, by chattering teeth as they bounced around in his mouth. His baldhead had a shine that was so bright that you would have to shield your eyes, to be able to see past the top of his head. Not only was his teeth fake, his smile always seemed counterfeited also. He never let any part of the skin exposed to the sunlight. He kept his long sleeve shirt buttoned all the way to his neck. That was probably the reason his neck always appeared to be read, probably cutting off the circulation to his head. “Lets behave kids, and bow your heads”, Grandpa muttered with his pasted on smile, “Let’s give thanks,” That smile was at all times there, no matter what his frame of mind was in. Cindy and Adam bowed while their eager eyes were fixed upon the tempting morsels lying in front of them. After grace was spoken, Adam started digging in, like he had not eaten for 2 days. “ADAM”, Cindy hollered across the table,” Pass the food around, the rest of us would like to enjoy the food also.” “Be nice, and say please, Cindy,” remarked Grandma, as Grandpa gave Adam a harsh look. “He’s a growing boy, that needs to learn some table manners, Right Adam,” Grandma commented. “Yes Grandma, sorry” was all Adam said, as he started to relay the serving dishes. Grandma was not blessed with fine hand painted china or silver utensils. Being a poor farmers wife, she was deprived of a lot of her most wanted luxuries. She did her best with the chipped dime store plates, and long since corroded pot and pans, accented with half broken and bent utensils. Everyone finished hastily, so as to get to the store to get the necessary, and required items for school. “Cindy, I want you and Adam to help with the laundry when we get back from the store”, Grandma said, “Adam, you can wring out the clothes for your sister, so she can hang the clothes on the line to dry, OK.” “Yes Grandma,” replied Adam with a disgruntled tone in his voice. “And I told you not to wear those torn pants until I got them sewed,” Grandma said determinedly. “Sorry, I forgot Grandma, I will change right now, replied Adam. Adam quickly changed his tattered pants, and finally everyone headed towards the doorway. Little did we know that this particular trip was going to disclose something about Grandpa that we had never seen before?
Posted on: Sun, 28 Jul 2013 00:53:51 +0000
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